1. Undercover operations

Undercover operations are a comparatively recent tool in the FBI law enforcement arsenal. In contrast to his counterparts in drug enforcement, director J. Edgar Hoover, who led the FBI for 48 years, opposed undercover work because he feared agents might become corrupted. He was also concerned that the clean image of the FBI would become sullied as a result of perceived participation in criminal activity. In any event, law enforcement officials now believe that the undercover operation is an indispensable technique for the investigation and detection of invisible crime. FBI undercover operations have considerably increased in recent years. Moreover, the number of convictions secured as a result of undercover operations has also greatly increased.

Although undercover operations have gained acceptance within law enforcement they remain controversial. They conjure up the difficulty of discerning the line between entrapment and permissible instigation. In addition, the undercover world poses unique problems and challenges for the government agents.

In the FBI, agents are hired as regular investigators who “go to work in a tie and jacket” and “sign in and sign out”. Eventually some agents will be assigned to undercover roles. Undercover agents must then function under a fictitious identity, often apart from their families. The anguish of separation may subject the family to strain and tension. Although agents working undercover are living a lie, they must be true to their obligations not to be corrupted. The agent must be quick-witted, while ever mindful of how his or her conduct may be perceived by a jury at trial.

An FBI agent, who spent six years inside organized crime has observed: “The major failure among guys working undercover for any law enforcement agency is that they fall in love with the role. They become the role.” According to this agent an undercover agent must never “forget who you are, not for a day, not for a minute. You are an FBI agent making a case.”

2. Criminal investigation (virginia state police)

State Police conduct criminal investigation when criminal cases cross jurisdictions, when members are first responders to a crime, or when requested by the governor, attorney general, a grand jury or a local law enforcement agency.

Crime scene technicians from the Bureau of Criminal Intelligence are often called upon by local law enforcement agencies to evaluate evidence left at the scene of a crime. Effective crime scene analysis depends on the investigator’s use of keen observation, common sense, adherence to procedure, and experience. Proper techniques of gathering, handling, and evaluating evidence are followed to ensure compliance with legal rules of evidence.

When the status of a criminal investigation warrants the use of a polygraph examination, a licensed examiner from the Department will conduct the test. A polygraph examination is taken under voluntary compliance and used only as a supplement to a thorough investigation.

Special agent accountants examine records of those suspected or arrested for fraud, embezzlement or larceny. These “white collar” crimes analysts are required to have a degree in accounting in addition to State Police training.

The State Police attack the drug abuse problem in the state by three methods: education, enforcement and investigation. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is the Department’s primary method of educating potential drug users. Troopers and special agents also may talk about drugs and alcohol when giving a safety lesson to civic groups or school children.

The Department was among the first agencies to initiate a criminal interdiction program on the highways known as Operation Alert by training troopers to go beyond the routine traffic stop. Interdiction of drugs coming into the state via sea and air is carried out by members who work in conjunction with local and federal agencies.

Undercover agents may investigate narcotics trafficking or other criminal activity related to drug abuse and make arrests based on their findings. The diversion of legal drugs into the illegal market is investigated by the Pharmaceutical Drug Diversion Unit.

appendices

Appendix 1

ADDITIONAL TEXTS FOR READING and translating

UNIT 1

TEXT 1. A PERSONAL STORY

My name is Tim. I was born in 1963 in Manchester. When I was one year old my family moved to Bradbury.

Now it’s only a small town. When we moved there, it was considered a village, and it’s still not too big now – maybe five thousand, six thousand people. I started my education at Bradbury Primary school, and I went there when I was four years old.

I decided to leave school at fifteen and a half, because it held no interest for me at all. I passed a few exams, but I was more interested in doing my own things.

I worked in various jobs. And one day I saw a job advertised on the vacancy board for a fireman. So I thought, “I’ll try for that.” I knew the chief fire officer, I thought, “Maybe I have a chance.” And, lo and behold, I got the job, which doubled my salary overnight.

We had some fun with that. We had to train, train, train all the time. Everything had to be done by numbers. You had to salute the chief officers, you had to parade every day – which got very boring. But sometimes we were seconded to different airports and it made a change. But eventually I got tired of that job. I decided I wanted to try and do something.