NCJ Number
115871
Date Published
1988
Length
309 pages
Annotation
Drawing on official records, unpublished documents, and interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police, this study examines the variety of undercover operations and the ethical issues involved.
Abstract
Changes are traced in the goals, nature, targets, and techniques of undercover and surveillance operations; the history of undercover work in France, Great Britain, and the United States is outlined. A typology of covert operations is provided that includes intelligence, preventive, and facilitative operations and their varying contextual and behavioral dimensions. Research on the impact of the newer forms of covert activity, such as fencing sting operations and anticrime decoys, is summarized. The intended and unintended social and police consequences of undercover work are examined, with particular focus on ethical issues and the double-edged nature of covert policing. Among paradoxes, ironies, and trade-offs identified are: the use of lies, trickery, and deceit to prevent crime or apprehend criminals; seeking to prevent or reduce crime by facilitating it or unintentionally increasing it; having police posing as criminals become themselves involved in criminal activities, while criminal informers act as police; and having restrictions on police use of coercion lead to an increased use of deception. On the basis of analyses, it is concluded that undercover work is a necessary evil that should be used only as a last resort and with appropriate controls to prevent abuses. Implications of powerful new surveillance technologies for future also are noted. Chapter footnotes and index.