This story is part of a KSAT 12 Defenders investigation into the use of confidential informants by law enforcement. The one-hour special report airs on KSAT 12 on Feb. 1 at 9 p.m. Find more here.
It sounds like a ‘dicey’ proposition: Using a known criminal already in trouble with the law in a key position of trust, to help police, deputies and prosecutors bring in other felony cases.
Is it any wonder that “confidential informants,” (or CI’s), are often called “a necessary evil?”
Still, many law enforcement officials defend the practice and claim that confidential informants have been a boon to fighting crime, especially drug trafficking.
But hold on.
In a 6-month investigation, the KSAT 12 Defenders have uncovered a tradeoff for that supposed “success”: A dark social cost that includes innocent people going to prison or even losing their lives during police raids.
What’s worse, the general secrecy that’s meant to protect informants has often also hidden police corruption like officers planting evidence, committing perjury and theft, and just plain bad casework.
And it also helps hide when an informant goes rogue and plants drug evidence in someone’s home.
You’ll see all of this and more as KSAT 12 Investigative Reporter Tim Gerber reveals a string of wrongful convictions here in Bexar County, confronts those responsible, and also shows you how the problem might be stopped.
Tune in to KSAT 12 on Tuesday, February 1 at 9 p.m. for a one-hour investigation, “‘A Necessary Evil’: The Cost of Confidential Informants.”
You can also watch live in the video player above or on our streaming platform, KSAT Plus.
Find more on KSAT’s Confidential Informant page.