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Is this undercover scenario too elaborate?

For my story, after a gang member is arrested but then released for not being able to get her to speak up, she then has to lay low and not make contact with the rest of the gang, unless it's an emergency, because the police now know who she is, and could survey her.

They send in an undercover cop to meet her, let him know he is one of the gang members, but a new one, since she has not spoken to the gang for a few weeks, or maybe even months, if that's better. So he came to her to warn her that the cops have evidence on her, and is lying of course, to try to get her to give up certain information. However, during the course of him meeting her and trying to get her to talk, she figures out that he may be an undercover cop, since he cannot answer certain questions about the gang's previous activities, that he would likely know, if he was a member. So she tries to flee him, but he chases her down to try to convince. She attacks him and a fight breaks out.

Three other men then come and chase down the cop. These three men then tell her that they are gang members, but newer ones since she last saw the gang. They came to save her from the undercover cop, since the cops are all over her, they say. They then try to find out what she told the cops, or what they know from her.

However, these three men are also undercover cops, and it was a contingency plan, in case she was not fooled by the first cop and they had to do something to prove they were the gang, like committing violence against an imposter. However, is this set up way too elaborate, even for police standards?

The crook is guilty of participating in an infamous kidnapping and that is her only crime. But in order to bust kidnappers, would they go to such elaborate lengths? Obviously I want them to, to an extent for entertainment, but is this too much for the audience to buy as plausible for police methods?

It's not exactly original because something very similar was done on 24, but what do you think? Mainly they have to get her to talk, so they have to do it without her thinking that they are cops.
 
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I would make it so that the gang definitely doesn't want anything to do with her because they would now view her as a liability. The woman shouldn't want to make contact with the gang period, no matter even if it's an emergency or not. The police would definitely be running surveillance on her to track her movements.
 
Okay thanks. But aside from what the gang wants, it's mainly what the police have to come up with while pretending to be the gang, to get her to talk. What if the police pretend to be the gang not wanting anything to do with her as an undercover advantage though? Like go undercover, and demanding to know what she told the cops, in a threatening way? They could be more antagonistic towards her to get information while undercover if that's possible.

Basically the goal of the story is to get her to talk and to get in recorded, for proof, if possible. Normally they would keep track of her movements but they have to get a recorded incrimination soon, by a certain time, because of other parts of the plot. So they are trying something more drastic. But even if the gang does not want anything to do with her, the police do not know that. They might think that the gang might want to find out what she told the police, if she told them anything that is. So wouldn't they assume that is a possibly, and play that angle while going undercover?

Another way they can use it to their advantage is by having a 'new' gang member make contact with her. He could say that the gang wanted a new guy to do it, since the police could be tracking her. That way it won't lead back to the old gang members, cause he will not be in much direct contact with them. Does this make sense?

But basically it's just an undercover story they are trying to sell. If it doesn't work, then they just keep investigating her, and move on, no harm for it not working but perhaps worth a shot?
 
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The problem I see is that even if the police go undercover and pretend to be the gang, depending on how long she has actually been involved with the gang, it would seem weird to her that these new "additions" to the gang just so happen to have appeared and are now asking questions.
 
I know what you mean. I just want her to incriminate herself on tape for the story. Is their a better way to do that? Like for example, the cops do not know anyone in the gang accept for two members. But they do not know who the leader is at this point at all.

Is their anything to do to get her to incriminate herself without the REAL gang contacting her, and get it on audio recording? At this point the police are grasping at straws.
 
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Okay thanks. The problem is, with the police posing as the gang, they only know one other member. Not the leader or anything.

The police could make up a story though. Like for example they could say that they are new members, and the joined not knowing the names of anyone in the gang. They could give a nickname saying that he did not provide his real name, since the cops are now closer to the case. They could say that they were sent to her, to find out what she told the cops, but they were not given any names when they joined the gang, in case they were to be arrested later. That way, they have no information to give.

They could tell her that she needs to come with them and tell her everything she told the police, and that's the emergency. They could say that the police have new information and they need to know what she told them. This could get her to talk more maybe, and find out what the police knows from the gang's end, and get new information. Anything she can say to incriminate herself. However, she doesn't necessarily have to give up real details. She can lead them on and use false names. At this point in the story, I just need the police to know she is one of them from something she says. But she can lead them on intentionally, if she is suspicious.

Would that work better?
 
After she ate too much salty popcorn she was incredibly thirsty.
As there was only beer she got a bit drunk and started bragging about her being part of the gang.

Problem fixed by using all the replies you got :P
 
One time jack bauer needed to convince a gang that he was on their side. He called a guy in from witness protection, shot him in the chest and took off his head with a hacksaw.

He then presented the dead witnesses head as a token of good faith.
 
Yep I saw that one. Well it seems to me that this undercover scenario perhaps won't work. Say the cops want to get a suspect to give up information but an undercover scenario will not work. How would they go about doing it then without arresting the person?
 
Okay thanks. Sorry I should have specified more. I want her to give up information without being blackmailed though. She has to be tricked into doing it somehow for this part of the story to work better.

And she cannot make contact with any other members either because she is staying way, since the police now know who she is and doesn't want to endanger them. Is their anyway the police can get info from her without blackmailing her and without her making contact with any of the members?

What if the police thought that maybe they could fake an assassination attempt on her? Like say fire off some loud blank rounds from a pistols and then have those special effect things go off near her. I forget what they are called but basically they are used for special effects in movies where they want to simulate bullets hitting the street or hitting building walls.

The police could detonate those around her, and lead her to be believe that gunmen are trying to pick her off, and she could see some masked men with guns at a distance. This could lead her to believe the gang sees her as a liability and wants her dead, thus making her want to talk to the police to put them away. What do you think? That is just one option if workable.
 
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If the woman is arrested, she instantly becomes a liability for the gang. The police don't get anything out of her and because they have lack of evidence they let her go. In the meantime, the gang have put out a hit on the woman. Since the police are running surveillance on her, when the hit is attempted they swoop in and save her. Then she is willing to talk because she now knows the gang wants her dead, and she would rather be in the hands of the police than be dead.
 
Okay thanks. But I in the story I want her to go back to the gang later. After the gang is discovered, she rejoins them as they take a stand to survive against the police and try to leave the city.

So she has to get back with them later for the ending I want. But would she, if they try to kill her?

This is why I suggested the police pretend to be the gang and fake an assassination attempt. Because then when she finds out it was the police who faked it later, she will rejoin the gang. This is why I originally wanted her to give the information through trickery, so she wouldn't know she gave it to the cops, and is actually still on the gang's side.
 
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