5 things to know about police stings in California jails

CalMatters has released a comprehensive investigation into how California law enforcement uses undercover agents in county jails to extract confessions—practices increasingly under legal scrutiny. In these Perkins operations, undercover officers pose as inmates, sometimes five at a time, presenting themselves as experienced gang members and using deceptive tactics to generate incriminating statements. At least ten cases challenging these convictions are before the California Supreme Court this year, many involving suspects who say they invoked their right to silence beforehand. The investigation found stark racial disparities: Black defendants are more than four times as likely to be targeted as white defendants. Yet despite the legal challenges and documented concerns, law enforcement agencies have largely blocked public disclosure about how these operations work, what they cost, and how agents are trained.

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