-- armed and dangerous. >> it's our job to try to catch them. it's their job to try to get away from us. >> you have the right to remain silent. >> for anyone arrested in chicago, one of the first stops is cook county jail. >> the court snatches up anywhere between 100 to 1,000 inmates on a daily basis. this is a never-ending process. >> what's your i.d. number? >> i'm going to come talk to you. >> for authorities, cook county jail represents their greatest hub of intelligence gathering. >> the criminal investigation never ends. >> when was the last time you were in here? >> i told the inmates i'm in the passenger seat. you're in the driver's seat.

>> you ever work with the place before or no? >> cook county jail. eight miles south of downtown chicago. it's the largest single-site jail facility in the u.s. our producers gained rare access to this labyrinth of holding cells spanning ten square city blocks. pretrial detainees make up 95% of the population here, meaning they've been charged but have not had their day in court.

>> usually maybe about 40, 50 guys on this bus. we'll get about 15 or 20 busses a day. guys are coming in their street clothes, they just got taken into custody from whatever court they went to. >> take one step up. >> as they were coming in on the bus, they probably know already who we were. >> what's up? look who's here. look who's here. come on, man. >> we have approximately 10,000 inmates. every one of them is a potential source for information on what's going out on the street. >> some of the guys that we do know, they don't want to make it open, that they know us. as they're walking around, they'll give you a sign, we want to talk to you. we give them the eye contact, the nod because we don't want everybody to know who's working with us. >> investigator sandoval belongs to a specialized team called the criminal intelligence unit, or ciu, under the command of the cook county sheriff. their job, to gather

intelligence on gang activity both inside and outside the jail. they begin tracking arrestees from the moment they enter the front gates. >> what do they call you? >> what's your street name? >> how old are you, shorty? >> what kind of case you got? >> how many murders? >> two murders? >> where you from on the street? >> how's the case looking? >> pretty good. >> you think so? what have you got, body two? attempt? body? >> all of the guys in this unit have dealt with these people, and they know how to talk to them. they were all hand-picked to be here. >> stay out of trouble, man, because i guarantee you, when i come back to you, you're going to flip. i promise you. i'm going to make you flip. soon. >> many ciu members, 30 in all, are veteran corrections officers. they handle a unique inmate population at cook county jail where most detainees are awaiting trial and can try plea bargaining with the state's attorney's office.

>> they have got active cases, and we basically ask them if they want to help themselves out. if they have pertinent information that we can take that information to the street or transfer to street units whether it's sheriff's, police or narcotics or other gang units. >> most of these guys are vulnerable here. they want to talk. they want to go home. "what can i do for you?" look at this kid talking to the officer. he wants to know his bond. what can i do to get out? guys like that, come here, what's your name? write down his name because he wants to talk. >> when was the last time you were in here? >> the last time i was here? last month, the 26th. >> for drugs? >> for a felony. >> you ever worked with the police before? you know you can get paid. you want to try to work your number? they call me sand man. i'm sandoval. i'll give you a number. i'll get a hold of you. >> give me your number. >> all right. take care, bro. >> for every new arrival, the journey begins at booking and intake.

hundreds pass through this processing center, nicknamed "the bullpen," on a daily basis. >> from a guy that comes in for murder to a crackhead, to a prostitute to whatever, you're going to see it all down here. this is where it all starts. their visual perception of the jail starts here. >> they come in, get an i.d. and i.d. on their arms. >> they'll take their pictures. actually be issued i.d. cards. figure out the housing assignment and then placed out there in those large bullpens by security level, minimum with minimum, medium, maximum, so on. >> i'm on parole now for murder. six months out on parole, i caught a retail theft. it's just hard out there, you know. >> you know you're a gang member, right? >> yeah. >> when we get a new inmate in here, they have to tell us what gang they belong to. >> ask about your gang affiliation. you are self-admitted, correct? >> i ride with the almighty latin kings. columbia international. >> where you turned the neighborhood king in?

>> yeah. >> you have tattoos? >> i got my five points. >> initials -- >> they call me joker poker. >> joker poker. that's his street name. >> more than 70% of the detainees at cook county belong to chicago street gangs. members of the latin kings, vice lords and gangster disciples make up the largest numbers. in this environment, gang affiliation becomes a matter of survival. >> when you come into a correction facility, you have to claim an alliance, because if you don't claim an alliance, you're considered a neutron. when you're considered neutron, that's when the inmates take advantage of you. >> a guy who is not affiliated, now you're going to know what happens in here. because when you walk in the bull pen, who are you, where are you from? i'm from shawnburg. what gang do you ride with? i don't. go in the back, give me them gym shoes. you're going to say no. this guy has 30 friends and you'll going to give up the gym shoes or you're going to get beat up. this is where reality steps in. >> tell obama to come save us. >> straight up. >> you're going to max, you know that, right?

>> yeah, i know that. >> i'll come see you. that guy there is a straight killer machine. you know what he's in here for? they say he has aggravated discharge firearm on four people. he's a frequent flier. he's a regular here. >> there's a large number of inmates coming in, going out. it's kind of like a revolving door. after coming in so many times, they end up building a rapport with a lot of our guys. >> what did you get? drugs? nah, you stay in here, man. >> as long as you're fair with these guys, you're firm with these guys, they'll earn a respect from you. and that carries along with they may be able to help you out later when you need something, when you need a favor. that favor for us is information. >> from booking and intake, corrections officers lead inmates to their cell blocks via a maze of underground tunnels. these tunnels connect seven separate housing divisions, as well as a courthouse within the sprawling jail grounds.

investigators often use the tunnel system to discreetly transport detainees to and from ciu headquarters for interviews. >> what's up, man? what's up? >> what's going on, man? >> what's up, man? >> what's going on with you, man? >> chilling. >> chilling like a villain? >> we know you're the gang unit. be from the yard last year, man. >> knowledge is power here. our goal here is to have an informant on every deck. how you been, man? >> this right here is level four. this is one of the -- this is basically where we have our most problematic-type individuals. these individuals know who the gang guys are so, obviously, they have nothing nice to say to us. >> all these people that watch this tv show where they catch all these cute little crabs. realistically, we have the world's most dangerous catch right here.

>> oh, yes, there's definitely ocean sound of whales and the wind blowing and the sea rushing in. the only thing is that that's happening only in my mind. [ laughs ] >> 50 inmates on deck in a maximum building -- very hard. it's very hard. you have to have a skill to talk to these kids. because if you don't, you're not going to get it. >> how old are you now? 19? >> 18. >> you'll be out of here when you're 50, man, keep it up. >> all revolves around gangs. all revolves around the gang life here. >> these guys coming in after three or four times, maybe the first time they were hard core. after the fourth or fifth time some will look at you and say look at me, you ever seen a hard core gang member that's done with the game itself? you're looking at him, i'm done. what do i need to do to get out of here? [ phone ringing ] see, inmates. inmates calling. hello? i'm going to come holler at you today when i get done with this, okay? >> the more we can gain in intelligence, the better we can control the criminal population here. it's a very dangerous situation.

>> up next, jail intel uncovers a deadly weapon. >> if you look down the alley with this weapon is being stashed by gang bangers, you have kids down here playing ball. >> and later -- >> is it mandatory somebody in that area has a pistol on them for protection? >> an exclusive look at how an informant gives up a major drug ring. car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. [ woman ] welcome to learning spanish in the car. you've got to be kidding me. yeah, this is good. vamanos. vamanos. vamanos. gracias. gracias. gracias.

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you guys are not affiliated, right? you guys wouldn't tell me anyways, right? you wouldn't tell me anyways. that's cool. how about you, shorty? what are you locked up for? burglary. what are you locked up for? burglary? how about you, shorty? car theft? >> yeah. >> come on. gang life probably got you in here, is that correct? >> no.

>> the crowd of people you associate with? >> yeah. >> a crowd of people that you associate with got you in here, man. man, get yourself together, shorty, man, you know. opportunity comes one time. you got an opportunity here. i'm not being a social worker or advocate but you have to get yourself together, man. how you gonna change your life but yourself, man? gang life, you like the slick girls, the cars. get a job, man. i know it's hard out there, man. >> second chances don't come often at chicago's cook county jail. but this morning, a judge cut these teenage felons a break. he ordered them to serve their time under house arrest instead of behind bars. >> these individuals here, right here, they're on the way back from court. >> for another 10,000 inmates, however, cook county remains their home until they get transferred to a penitentiary or they're set free. >> are you affiliated? you lying, man. don't lie to me.

just keep it real. i'm not going to say it. i've seen guys grow up in here. they come in with no hair on their face. they leave, they're grown men now. >> i've been in the system since i was 15 years old. i'm 33 now. it's like a revolving door. >> they recognize you. you recognize them. it's one of those where it's, like, "what did you do now?" >> you have to have informants inside this jail. this is survival here. my goal is to have one a deck. then i conquered my job. >> for ciu investigators, the endless cycle of new inmates at cook county jail means their work never ends. the jail represents a key battle front in chicago's law enforcement war on gangs and drugs. >> the city of chicago supplies us with probably 95% of our population, and chicago has an estimated 100,000 gang members. >> our approach here is that the criminal investigation never ends. you come into cook county jail and you're conducting yourself in a criminal manner and we find

out about it, we're going to launch an investigation into your activity. >> one means of finding out which gang members hold rank and what they're doing is through "kites," coded written messages. >> certain gangs have certain openings. and as soon as we see that, we already know who it is. it says, "greetings, family, i come in the vision. disciples." you know as soon as you open it this is coming straight from the leader. he's letting every division in the compound who's in charge and who they have to honor. as soon as they find out who else is in charge, we want to make sure we know who it is. it's excellent information for us. >> today, during a routine search, we were able to recover multiple kites. some of them use signs, symbols, numbers for codes. and we do have the codes to break them. >> intelligence code from kites and from informants help the ciu produce one of its most valuable tools, gang hierarchy charts. >> we'll put these out on a monthly basis to the superintendents.

it just gives everybody a heads up on who has some rank amongst each individual gang. you'll have all the guys' titles. you'll have their nicknames. you'll have the regular names. you'll have where they're housed at on the compound. this is every gang within the compound. >> our goal is knowing these guys. when we do these, i study the faces. so now i don't forget a face when they come in. we can just pick them up. >> how do you know my face? >> stay out of trouble, shorty. >> you have to be four or five steps ahead of these inmates. when you go into an interview, you have to know something about somebody, about the organization. because if you don't, he's going to spin you right off the bat. >> besides kite, jailhouse informants are the next best source of gang intel. yet, the process of cultivating informants is fraught with potential pitfalls. inmates who try to plea bargain with the state's attorney's office don't always offer credible intel. >> i like to consider it 80% b.s., 20% truthful.

we have to decipher which one is the bull. >> for ciu investigators, beginning a relationship with a new informant is described as "breaking the ice." >> we don't really know each other. we're trying to gain trust. we want to make sure we're completely honest with each other. trying to give us a little bit, see what we can do with it. if it seems like it's working in their best interest, they'll give you more and more each time. >> today, investigators sandoval and carpenter are going to check out a tip given by a gang-affiliated inmate. he revealed the stash spot for a gun on chicago's south side. >> the person that gave us this information is real familiar with the site. a lot of times active gang members conceal these loaded weapons out on the streets and they keep it in the neighborhood for security. in case any opposition comes into the neighborhood, they're able to run to this spot, have quick access or defend themselves. >> be advised you've got a group

of kids right up on this block, diaz. >> it's right under the couch. >> it's safe. nothing on the bottom. is it safe? >> what you want to also look at is if you look down the alley where this is stashed by gang bangers, you have kids down here playing ball. >> a lot of individuals are willing to voluntarily turn in weapons because it gives them credibility as far as where we stand. so this is kind of like a nice break for a lot of individuals. >> because the informant proved good on his word, his chances of striking a plea bargain with the state's attorney's office has just improved. >> we've dealt with the state attorney working this case and they're more than willing to give him consideration for what he does. i think at this point he's ready to turn in his own family members just to get out of jail. >> 14 rounds.

>> this is pretty much an ongoing thing. at least once a week we recover weapons. with the crime rate being so high in the city of chicago, any time we can remove a weapon from the streets, we pretty much could have saved somebody's life. fortunately, today, the call came through and we were able to get it. >> up next -- >> $5,000, $6,000 right there between all six off youse? >> more. >> more? >> a jailhouse informant exposes a high-rolling drug ring. and later, police act on intel to launch a dangerous raid. >> this is what it leads to. [ boy ] looks like our work is done here. i'm heading home. vaaa vrooom! need some help, ma'am? grrrrrrr! [ in high voice ] oh thank you. these things are heavy. zzzzzzzz! [ male announcer ] built for work. and everything you work for. hey, honey. i'm glad you're home.

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the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams.

what are you in the hole for? >> refusing to lock up. >> why? >> i was on the phone. i didn't want to hang up. >> you been here for a while? >> since last may. >> you could tell he's affiliated with somebody.

he's got a five point star. at this point he's affiliated. what are you affiliated -- >> you know better than that, man. >> where are you? where are you affiliated with? >> i'm a stone. >> what are you fighting? what do you got? >> right now, attempted murder. >> attempted murder. how's it looking? >> i just copped out. >> how many years? >> 19. >> that's good. you going to get yourself together now? >> yeah, i'm straight. >> 19 years. you've been here for two years. you never been a problem for us, so good luck to you, man. >> right on. it's hard to do a couple of years. it's hard to do a month here. but you got to accept it. it's what you got to do. and if you get your time, you have to do it. >> chicago's cook county jail. >> we're in cook county or should i say crook county. >> home to 10,000 detainees, many awaiting their day in court. based on past statistics, roughly 60% of them will be convicted and go on to serve time in a state penitentiary.

>> we choose to go down this road, so now we got to pay the consequences for what we do. >> i'm going to be home one day and when i am i'll still be fairly young. i'll be 42. i can do something. >> i don't want to be in this situation again. i'm through with it. and i will never be in this environment no more. and that's all i got to say. >> how many times you said that before? >> no, i got to give it up somewhere. you know what i'm saying? i got kids to think about, man. i don't want to be 50 years old up in here. >> the jail's criminal intelligence unit offers inmates a chance to help themselves by talking. if a detainee volunteers information that solves or even prevents a crime, then the cook county state's attorney's office may strike a plea deal with him. >> cooperating with the investigation. instead of 20, you can get 10 years, 5 years. i don't get you out of jail. you get yourself out of jail. from that point on, we don't make any promises. it's just takes time. it's just a process that we do.

>> inmates charged with murder can try to reduce their prison time. those charged with lesser crimes like drug possession or theft stand a better chance of sentence reduction with a judge. >> once these people, believe it or not, they do want to talk. all these guys want to go home. here's an opportunity. >> what kind of case you got? two attempts? you came straight from juvie on your birthday? you have to try to break them down a little bit. what can you do to help yourself out? "i was a witness to a homicide." "tell me about it." >> where you from? 64th and dorchester. >> 75th. >> where are you from? >> if inmates didn't want to talk to us, they wouldn't come to the gate. in the street, you think people come to you like that? they'll run the other way. >> there's 10,000 inmates. believe you me when i tell you somebody will talk to you. >> boss, how you doing? hey, listen, i need a favor. i know you're busy, right? i need an inmate dropped down to holding there.

i'm going to pick him up. >> today, ciu investigator franco doma arranges to meet with a trusted informant. his contact, an active gang member, can identify all the players in a drug ring that dominates a chicago housing project. >> my job is to identify as many guys as i can inside the housing complex. and he's going to give me shooters, drug suppliers, rank. and this is just the one building. i just need you for a few minutes. remember how we do the hierarchy charts? out of those buildings? that's what i need you for. i believe in his credibility because i've dealt with him in the past. he's been in and out of the system. during his incarceration we built a rapport. i raised this kid. all right.

remember these what we did last time? you know him, right? who's the main guy in the projects that i need to know about? >> he dead. >> he dead? that's the main guy? so who would take over? somebody with -- on there, correct? so inside that project, what is the dominant drug? what is the drug of choice inside that building? is it the heroin? is it the marijuana? is it the cocaine? >> heroin. >> heroin? is there a special name you guys use for the heroin? what do you guys call the dope line? you guys don't -- you guys got a name for it? just heroin? let me ask you this question. how much will you guys make on a given day in one building? give me one building.

>> $75,000 to $100,000 a day. >> damn! $75,000 to $100,000? in one day or is that a week? >> day. >> and why do you guys make so much? >> we had the best product. >> best product? all the guys i saw packs are young guys. where are the older guys at? >> they around. >> collecting money? >> yeah. >> so on a given day, if i'm selling drugs out there, is it mandatory that somebody in that area has got a pistol on for protection? >> always. >> is it a gun or has he got somebody else posted in the windows, on top of a roof? >> it could be all of the above. it can be assault rifles. it can be anything. >> who's this?

that's the main guy, all right. main guy? >> yeah. >> what was his function? >> he was the man. >> so all the money that you guys made somehow got in his hands? >> yeah. >> so this guy was the one making all the money? >> yeah. >> everything comes together at once because he's given me all the things that i need. we identified multiple guys affiliated with street organization. not only did we identify them, he gives me the guys that are actually active participator on a daily basis, guys that are carrying the weapons, guys that are selling the narcotics, guys that are moving the packs. now, my job is to put the whole thing together. i cross-reference it with some guys from local areas and local police department chicago, then i'll formulate it into a colored chart that i can distribute to other law enforcement agencies that are in and out of that area. >> investigator doma submits the valuable intel to detectives assigned to the troubled housing project.

the investigation remains open. up next -- >> why you running, my friend? >> cook county sheriff police fight to reclaim gang-infested neighborhoods by using jail intel.

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what's going on? >> what's up, man? >> watch like a german shepherd. >> what happened, man? come on. come here. what happened, man? >> they stay on board. >> what happened? i heard about you the other day. he's on two week. antonio parker identified him by his gold tooth. >> they always [ bleep ] with me. >> you sure? you ain't [ bleep ] with everybody else? >> ain't nobody, man. pmg. >> he's from cabrini green. man, you my man, pmg, because i know you. i just want to see where we stand, pmg. i know a little history of you, bro. he's a big-time drug dealer in the projects. he has his own little crew of guys. and there are gunners out there. he was a goon out on the streets. >> got nothing on me, man.

>> suspected homicide, boy. >> got the wrong boy. >> how many pmgs in the green? >> it's a couple. >> want to get your life together or stay in jail the rest of your life? >> want to get my life together. >> no, you don't. >> yeah, i do. >> prove it to me. stay out of trouble in here. >> i try to. >> a guy of his caliber can help himself get out because he's in here for a body. >> where are you going to relocate? >> ain't relocating nowhere. going to get my life together. >> go where? >> atlanta. >> am i right or not, man? >> no. >> he's known to running clubs in atlanta. so when he said i'm going to get out of here, i'm going to leave, i said to where, atlanta, he just looked. his eyeballs pop. we like to see where their mind is. we know who you are, want you to know who we are. it's a cat and mouse game. >> you know a little bit too much, man. >> i know a little bit. you know a lot. pmg. >> thousands of hardened criminals circulate every day through chicago's cook county jail, the largest single-site

jail facility in the u.s. many of them possess valuable information that can help authorities battle an ever-rising tide of gangs and drugs. investigators here gather intel that they then share with the cook county sheriff's police. one of the most important tools that they generate, gang hierarchy charts. >> we're in a better position to accurately produce them than most policemen on the street are. we've got hundreds of gangster disciples in here. a policeman on the street may have one informant that's a gd giving him information, maybe two. [ speaking foreign language ] >> this complex is predominantly hispanic. the only gang in there are the latin kings. however, there's apartment complexes that are a couple of

miles away from each other with different gangs. and what they do is they tend to go to each other's complex and fight. these are the members, active members from the latin kings that are known to hang out in that area. we can determine if these players are there, how strong they really are in that area in the event that we might have to conduct an operation in there. we need to know the numbers in there for our safety. and all of this comes from the jail. this is the family here. yeah, they're going inside. >> let's talk to them. [ speaking foreign language ] >> what you boys running? >> nothing. >> you got some i.d. on you? you ever been locked up at county? >> no. >> never? okay. you never been arrested?

how old are you, shorty? 15? step over here. you got his name, gary? you a king? most of these guys, although they're gang bangers, if you show them a little bit of respect, they'll talk to you with no problems whatsoever. if you try to rough them up, they build a defensive wall and they will not talk to you. it's a dynamic game. you got to know how to play this. it's a big chess game. it's our job to try to catch them. it's their job to try to get away from us. come here. i'm going to make you guys my official little deputies, you understand? >> yeah. >> all right. all right, look. you guys are my deputies. oh, there's a little -- here. >> deputies. >> what is that? >> when you see the bad guys, you make sure you let me know, all right? these little kids are probably going to be the ones that grow up and join the gang because they start recruiting them at the age of 11 and 12 years old.

and we got to intervene so that they don't get recruited. >> with so much at stake, cops like eddie hauer and gary contreras know the only way to fight gangs requires constant vigilance and the best intelligence. >> you got any tattoos on you? what's your street name? why is it if you live in schiller park you're always here, dude? you're up to no good, man. >> when "the squeeze" continues our cameras hit the front lines of chicago's drug war. >> all the pieces of the puzzle come together. starts in the jail. hit the street. come up with good stuff that way. ♪ ♪ cheap cologne ♪ motor home ♪ i'm the rocket man! [ both ] ♪ rocket man ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone? ahh. [ male announcer ] crystal clear fender premium audio. one of many premium features available on the all-new volkswagen passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year.

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this sign right here says -- [ speaking in spanish ] this is eternal love for juanita, the little girl that was shot while trying to buy some ice cream right here, a shooting broke out. she was trying to get some ice cream and she got shot. this statue has been here for a while, this memorial for her. >> since the year 2000, chicago has twice earned the dubious honor of being america's murder capital with as many as 600 homicides a year. police attribute the vast majority of killings to rampant gang violence. >> there's so many murders that are happening nowadays, it's unreal. and the shame is all the

civilians that have nothing to do with the gang violence, the 3-year-olds, the 5-year-olds that are just on the sidewalk playing that end up paying the price for what these guys are doing to each other. >> those who embrace gang banging usually deal narcotics. a $200 million a year industry in chi-town. many come to view human life as cheap, even when it's their own. >> multiple shot wounds here and the back. see what i mean? this is part of the gang life. it's something that he doesn't want to change. both arms been shot up. what's this? >> i had a trachea. >> he got shot up. still continued to affiliate himself with the gangs. you know who shot you? >> yeah. >> opposition? >> yeah, opposition. gd. >> from where? >> from up on the neighborhood. >> yeah. >> he knows who did it but he's not going to tell who did it because what they're going to do, they're going to retaliate themselves. they're going to handle the business themselves these guys in the streets. they're not going to tell the

police who shot him. he's been shot up -- how many times you been shot up? >> 15. >> 15 times he's been shot up. >> bullet right there. >> see a bullet? protruding out of his skin. >> if you have a street corner and another gang infringes on it or wants control of it, people are going to get shot and killed over it. whoever controls the drugs gets the money and that's what it's about, money. >> caution indicator. dangerous. >> to stay on top of criminal activity, cook county sheriff's police rely on intel from their jailhouse colleagues. these officers constantly track who's who in the gangs as a matter of putting the gang bangers on the defensive. >> hang on, partner. hang on. take your hands out of your pockets. what's your nickname out here? >> punkin. >> punkin? you're punkin? i hear a lot about you. if you're punkin, that means you're a gd.

>> no, there's two punkins out here. >> when we're interested in a specific area, we know who the players are. we have information. we have intelligence. the jail is such a fluid place where we have 10,000 people there a day that are coming and going with great fluidity that our intelligence that we get out of there is as timely as you're ever going to get. >> we'll get a call from one of the guys that's on that gang intelligence unit down at the jail and they'll say, hey, you know what, conrad, i've got a guy that can give you information about an operation that's going on out there, illegal operation, narcotics-type operation. and we'll use that person to get a search warrant and then we'll hit that area. >> when we hit the house, they never know who's the rat, who's the one that turned on them. this stuff comes out of the jail all the time. >> we need some of their own guys to catch them. that's what it boils down to.

>> he deserves to go just for that reason. >> part of the warrant is he comes with me. he would be better off if he was a sox fan. >> for cook county law enforcement, every arrest, whether a traffic stop or a drug raid, offers an opportunity to gain a new informant. >> anybody that we can get to. let's get them all. >> you have the right to remain silent. anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. >> hey, conrad, ask him where the thing that goes with this is. [ speaking foreign language ] >> this right here is a quantity of what appears to be nine millimeter ammunition. and this is .45 acp ammo. these appear to be hollow points, designed to expand once they contact flesh. we have a pistol right here. what looks like a .38 revolver and a quantity of cannabis right here. the suspect will have to attend bond court tomorrow. if he makes that bond, he'll be released. if not, he'll be remanded to the

cook county jail. >> who are you riding with? are you a king? are you a latin king? >> he may be developed into a confidential informant to where he's going to give us information about further criminal activity related to this case. he could also put us on to other criminal activity separate from this case. the investigation is ongoing at this point. >> coming up, when "the squeeze" concludes, an informant tips police off to a pair of drug houses, paving the way for a daring bust. >> they're not gangs anymore. it is now full-blown organized crime. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy,

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go all the way around. >> for what? >> we'll come out on the other end. >> for possession? you beat that other one, right?

you going to go home or what? >> yeah. >> i hope so, man. please. >> hello. hey, what's happening? they called me up. i have about 15 or 20 guys out on the streets. how many keys did you buy from him in the past? two keys. two kilos you bought from him? constantly calling me up, doma, this is what's going on. i want to see if anybody is interested. call me back within the hour and i'll have an answer for you. i'm going to talk to howard, one of my guys. i'm going to hook you up with him. >> after leaving cook county jail, many former inmates stay in contact with ciu investigators. some become paid informants sharing timely intel on what's going down on the streets. >> what ends up happening, sometimes they get tired of the big game, the dealing game or the crime game and one of the options is working with the police. >> today, ciu investigators and the cook county sheriff's police will conduct raids on two drug houses. one of the ciu's informants, a high-ranking member of the latin kings, supplied the intel.

>> be advised sandoval's car is en route. >> what we're doing right now is we're heading over to markham courthouse. that's where the sheriff's police offices are. for the briefing. we have two targets. both based in chicago heights. supposed to have a large amount of cannabis in both places, possibly heroin. >> here's the video of the house. there's the van. >> okay. >> there's that side door. we may be able to get through here. >> all right, guys. everybody, thanks for coming out. i know we got everyone here from a few of our different gang teams. i appreciate the help. we have two search warrants today in chicago heights. the informant that was used was taken down at the jail by the criminal intelligence guys down at the jail and passed on to dimas out here with the gang intelligence team. we have ucs and a tac car out right now watching the house. >> you guys, pass these around. two different locations. the target on both locations is

allegedly the enforcer for the latin kings in that area. our informer was in the house. he observed eight pounds of cannabis in freezer bags in the kitchen. there's also a weapon in this house that he observed in the kitchen area on top of the refrigerator. >> okay, everybody, get a good look at this house right here. these are the assignments. we're containment, mark from u.s. marshals, carpenter and zack. eddie b. and sam are front containment. note to the containment personnel. remember, once we go in this building, whatever happens in the building is our responsibility. if anybody comes out of this building, if anybody jumps out a window, comes flying out, he's your responsibility. upon the execution of the search warrant, hopefully the individual's there, we're able to take him down. the most successful case scenario would be to turn this individual into an informant also.

>> take it. take it. take it. >> announce it. >> police. >> police! search warrant! police! search warrant! police! search warrant! get on the ground! police! search warrant! get on the ground! >> clear. >> copy that. basement is clear. first floor is clear. >> police secure the location and take their target into custody. then they converge upon the second location three blocks away. >> police! search warrant! police! search warrant! get on the ground! police! search warrant! >> somebody take the door right. >> clear. >> go, eddie. move. clear. get that door. >> clear. building secure. >> no one's arrested this time. after making two successful raids, officers collect and assess the evidence at each house. >> right now we have a large quantity of cannabis, some crack

cocaine, and then we just pried open a safe they had inside and they've got two pistols inside the safe. we're still relatively early into the search. >> more weapons recovered. two more. >> nice job. >> we got a total of six weapons now. also, some cannabis scales and other paraphernalia. very good hit. >> this is pretty much all ammunition, weed. >> more ammunition. somebody is ready for war. >> later, the team debriefs back at headquarters. >> ammunition for everything. >> the arrestee will remain in holding there until he faces a bond hearing. >> i know the two search warrants they were connected with the intelligence you guys got from the jail. were those the only two locations with this particular faction of the latin kings we're aware of? >> so far, these are the only two for that area. i believe we have a couple other guys who are ready, high-ranking individuals, who are ready to probably do the same thing. >> sergeant o'malley, you have

anything to add? >> no. i just think everything went well. i appreciate what sand man does when they give us these informants here. we like to work that. usually when we get the informants out of the jail they're pretty much good to go. >> we like to tell them on the street that there's no loyalty in the dope gang. that basically, once somebody is locked up, they're going to give up anybody and everybody. they'll even give up their own mother to get out of jail. >> investigators hope for the ultimate coup, that the gang member arrested today will also be turned into an informant. >> i did speak to the individual as we were doing the transport. a little hard core in the beginning. got a little softer towards the end. so we'll see. once he goes into custody, maybe we can go at him again and hopefully we can have this snowball a little better. >> we have the intelligence a little bit off. i think there was one gun noted in the briefing, but we did get six. so just off in that respect. so we got five more than what we thought. >> that's a very good mistake,

i'd like to add. >> i was waiting for somebody. >> that was a mistake i'll take any day. >> anytime you get six guns, it's huge, off the street. everybody safe as a result and there were kids playing on the block, so that goes a long ways in my eyes, anyway. >> this is what it leads to. how are you, shorty? something that starts out as something real small, and it can definitely snowball into something huge. my drive for my job growing up in a rough area in the city of chicago, it was probably a 50/50 shot. half of us went into law enforcement and the other half went into the gangs and drugs. and unfortunately for them, i think half of that half, they're about six feet under. being able to get these bad guys and get them off the streets, this is a real good feeling.