Which principle should guide investigators when considering informants?

Which principle should guide investigators when considering informants?

• A. Treat only trustworthy individuals as potential informants
• B. Treat everyone as a potential informant
• C. Rely solely on paid informants
• D. Disregard informants' credibility

Answer: (B)

All information should be treated with careful evaluation, and investigators should consider every person as a potential informant rather than prejudging who may be reliable. This mindset helps ensure nothing important is missed and reduces bias. In practice, it means screening and vetting informants systematically, examining motivations, past reliability, and any possible biases, and corroborating tips with independent evidence. Paid or motivated informants can be valuable, but credibility isn’t guaranteed by payment alone, and relying exclusively on them can skew a case. Disregarding an informant’s credibility is dangerous to accuracy and safety. Treating everyone as a potential informant promotes a balanced, evidence-based approach to gathering information.

All information should be treated with careful evaluation, and investigators should consider every person as a potential informant rather than prejudging who may be reliable. This mindset helps ensure nothing important is missed and reduces bias. In practice, it means screening and vetting informants systematically, examining motivations, past reliability, and any possible biases, and corroborating tips with independent evidence. Paid or motivated informants can be valuable, but credibility isn’t guaranteed by payment alone, and relying exclusively on them can skew a case. Disregarding an informant’s credibility is dangerous to accuracy and safety. Treating everyone as a potential informant promotes a balanced, evidence-based approach to gathering information.