Shit like this has got to stop.

courthousenews.com

A drug task force turned a young man into an informant after he was busted for selling eight methadone pills, then failed to protect him from a dealer he snitched on, who shot him to death after announcing his intention to do so, the man’s family claims in a lawsuit against Wahkiakum County.

“Although Jeremy had participated in thirteen sting operations resulting in the arrests of five area drug dealers and although Jeremy’s confidential identity was becoming compromised, NTF refused to release Jeremy from his obligation, citing a technicality in the contract’s language to perpetually force Jeremy’s participation in more escalating and dangerous stings. Eventually, Jeremy was able to help NTF arrest and charge a major heroin distributor, William Vance Reagan, for manufacturing and selling heroin.

“After one day behind bars, Reagan was released on bail and immediately returned to a life of crime, returned [to] using and selling heroin, and publicly announced his intent to kill Jeremy for cooperating with NTF. Reagan even solicited members of the community to help him kill Jeremy. Jeremy notified NTF and its agents of the death threats from Reagan, but NTF misrepresented the known dangers of confidential informant work and provided empty promises of protection from William Reagan. In fact, NTF did nothing to either shield Jeremy from the known danger or re-arrest Reagan for his multiple violations of his pre-trial release order. As a result, Reagan ambushed Jeremy on December 29, 2008 and shot him three times in the back of the head, and once, a final, close-range shot, in the face, gruesomely ending Jeremy McLean’s young life.

I realize police need Confidential Informants. But it’s a two-way street. It’s not slavery.