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This article is about the investigatory practice. For other uses, see Undercover (disambiguation).
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Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence. Traditionally it is a technique employed by law enforcement agencies around the world and a person who works in such a role is commonly referred to as an undercover agent.

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History of Undercover Policing

Undercover work has been used in a variety of ways throughout the course of history, but the first organized undercover program was first employed in France by Francois Vidocq in the early 1800’s. The English set up the Special Irish Branch (later to be named just Special Branch) in 1883 and in the United States the ‘Italian’ Squad was set up in 1906 before different federal agencies started to run their own undercover programs[1].

Risks Associated with Undercover Policing

For police officers working in undercover roles, there are two principal problems that can affect the agent. The first is the maintenance of identity and the second area is the reintegration back into normal duty.

The maintenance of identity problems are those which are associated with deployment and the living of a double life in a new environment. Undercover work is one of the most stressful jobs that a police officer can undertake[2]. The largest stressor identified is the separation of an agent from friends, family and their normal environment. This simple isolation can lead to depression and anxiety. There is no data on the divorce rates of agents, but strain on relationships does occur. This can be a result of a need for secrecy and an inability to share work problems, the unpredictable work schedule, personality and lifestyle changes and the length of separation can all result in problems for relationships[3].

Stress can also result from an apparent lack of direction of the investigation or not knowing when it will end. The amount of elaborate planning, risk and expenditure can also place pressure on an agent to succeed which can cause considerable stress[4]. The stress that an undercover agent faces is considerably different from his counterparts on regular duties, whose main source of stress is a result of the administration and the bureaucracy[5]. As the undercover agents are removed from the bureaucracy, it may result in another problem. As they do not have the usual controls of a uniform, badge, constant supervision, a fixed place of work, or (often) a set assignment could, combined with their continual contact with the criminal underworld, increase the likelihood for corruption[6].

This stress may be instrumental in the development of drug or alcohol abuse in some agents. They are more prone to the development of an addiction as they suffer greater stress than other police, they are isolated, and drugs are often very accessible[7]. Police, in general, have very high alcoholism rates compared to most occupational groups, and stress is cited as a likely factor[8]. The environment that agents work in often involves a very liberal exposure to the consumption of alcohol[9], which in conjunction with the stress and isolation could result in alcoholism.

There can be some guilt associated with going undercover as a result of betraying the trust of those who have come to trust you. This can cause anxiety or even, in very rare cases, sympathy with those being targeted. This is especially true with the infiltration of political groups, as often the agent will share similar characteristics with those they are infiltrating like class, age, ethnicity or religion. This could even result in the conversion of some agents[10].

The lifestyle led by undercover agents is very different compared to other areas in law enforcement, and it can be quite difficult to reintegrate back into normal duties. Agents work their own hours, they are removed from direct supervisory monitoring and they can ignore the dress and etiquette rules[11]. So the resettling back into the normal police role requires the shredding of old habits, language and dress. After working such free lifestyles agents may have discipline problems or exhibit neurotic responses. They may feel uncomfortable, and take a cynical, suspicious or even paranoid world view and feel continually on guard[12].

Drug Use and Undercover Policing

Undercover agents are regularly engaged to target narcotic and drug offending, and policies for drug use vary from country to country. The view of some agents is that the infiltration of drug rings often results in large consumption of cannabis to remain legitimate – to the point of being chronic users[13]. There is some medical literature that provides evidence that cannabis dependence can be as bad as alcohol dependency – but only in a minority of users who tend to be chronic users[14], and therefore, might be considered negligible.

Drug and alcohol abuse appears to be more of an issue of personality, combined with an exposure to an environment which is stressful, isolated and where drugs and alcohol are freely accessible[15]. According to Girodo[16] those police who are impulsive, emotional and who have an undisciplined self image are not suitable for undercover work on the grounds that the risk of alcohol and drug abuse is higher.

Plainclothes Law Enforcement

Undercover agents should not be confused with law enforcement agents who wear plainclothes. This method is used by police and intelligence agencies. To wear plainclothes is to wear "ordinary clothes", instead of wearing a uniform typically associated with the occupation, in order to avoid detection or identification as a member of law enforcement. Plainclothes police officers typically carry normal police equipment and identification. Police detectives are often assigned to wear plainclothes instead of the uniform typically worn by their peers. The principal difference is that undercover agents will often work under an assumed identity whereas plainclothes police will normally use their own identity.

See also

References

  1. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press
  2. ^ Girodo, M. (1991). Symptomatic reactions to undercover work. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 179 (10), 626-630.
  3. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press
  4. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  5. ^ Brown, Jennifer (1990-10-01). "Sources of occupational stress in the police". Work & Stress 4: Volume 4, Issue 4 October 1990 , pages 305–318. doi:10.1080/02678379008256993. Retrieved on 2008-06-15. 
  6. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  7. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  8. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  9. ^ Girodo, M. (1991). Drug corruptions in undercover agents: Measuring the risks. Behavioural Science and the Law, 9, 361-370.
  10. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press
  11. ^ Girodo, M. (1991). Personality, job stress, and mental health in undercover agents. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 6 (7), 375-390.
  12. ^ Marx, G. (1988). Undercover: Police Surveillance In America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  13. ^ Brett, C. (1995, April). Broken Soldiers. North & South. pp 42-54.
  14. ^ Madden, S. (1990). Effects of drugs of dependance. In Ghodse, H. & Maxwell, D. Substance Abuse and Dependence. (pp.45-55). London: MacMillan Press.
  15. ^ Blau, T. (1994). Psychological Services for Law Enforcement. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  16. ^ . Symptomatic reactions to undercover work. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 179 (10), 626-630.
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