NCJ Number
242572
Date Published
June 2012
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report provides an in-depth discussion of the integration of analytics (analyzing data collected for the purpose of planning strategies and resource allocation) within law enforcement agencies, including an examination of the application and impact of several initiatives, some of which are based on intelligence-led policing.
Abstract
Through an examination of five successful analytic initiatives and in anticipation of the future explosion of data availability, this report proposes five fundamental steps that will increase analytic capacity. First, every law enforcement agency can benefit from developing an analytic capacity. Second, analysts must have a broad training program that improves their ability to perform a range of analytic roles within medium-sized and smaller agencies. Third, law enforcement agencies should develop a professional career track for analysts. Fourth, medium-sized and smaller agencies should develop an integrated analytic model in order to service diverse functions (intelligence analysis, crime analysis, real-time crime, etc.). Fifth, the culture of law enforcement administrators, officers, and elected officials must embrace the value provided by an analyst as a professional member of a law enforcement agency's crime control team. The intent of these recommendations is to provide a means for identifying and anticipating problems, forecasting crime trends and patterns, allocating agency resources, and preventing or mitigating criminal activity critical for enhancing community safety. The initiatives examined that are pertinent to analytics are the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Targeting Violent Crime Initiative; the Office of Justice Programs' Strategic Approach to Community Safety Initiative; the National Institute of Justice's Study of Law Enforcement Intelligence; Michigan State University's Intelligence Toolbox Training Program - Intelligence-Led Policing Self-Assessment; and the Community-Oriented Policing Services' Integrating Crime Analysis With Patrol Operations. 34 notes