Political Science Law Enforcement
Inside a Police Informants Mind
- Publisher
- Coastal West Publishing
- Initial publish date
- Feb 2020
- Category
- Law Enforcement
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780981240855
- Publish Date
- Feb 2020
- List Price
- $49.95 USD
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 18
- Grade: 12
Description
Written by a former informant, Inside a Police Informant’s Mind presents an honest account of the role, risks, and motives of police informants. It chronicles the relationship and course of events between the author and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner. The author provides a fascinating insider's perspective on the working relationship between an informant and those in law enforcement who handle informants.
The book gives balanced insight into the thoughts of both the police and the informant, addressing the hazards of manipulation by both parties. It highlights the importance of trust, communication, and understanding as means to bridge those hazards. Also, it demonstrates the difficult shift in lifestyle being an informant entails. After testifying in court, Paul Derry’s life was placed at high risk of retribution, necessitating his entry into a witness protection program. He reflects upon the process of entering a witness protection program and life afterward, not only for himself but also for his family.
About the authors
Contributor Notes
Paul Derry was born in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1965. Born into a navy family, Derry began to rebel and at 15 years old was recruited by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) as a police source and informant. Derry continued to work with the RCMP and municapal law enformcement agencies until 2000 when he became a key witness in four murder trials.
Excerpt: Inside a Police Informants Mind (by (author) Paul Derry; foreword by Irwin Cohen; other Tim Croisdale, Geri Bemister, Darryl Plecas & Steven Bergen; contributions by Shane Halliday)
It is not surprising that an informant would collect information. It was a crucial part of our job. Who we gathered information on and what we did with that information would help determine our income and our lifespan. It became an ingrained habit to see all information as something that could be sold or used to our advantage. It was no different in regards to the information we collected on the police. Personally, I would listen and research to build profiles on every officer I dealt with—I catalogued these officers’ birthdays, likes, dislikes, addictions, dreams, aspirations, addresses, family information and anything else that would help me paint a picture of the person I was dealing with. Why? I wanted to know as much as possible in order ensure my own safety, to judge whether people were acting with integrity and to help build relationships in general. Do all informants collect information as I did? No. Were there times when I used the information I gathered to manipulate other people? Yes. Are there people who use information for even more sinister reasons than I did? Yes. I can tell you that if they could find a weakness in a police officer, most informants would gladly exploit it. - From Chapter 6: Police Study
Editorial Reviews
"This book is not just another ‘true crime’ story, but an important cautionary tale for police that should be read by every police officer, especially those who identify, develop, and work with informants and agents. …Derry describes the emotional, psychological, and physical toll that this work takes on both the informer and the handler. This book brings the reader into the world of a police informer and sheds some light on the complicated and challenging relationship between the police informer and their handler." ?Dr. Irwin M. Cohen, Senior University Researcher, RCMP Crime Reduction
"Over my 35 year career as a criminologist I have read hundreds of books about crime and criminal justice issues. This book was far and away the most interesting." “Darryl Plecas, PhD, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Crime Reduction
