¶ … law enforcement community relies on the information that can be obtained from reliable informants. But what problems and issues to law enforcement professionals encounter when using informants? This question and other issues regarding informants will be reviewed in this paper. Informants and Law Enforcement

In the FBI Web site the government mentions that the courts have long recognized that the use of informants "…is lawful and often essential to the effectiveness of properly authorized law enforcement investigations" (FBI FAQ). That said, the FBI goes on to warn that using informants to help an investigation is risky, and may "…involve an element of deception" or an "intrusion into the privacy of individuals, or cooperation with persons whose reliability and motivation may be open to question" (FBI). In other words, using information provided by a person that the FBI does not have one hundred percent certainty about, carries with it...

The Attorney General of the U.S. issues specific guidelines to the FBI that limit the use of informants to certain criteria, the FBI's FAQ page explains.
Are informants ever hired as employees of the FBI? No, the FBI asserts, they are not hired or trained by the FBI but they "may receive compensation in some instances for their information and expenses." This means that if an informant has a high degree of veracity, and provides valuable information to the FBI, he or she could be paid.

It's not unusual for the Department of Defense (DOD) to hand out suitcases full of cash (millions of dollars) in the hopes of gaining information on terrorists. As a classic example of money the CIA…