[USA] Sting Operations / US. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, November 2007
PDF - http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/e10079110.pdf
Graeme R. Newman ; Kelly Socia
Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Response Guides Series No. 6
"Sting operations have been part of the modern police response to crime for over 40 years, although artful deceptions and undercover operations have been part of police techniques for as long as policing has existed. The exploits of Jonathan Wild—who fenced stolen goods but also worked closely with London police as an informer in the early 18th century—are well known. Since their introduction in the US in the 1970s, modern sting operations have been justified as an effective, less coercive way not only to catch criminals, but also to collect the necessary arrest and conviction evidence, thus avoiding the difficulties or even the necessity of obtaining an offender’s confession. This guide is intended to help you decide whether a sting operation would be right for you, not about how to mount a sting operation."