“Snitch! takes the world of Information gathering for Law Enforcement and bring it to life in a high-speed strategic game.”

Over the years, as we have been researched this topic, we have come to one definitive conclusion, which is…

The variety of approaches as to how best to handle a confidential informant (a snitch), is as varied as the personalities of the law enforcement officers who apply these techniques!

Some are…

By the book, sanctioned by the higher-ups, legal, and clear of any element of corruption.

While others are…

Creative to say the least, if not downright dirty.

Then there is everything that falls between, along with some pretty bizarre mixtures of all of the above.

With this in mind, if we are to attempt to discuss “The Real World of Snitches,” we need to recognize that…

There is no ONE way that this world looks or behaves.

Thus, there is no ONE correct way to set-up the game mechanics to mimic the real-world. We chose the way that we felt made the most thematic sense and allowed for the best flow of game-play, thus the…

Best Possible Game!

Our approach attempts to capture some of this variety just mentioned.

One good example of this comes when we examine…

MOVING INFO:

There are several ways that information is moved in the game SNITCH!  Let’s start by taking a closer look at…

DETECTIVE/SNITCH

The way info moves between these two is very interesting, and stems from the fact that…

Some detectives have found that a two-way exchange of information can be (VERY) helpful.

Which is why Cops can give info to snitches!

This approach is not talked about a lot or condoned openly be departments.

Some in the field of law enforcement would never use this technique as they feel it is unethical or wrong in some way. Others would argue the greater good is always worth some sacrifices. Their attitude is…
Gettin’ the bad guy is my only goal and I will do whatever it takes!

When this approach is used, the information exchange is part of the critical aspect of relationship building with the Snitch.

In the Detective-Snitch relationship, Detectives want their Snitches to feel like they know almost everything about everyone, and do NOT want the Snitch to detect that they are desperate for anything, when in fact the opposite might be closer to the truth.

Part of how they exude this sense of knowing everything about everyone is to actually tell the Snitch some of what they know.

The other benefit that comes from doing this is that the Snitch can then use that info out on the Streets to help themselves. For this reason, a Detective may not only give info to a Snitch in hopes of getting some back, but to actually purposely hold-off (for some period of time) on getting this same info to the DA, which gives the Snitch the edge on the Streets. In these sorts of situations the Detective would wait to do this at least until after the next time they meet with the Snitch (to give them the heads-up).

Keep in mind that, the way things work in the underworld is not so different than the way things work in the normal law-abiding world that most of us live in.  Meaning that if you scratch my back I will scratch yours. So if you want to maximize the benefit you get from a Snitch, you would want to seriously consider giving them something in return.

There is more than one approach to managing Snitches that can work well. Threatening is one, offering protection is another, building a two-way working-relationship as just described is a 3rd, and there are plenty more.

The fact is, history is littered with Detectives and Snitches building very interesting relationships (e.g. – “Whitey” Bulger & John Connolly of the FBI).

Also interesting to note is the common practice in law enforcement and the legal system of protecting Snitches from legal action (even though they are guilty of horrible crimes). This is one example of how, we as a society condone giving Snitches latitude that seems unfair, simply to “Get the Big Fish”.

COERCE: 

co·erce
/kōˈərs/

verb

persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats. “they were coerced into silence”

More on the Coerce action theming coming soon, and…

MORE:

In general!

We are in the early stages of developing this page, so…

Don’t worry, there’s plenty more on it’s way.

The important thing is that…

Now we have a home for a more in-depth look at the theme for Snitch!

So…

Stay Tuned!