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Course detail: Confidential Source Management

Course Description:

The use of confidential sources and informants is a necessary evil in law enforcement. A good informant managed properly can be the difference in solving a variety of crimes, up to and including homicides. But a poorly managed informant can create a disaster for the officer and the department. Far too often officers are using informants without the proper knowledge on how and when they should be used.

This course will expose officers to issues associated with informant use and the motivations behind why people choose to be informants. The course will focus on common issues associated with informants and how detrimental mistakes can be to your department if policies are not followed. The course will prepare officers for the pitfalls of working informants and provide them with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, their department, and their jurisdiction from lawsuits.

Core Competencies:

Participants will employ best practices as they investigate any crime from its beginning to its eventual disposition; either as an individual, or as part of an investigatory team.
Participants will develop procedural knowledge of federal, state and local laws as they pertain to the actions of law enforcement officers and the enforcement of those laws.

Course Objectives:

Identify and recognize common issues associated with the use of confidential informants and how they can end an officer's career if not managed properly.
Understand the need to cultivate informants for solving crimes in your area.
How to properly document and use information obtained from informants.
Understand the legal requirements on informants, from operational use to testifying in court.
Officer's responsibility on informant identity disclosures and what must be disclosed and what can be protected.
Recognize common mistakes informant handlers can make and preventing undue familiarity.

Instructional Methods:

Lecture
Discussion
Practical Exercise

Who Should Attend:

All Law Enforcement Officer's should know and understand the issues surrounding the use and control of informants and how they are a necessary resource that law enforcement should utilize in solving cases in their jurisdictions. This includes people being used as informal street sources and official informants.
Any Officer/Detective/Investigator currently controlling informants

Course Requirements:

100% Attendance

Fitness Requirements and Expectations of Physical Risk: Sedentary

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend University of Kansas-sponsored events. If you require reasonable accommodation to participate in an event, please email KLETC or call 620.694.1400 at least three weeks before the first day of the event. Some events may require notice earlier than three weeks and require you to contact a specific individual; if so, that information is provided in the event-specific information.

Notice of Availability of the KLETC Annual Security and Fire Safety Report:

The University of Kansas has determined that the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) main campus in Hutchinson and its regional sites in Dodge City, Hays, and Parsons are separate campuses. This determination was made in consultation with the Department of Education. The report is available online: https://civilrights.ku.edu/clery.

The report contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; the procedures the institution will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred On-Campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Non-Campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the institution or a recognized student organization; and on Public Property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.

A paper copy of the report will be provided upon request. If you would like to receive a paper copy, you can request that a copy be mailed to you by calling 785-864-6414 or emailing civilrights@ku.edu or arrange for pick-up at a KLETC location.

Session Information: LE25213F

Schedule:

Every day, starting on 06/10/25 and ending on 06/10/25

Times:

08:00am-05:00pm CDT

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Price:

Bulletin

Please dress in layers as the temperature in the room may difficult to adjust. Participants are responsible for their own travel, meals and lodging.

Instructors

Name

Additional Resources

James Thompson

Biography: Sergeant Thompson has been in Law Enforcement for over eighteen years. Sergeant Thompson serves as an instructor for the Dodge City Police Department, the Kansas Narcotics Officers Association (KNOA), the Kansas Peace Officers Association (KPOA), the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) and teaches a variety of classes related to narcotics. Sergeant Thompson is a master instructor for Homefront Protective Group's Role of the Undercover course, Physical Surveillance Course and Advanced Physical Surveillance Course. Sergeant Thompson is the lead instructor and organizer of the Kansas Narcotics Officer Association's (KNOA) Basic Narcotics Investigators Course (BNIC). BNIC is a 36-hour reality-based training class, modeled after the highly successful Top Gun training which he graduated from in 2006. BNIC is designed to teach narcotics officers how to work a case from start to finish from debriefing an informant to planning and executing controlled purchase operations. BNIC is a mixture of classroom instruction paired with multiple practical scenarios. Sergeant Thompson started with DCPD in 2002 and worked patrol and then created the department's first ever full-time gang unit where he worked until promoting to Detective in 2006. Shortly after being promoted, Sergeant Thompson was assigned to narcotics. In 2008, Sergeant Thompson was selected as one of the first two Task Force Agents for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's South West Kansas Drug Task Force. Sergeant Thompson was promoted to Detective Sergeant in 2020 and is assigned as the supervisor to the Special Investigations Division which investigates and handles all covert operations for the department to include narcotics, counter terrorism, and critical internal affairs investigations. Sergeant Thompson has been certified as an expert witness in narcotics cases for the Ford County District Court and is routinely consulted on cases by the Ford County Attorney's Office. Sergeant Thompson has focused his training on narcotics investigations and has attended over 650 hours of training related to narcotics work. Over his career Sergeant Thompson has worked and served as a case agent at every level of narcotics investigations, from street level trafficking to Title III wire intercepts. Sergeant Thompson has worked undercover to purchase firearms, many types of narcotics ranging from marijuana to methamphetamine, and murder for hire. Sergeant Thompson has planned and conducted countless controlled purchase operations over his career. Sergeant Thompson is committed to training the next generation of Narcs to continue the war on drugs.

Facility Detail

Dodge City KLETC Regional Site

236 San Jose Dr.

Rm 17

Dodge City, KS 67801

Cancellation Policy

A refund less a $25.00 cancellation fee will be assessed for all cancellations made in writing prior to 10 days before the start of the event. After that time, no refunds will be made.