Introduction. Operational intelligence activities are impossible without employees of the operational intelligence agency receiving (mostly secretly) information of operational interest about the preparation and commission of crimes. Methods. In the research conducted by the author of the article, the general scientific dialectical method of cognition of the surrounding reality was used, which involves a complete and comprehensive study of phenomena, consideration of connections and contradictions between them. In addition, the following methods were used: the method of description, the method of logical comprehension, abstraction and generalization. Results. An employee of an operational intelligence agency in his daily activities receives information about preparations for committing crimes and about crimes already committed from various sources, while using open and covert methods of work. The main one is a survey, carried out in various forms: intelligence survey, intelligence conversation, confidential conversation, etc. All of the above and other survey options are part of the operational contact. The author of the article formulates his own definition of the act of interaction between an operational officer and persons of operational interest. In his opinion, operational contact should be understood as the process of interaction between an employee of an operational unit and an object of operational interest, due to the need to obtain operationally significant information and (or) to involve a person in the preparation and conduct of operational investigative activities, using public and covert methods of operational intelligence investigative activities.