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Threats to Informants

Death of a young Washington informant inspires new legislation

February 5, 2013 by Alexandra Natapoff

Jeremy McLean was a young informant who was threatened and eventually killed by a heroin trafficker. Jeremy’s story–and his parents’ lawsuit against the police– was featured in the widely-read 2012 New Yorker article on the risky use of young informants. The Daily News subsequently ran this in-depth four-part series detailing the specifics of how Jeremy came to be an informant after he developed an addiction to pain medication, the threats against his life, and the police’s inaction that contributed to his death: Death of an Informant, Part I.

In January, Washington State Senator Adam Kline introduced legislation, SB 5373, that would regulate the use of drug informants like Jeremy. The bill would ban the use of informants who are 16 years old and under, require police to tell informants about their obligations and potential rewards in writing, and establish new accountability mechanisms for keeping track of informant use. It’s an important bill, particularly the restriction on using juvenile informants which few states currently have.

Filed Under: Families & Youth, Legislation, Threats to Informants

FOX News: slain mother was a working informant

September 20, 2012 by Alexandra Natapoff

FOX News ran this story about Jamie Seeger, a mother of two who was killed while working as an informant for a local sheriff’s office in Florida. The family is suing in an effort to get more information. Story here: Slain mom was working for sheriff’s office. Seeger’s death may bring new scrutiny to the efficacy of Rachel’s Law, which imposed new regulations on police creation and use of informants.

Filed Under: Drug-related, Families & Youth, Threats to Informants

Washington state family sues police for the murder of their informant son

January 24, 2012 by Alexandra Natapoff

From the Washington State Daily News: Family of murdered informant files claim.

The parents of a slain Longview drug informant have filed claims against Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, saying narcotics detectives coerced 26-year-old Jeremy McLean into their service, then failed to protect him from a drug dealer he’d helped police snare. 

McLean, who was murdered by William Vance Reagan Jr. in late 2008, was arrested on drug-related charges and “was forced to sign a plea agreement … in order to avoid incarceration,” according to documents filed late last month. The terms of the plea agreement required McLean to become an informant for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force, according to the claim… 

Reagan, who was sentenced to life in prison, confessed to the killing, saying he was trying to keep McLean from testifying against him.

Filed Under: Families & Youth, Threats to Informants, Witness Intimidation

Detroit teen killed after becoming an informant

January 11, 2012 by Alexandra Natapoff

Shelley Hilliard, a 19-year-old transgendered woman, agreed with police to set up a $335 drug deal in order to avoid being arrested for marijuana possession. Three days later she was killed, allegedly by the man she set up. Detroit News story here: Teen found dead three days after helping police. This story illustrates how informant culture encourages dangerous decisions that are wildly disproportionate to the crimes involved. This young woman took a great risk to avoid the petty offense of marijuana possession, and police turned her into an informant, with all its attendant risks, in pursuit of another petty drug deal worth less than $400. Such important decisions–by individuals or police–should not be made so cavalierly. For example, Florida’s “Rachel’s Law” requires police to establish guidelines to determine when it is appropriate, or too dangerous, to turn a suspect into an informant. Rachel’s Law was passed in response to the death of Rachel Hoffman, another young informant who was killed while setting up a drug deal. See this previous post: Florida’s Rachel’s Law provides some protection to informants, and the Families & Youth section on the main website for related stories.

Filed Under: Families & Youth, Police, Threats to Informants, Witness Intimidation

New York officers sued for failing to protect informant

September 16, 2011 by Alexandra Natapoff

The mother of a 20-year-old informant is suing two NYPD officers for failing to protect her son who was killed an hour and a half after he tipped off his handler to the location of some guns and drugs. Story here: Mom of slain informant Anthony Velez sues cops for failing to protect him. Such suits are rarely successful–courts have been reluctant to hold police accountable for the fate of their informants, even when the government contributes to the risk. See this post discussing the government’s responsibility for the safety of its informants.

Filed Under: Dynamics of Snitching, Families & Youth, Informant Law, Police, Threats to Informants, Witness Intimidation

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