Watch the following video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsDhzM7vGKQ&themeRefresh=1

Respond to the following with why/why not you agree or disagree with the below statement

I feel that confidential informants are a necessary evil that law enforcement must utilize to gain a closer access to bringing down or gaining information on a large criminal element. Informants have the ability to blend into a criminal element due to having been involved in certain crimes that relate to criminal elements. Their ability to fit into criminal elements gives law enforcement the ability to gain inside information on other criminals that uniformed or undercover officers would not be able to gain. Utilization of informants protects officers from engaging in situations that could place them in harm's way. Criminals tend to be more open to other criminals on the basis that they both do not want to be discovered and be punished for their crimes.

Informants can be both a good and bad source of information. Good information can lead to dangerous individuals being removed from neighborhoods or large amounts of drugs being removed from populations. If an informant is facing lengthy jail or prison sentences for crimes they have committed, they tend to provide quality information that can lead to the arrest of a more significant individual. Informants have closer interactions, or a higher knowledge of what crimes are being committed that law enforcement may not know about. Bad information can lead to innocent people being arrested for crimes that they have no involvement in or knowledge of. Sadly, informants can provide bad information due to pressure from law enforcement forcing them to be involved. This immense pressure can lead to them failing to gain useful information or cause other criminals to be on high alert and change their actions. Hearsay evidence can be inadmissible in court and leave law enforcement with little to no information or evidence to base their reasoning on using information gained from informants. Bad information can lead to police violating someone's Fourth Amendment rights as well.

The reason why informants snitch is quite simple, they want to minimize or eliminate prior charges they may be facing. Informants are trying to avoid lengthy jail or prison sentences. Sometimes there is a monetary gain that an informant can receive in exchange for information that proves useful in the arrest of other criminals.

Unfortunately, the use of informants can lead to or expose police corruption. As stated in the video, police can use informants in inappropriate manners to gain access to criminals or criminal entities. Highlighted in the video, police may use informants incorrectly to gain search warrants to find illegal weapons or drugs. Police may use an informant on a warrant without their knowledge as an "in" or provider of information to make a warrant seem credible. Police may use the informant to plant evidence to further back their warrant and attach charges to those suspected of a crime. As previously mentioned, police may force the informant to partake in gaining information against their will.

Even though corruption can occur, the use of informants in my opinion can be beneficial in stopping more crimes from being committed, if the process is used correctly and by the book. Information gained from informants can lead to thorough investigations by means of surveillance and other undercover processes. It can also help the informant to change their ways in terms of partaking in crimes or drugs and help them change their lives for the better. Most importantly, they can help law enforcement better prepare for taking down criminals and minimize dangers they may encounter.