Undercover operation
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A separate technique is wearing plainclothes. This method is used by police and intelligence agencies. To wear plainclothes is to wear "ordinary clothes", instead of wearing a uniform typically associated with the occupation, in order to avoid detection or identification as a member of law enforcement. Plainclothes police officers typically carry normal police equipment and identification. Police detectives are often assigned to wear plainclothes instead of the uniform typically worn by their peers.
Many countries allow the use of undercover law enforcement officers solely or primarily for the enforcement of laws against recreational use of certain drugs. Many of these officers are allowed to commit crimes if it is necessary to maintain the secrecy of the investigation or in order to collect adequate evidence for a conviction. Social advocates have criticized this practice as failing to ensure equality under the law because it grants police officers the power to commit crimes that no other citizen could commit without potential consequences.