In law enforcement, CI stands for Confidential Informant. A confidential informant is a secret source who, through a contact officer, supplies information on criminal activity to the police or law enforcement agent. There are three types of criminal informants:
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The caught: People who were caught committing a crime and are offered a deal by either police officers or attorneys. They work for the police and any possible charges for their crime will either never be filed or they will be dismissed once the police are satisfied with the number of cases they bring in. This type of informant often receives a fee for their work, which can be based on the monetary amount of any illegal drugs confiscated, or on his or her success with bringing in usable tips.
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The convicted: Jailhouse informants who cooperate with the police in exchange for a reduction of the degree of criminal charge either pending against them or a reduction in their current adjudicated sentence.
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The career: People who might have had a minor record of misdemeanor crimes in the past or some low-level drug crimes, but they have since gone straight. However, their past record and perhaps any connections they may have retained gives them the street credibility to pierce certain social circles associated with criminal activity or drug use and trafficking.
Detectives have their own personal cultivated sources as well as registered confidential informants. Informants have various motives for giving information to the police, and detectives must determine the motivation in order to solicit information successfully.