1---
 2date: '2019-10-28'
 3subtitle: 'To protect an asset, or to protect the people?'
 4title: The intelligence conundrum
 5url: 'intel-conundrum'
 6---
 7
 8I watched the latest
 9[S.W.A.T.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.W.A.T._(2017_TV_series))
10episode a couple of days ago, and it highlighted some interesting issues
11that intelligence organizations face when working with law enforcement.
12Side note: it's a pretty good show if you like police procedurals.
13
14The problem
15-----------
16
17Consider the following scenario:
18
19-   There's a local drug lord who's been recruited to provide intel, by
20    a certain 3-letter organization.
21-   Local PD busts his operation and proceed to arrest him.
22-   3-letter org steps in, wants him released.
23
24So here's the thing, his presence is a threat to public but at the same
25time, he can be a valuable long term asset---giving info on drug inflow,
26exchanges and perhaps even actionable intel on bigger fish who exist on
27top of the ladder. But he also seeks security. The 3-letter org must
28provide him with protection, in case he's blown. And like in our case,
29they'd have to step in if he gets arrested.
30
31Herein lies the problem. How far should an intelligence organization go
32to protect an asset? Who matters more, the people they've sworn to
33protect, or the asset? Because afterall, in the bigger picture, local PD
34and intel orgs are on the same side.
35
36Thus, the question arises---how can we measure the "usefulness" of an
37asset to better quantify the tradeoff that is to be made? Is the intel
38gained worth the loss of public safety? This question remains largely
39unanswered, and is quite the predicament should you find yourself in it.
40
41This was a fairly short post, but an interesting problem to ponder
42nonetheless.