Does the Attorney General have the authority to rely solely on a confidential informant's personal information?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Barraza, H045987 (Cal. App. 2019):

The Attorney General argues that the information related by the informant based on his personal knowledge " 'may compensate for a less than conclusive demonstration of credibility,' " citing People v. French (2011) 201 Cal.App.4th 1317. The probable cause affidavit found deficient in French relied on information provided by several confidential informants. Addressing a hearsay statement by one of the informants (that his wife had purchased heroin from the defendant), the court in French commented that "hearsay has little value where the informant is untested and the information is uncorroborated and lacking in detail." (Ibid.) Indeed, the affidavit in French was facially deficient because none of the informants was inherently reliable (a statement that past information given by an informant " 'was corroborated and criminal cases were made behind the information' " was found insufficient to establish reliability); none provided significant information based on personal knowledge; the police investigation corroborated only pedestrian facts; and a criminal history lacking detail was not corroborative. (Id. at pp. 1316-1321.)

Other Questions


Does the Attorney General have any authority or authority to prohibit a person from carrying a concealed firearm? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority or authority to compel a district attorney to produce evidence of a 'deal'? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority or authority to argue that a defendant's attorney is incompetent? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have the authority to request personal information on an individual's in-laws and other family members? (California, United States of America)
Can a letter between the Attorney General and Attorney General be admitted as a public record? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority to charge the jury on how to relate the evidence of that defense to the prosecution's general burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority or authority to grant Formal Probation? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority to strike "person present" from the abstract of judgment in a criminal case? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have the authority to convict a defendant of two or more attempted murders for a single act by which he intended to kill only one person? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General have any authority or authority to instruct a jury to disregard an instruction in an assault case where the instruction had no antecedent in the facts? (California, United States of America)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.