U/C: In the legal community stands for Undercover Agent.
Should there be limits to what undercover agents can do in order to infiltrate the organization they are investigating?
Undercover work, especially long term and what is referred to as "deep cover" agents are always in great danger. I was very close to a D.E.A. undercover agent, we worked together for many years before and after his "deep cover" assignment . He had what I consider one of the most deadly assignments. He worked undercover for over four years before he was able to infiltrate the Hell's Angels gang. I am certain that if his cover had been compromised, they would have killed him. I remember the looks his so called 'brothers' gave him as they watched from the defendants' seats in the Federal Courthouse, Florida as he took the stand, cleaned up, with his short cropped hair and neatly shaven face. It was a far cry from his undercover appearance.

Before my friend went undercover, the United States government created a completely new identity for him. He had a new name, drivers license, credit cards, social security card, a criminal rap sheet that falsified several convictions, a falsified credit history and much more. He had his "cover address" which is where he resided for most of the four years. He was permitted time to go home and be with family, but it was difficult to arrange. Needles to say his marriage did not survive.
Undercover work (especially for prolonged periods) can be
hazardous to an officer's psychological and physical well being. To
begin, for an undercover cop to pass for and be accepted as a criminal,
he or she has to think and act like a habitual offender. The U/C is
always on stage and must perform accordingly as one mistake could
jeopardize the operation and/or place the officer in grave physical
danger.
But what happens when they (and it is a given that they will) witness heinous crimes being committed in front of their eyes? They can't just jump up and intervene, can they? Loss of credibility leading to a blown identity while
investigating violent criminals can be life threatening. My friend had no doubt that if the Angels had discovered he was a
cop they would have killed him on the spot.
U/C's will find themselves witnessing
offenses committed by members of criminal organizations, a scenario that
can trigger a serious moral dilemma. Should they attempt to intervene
and stop the crime, or remain passive and protect their undercover
identity? In Dallas, a U/C feigned sickness (so as not to participate)
and watched as gang members raped a woman in the course of a violent
physical attack. The officer justified his inaction afterward, noting
that he didn't want to ruin his credibility.
Another sensitive
moral issue is that of U/C's having sexual relations (to gain
information) with individuals they are investigating. During the course
of an undercover operation, a federal agent impregnated a member of the
radical Weather Underground. The agent talked her into having an
abortion, and the relationship ended when he was sent on another
assignment. The woman never learned his true identity. Read about it
here.
I understand the need for undercover police work. Without it, we would be unable to combat prostitution rings, drug cartels, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle
gangs (OMGs) and extremist groups on both the political left and right
including the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, skinheads, and militant
separatist groups.
Here are my questions:
1. How far should law enforcement be permitted to go undercover in order to bring down dangerous and violent criminals. Law enforcement can deny that undercover officers actually participate in any of the illegal acts of the groups they have infiltrated. You be the judge. Do you think the Hells Angels would allow a man to remain a member if he refused their initiation ritual of having sex with the hogs' women? If he said, "I'll pass", every time drugs were offered? I know that agents are trained to assimilate the use of drugs, but folks, if your life depends on it, are you going to try and fool a Colombian drug lord or the head of the Hell's Angels or the Outlaws?
So how far should they be permitted to go? Should they have to stick to the law just like your average Joe Q. Citizen? Should there be limits to what criminal activity they can and cannot participate in or observe? Should their behavior be excused (up to an extent-I mean we cannot justify a murder just so a cop can join an organized crime group)? Do you feel like we should just look the other way and leave it up to the trained law enforcement agent to use his years of training, education and experience to determine what is and is not necessary? Do the means (undercover officers participating in criminal activity) justify the end (putting the dirt bags behind bars)?
2. Do you think there should be a time limit for deep undercover work? Should an agent be required to come out from deep cover after a period of time? Is it inevitable that an U/C will eventually begin to merge with his cover after pretending to be someone else for so long?
3. Could you be married to or in a serious relationship with a law enforcement officer who will spend months and even years in deep undercover situations? These officers are necessary. They are however, trained to lie. They become exceptionally deceptive or else they would not make it in their line of work. Would you have a difficult time trusting someone whose life is living a lie and making others believe that lie?
The end of April is near. Make an effort to give it a final push and continue to visit as any new bloggers who
are participating in the A to Z blogging challenge.