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Federal regulations codify this protection. The Code of Federal Regulations states plainly: "The name and address of the informant shall be kept confidential. No files or information shall be revealed which might aid in the unauthorized identification of an informant". Agencies also maintain internal registries, such as the ATF's Confidential Informant Master Registry and Reporting System (CIMRRS), to track informant information on a strictly need-to-know basis.
However, even in criminal cases, disclosure is not automatic. North Carolina law, for instance, provides that the state is not required to disclose the identity of a confidential informant unless the disclosure is otherwise required by law or ordered by the court. Courts balance the defendant's right to a fair trial against the government's interest in protecting informant identities. confidential informant list for my city exclusive
The Globe sued five Massachusetts police departments in an effort to force broader disclosure about confidential informants, revealing that at least 815 people were registered as informants across those departments. When the Globe requested confidential informant data from every law enforcement agency in Massachusetts, nearly 100 departments refused to fully answer their questions, including many of the largest police forces in the state: State Police, Boston police, Worcester police, Springfield police, and New Bedford police.
The the FBI or local police use to manage informants. Share public link No files or information shall be revealed which
If informants' identities were public knowledge, they could no longer gather information, rendering them useless to law enforcement.
When individuals make public records requests to police departments, agencies routinely withhold or redact confidential informant information. The San Diego Police Department explicitly lists "confidential informant information" among items that will most likely be withheld or redacted from public records, along with information that may endanger the safety of a witness or person involved in an incident. North Carolina law, for instance, provides that the
Once an informant’s identity is formally disclosed in open court or filed in unsealed legal motions, it becomes part of the public record. Investigative journalists and legal researchers often piece together local informant networks by manually reviewing high-profile court dockets, search warrant affidavits, and plea agreements. The Extreme Danger of "Exclusive" Leaks and Fake Lists
A confidential informant is an individual who provides useful information about criminal activity to law enforcement agencies. Unlike citizens who report crimes out of civic duty, CIs usually operate under a formal agreement.
Under the federal Freedom of Information Act, agencies are generally required to disclose records upon request, subject to nine specific exemptions. But Congress went further, creating three special that apply to especially sensitive law enforcement and national security matters. The second exclusion is perhaps the most powerful: it applies specifically to criminal law enforcement agencies and protects the existence of informant records when the informant's status has not been officially confirmed .
Some of the most significant disclosures of informant-related information have come through sustained FOIA litigation. The Ernest Withers case is instructive: a newspaper's two-year legal battle, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, eventually forced the FBI to release documents and photos from Withers' informant file. The FBI also reimbursed the newspaper for $186,000 in legal fees.