About This Episode
In March 2025, Boston Globe reporters Dugan Arnett and Andrew Ryan released 'Snitch City,' a multimedia investigation documenting systemic corruption within the New Bedford Police Department in Massachusetts. The podcast and accompanying print journalism expose how officers systematically exploited the confidential informant system—a practice that raises questions about police accountability in democracies globally.
Confidential informants (CIs) represent a cornerstone of modern narcotics enforcement. These individuals work undercover, providing intelligence to law enforcement in exchange for protection, payment, or reduced criminal liability. The arrangement is inherently delicate: informants are often criminals themselves, operating in environments where violence and deception are commonplace. Yet the New Bedford investigation reveals what happens when this system lacks meaningful oversight.