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'Dateline NBC' To Cover Case Of Slain Clearwater Informant

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2009

"Dateline NBC" will air a report tonight into the case of Rachel Hoffman, a Clearwater resident fatally shot in May while acting as a confidential informant for Tallahassee police.

The death of Hoffman, 23, has led state lawmakers to craft a bill creating stricter standards for the use of young people as confidential informants. That bill, dubbed "Rachel's Law," will be discussed in this year's legislative session, which begins March 3.

Hoffman's family has been pushing for a change in law since soon after Hoffman's death. The family agreed months ago to a "Dateline" interview so they could speak about Rachel and Rachel's Law, said the family's attorney, Lance Block.

"Rachel's Law is of paramount importance to the family, and in order to advance that legislation, it's going to require media interest," Block said.

Hoffman agreed to work with police after she was arrested on drug charges, including possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession with intent to sell Ecstasy.

She had planned to meet police officers at a park, where a drug deal was supposed to occur. Instead, she called from the park to say the location had been changed. The investigators told her to stay where she was, but she wasn't there when they arrived.

Her body was found days later in rural Taylor County, southeast of Tallahassee.

After her death, Tallahassee police defended their use of Hoffman as a confidential informant. Her family and friends said police put an unprepared young woman in danger.

In August, a grand jury said police negligence contributed to her death. The grand jury recommended Tallahassee police should discipline the officers participating in the case and change procedures and policies on the use of informants.

Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Tallahassee on Dec. 30. Block declined to say how much money the family is seeking, but "suffice it to say, it's a catastrophic case. It's a catastrophic case because Rachel's parents lost their only child, and they are devastated by it."

The city requested a mediation to resolve the case, and the family has agreed to meet with the city later this month, Block said.

The bill, filed by Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, requires police to give informants a chance to talk with their lawyers. It also requires a written contract between informants and investigators, and deals need the OK of a state attorney.

"The death of our daughter was tragic and needless," Irv Hoffman said recently in a news release. "Rachel's Law is our way of honoring Rachel's memory by taking steps to ensure that tragedies like this never happen again."

"Dateline" initially was going to run the piece on Hoffman last week but instead ran a story about the plane that crashed into the Hudson River in New York.

Information from Tribune archives and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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