DEA Investigative Report Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When documenting a confidential informant's tip in a DEA investigative report, what information must always be included?
- The informant's full name and address
- The date received, nature of the information, and reliability assessment (Correct answer)
- The informant's criminal history and pending charges
- The supervisor's verbal authorization for the tip
Correct answer: The date received, nature of the information, and reliability assessment
DEA reports must document when the tip was received, the substance of the information, and an assessment of the informant's reliability based on past performance.
Question 2: A DEA agent prepares a report after conducting a surveillance operation that yielded no actionable intelligence. What is the correct approach?
- Omit the report since no intelligence was gathered
- File a negative results report documenting the surveillance details and outcome (Correct answer)
- Combine the negative results with a future report when evidence is found
- Notify only the supervisor verbally without written documentation
Correct answer: File a negative results report documenting the surveillance details and outcome
Negative results must still be documented because they establish investigative history, alibi patterns, and legal accountability for agent activities.
Question 3: Which element distinguishes a DEA-6 report of investigation from a DEA-7 report?
- DEA-6 documents drug evidence while DEA-7 documents financial evidence
- DEA-6 is the general investigative narrative while DEA-7 is a drug evidence inventory form (Correct answer)
- DEA-6 is for domestic cases and DEA-7 is for international cases
- DEA-6 is classified and DEA-7 is unclassified
Correct answer: DEA-6 is the general investigative narrative while DEA-7 is a drug evidence inventory form
The DEA-6 (Report of Investigation) is the primary narrative form for investigative activity, whereas DEA-7 is specifically used to document and inventory seized drug evidence.
Question 4: An investigative report contains information obtained via a Title III wiretap. What special handling requirement applies?
- The intercept information must be labeled and handled under strict dissemination controls per 18 U.S.C. § 2517 (Correct answer)
- The report must be destroyed after the case closes
- Wiretap information can be freely shared with all law enforcement agencies
- Only the AUSA may review reports containing wiretap information
Correct answer: The intercept information must be labeled and handled under strict dissemination controls per 18 U.S.C. § 2517
Title III intercept information carries strict statutory dissemination controls under 18 U.S.C. § 2517 and must be labeled appropriately in any report that contains it.
Question 5: What does the 'chain of custody' section of an investigative report primarily establish?
- The suspect's criminal history
- The unbroken sequence of possession and control of evidence from seizure to court (Correct answer)
- The informant's reliability timeline
- The agent's work schedule during the investigation
Correct answer: The unbroken sequence of possession and control of evidence from seizure to court
Chain of custody documentation proves that evidence has not been tampered with by recording every person who handled it and every location where it was stored.
Question 6: A DEA agent inadvertently includes a material factual error in a submitted investigative report. What is the proper corrective action?
- Delete and resubmit the entire report without notation
- Prepare a supplemental report correcting the error and explaining the discrepancy (Correct answer)
- Leave the error because altering official records is prohibited
- Contact the AUSA directly and ask them to ignore the error
Correct answer: Prepare a supplemental report correcting the error and explaining the discrepancy
Errors in submitted DEA reports are corrected through a supplemental or amended report that identifies the mistake and provides the accurate information, preserving the documentary record.
Question 7: Under DEA reporting standards, how should an agent handle hearsay information received from a non-confidential third party?
- Exclude it entirely as inadmissible
- Include it with clear attribution noting it is unverified secondhand information (Correct answer)
- Present it as direct observation to strengthen the report
- Only include it after obtaining a court order
Correct answer: Include it with clear attribution noting it is unverified secondhand information
Hearsay from third parties must be included in reports with explicit attribution and a notation that the information is unverified, allowing readers to assess its weight appropriately.
DEA Investigative Report Standards 2
When documenting a confidential informant's tip in a DEA investigative report, what information must always be included?