[UFJon]

Have a look. What about this, as a stand-alone example, and also in comparison?

Web site rats on informants

10:56 AM CDT on Thursday, April 19, 2007

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA-TV

COLLIN COUNTY — The Who's a Rat Web site is dedicated to outing informants and officers. It bills itself as the largest online database of informants and agents—including dozens from North Texas.

Its creator claims the whole idea is to level the playing field between those accused of committing crimes and their accusers.

We showed the site to Tarrant County Narcotics Unit Commander Herschel Tebay.

"Pretty disgusting," he said, noting that some officers' names were listed on the site. "As disgusting as we may find it, we really can't control the Internet when people are allowed to post like that."

The three-year-old Web site claims its purpose is to assist attorneys and criminal defendants who have few resources. It is based on the premise that informants lie to get shorter sentences.

Defense lawyer Todd Shapiro said Who's a Rat is can be a useful tool. "If it's a police officer or an informant that's got some shady dealings in their past or has some problems in their past, and someone else may know about it, and that information has been shared on this Web site, I don't really see what the problem is."

"I definitely wouldn't want my name on it," said Tony Bradley, a former undercover narcotics officer for the Collin County Sheriff's office. He called it a huge problem.

"I do think that law enforcement is at risk if their name is on there," Bradley said.

The Who's a Rat Web site has a link to what it calls "secret documents." The informant profiles list everything from age and occupation to photos and summaries.

There are also numerous legal disclaimers, including one that states: "This Web site does not promote or condone violence against informants or law enforcement officers."

Collin County prosecutor Greg Davis agrees that Who's a Rat is dangerous. He said the Web site could hinder investigations by making informants fearful for their safety and even their lives.

"The only purpose that I can see behind this is to: A - intimidate informants, or B- to see that they're harmed in some way," Davis said. "Witnesses who are informants are going to be much less likely to participate with us, and—in many of these cases—we have to rely on this testimony."

Who's a Rat charges a $29 yearly fee. Members can then use passwords to add agent or informant profiles.

"When you're dealing with police officers; when you're dealing with confidential informants; not all of them have the clean background that you hope they would," defense lawyer Shapiro said.

But voices on the other side of the argument said this kind of information is extremely sensitive.

"There is a touch of paranoia in the drug community," Tebay said. "It would be easy for them to mislabel someone as an informant and cause someone to be hurt—or worse."

"It's just going to take one instant where someone accesses that database and takes action against an officer or an informant," Davis added.

"We're really going to have problems then."