Basically it is a process that attempts to address the
questions of who, what, when, where and how often of criminal activity
throughout the city.
There is a distinction
between Crime Analysis and Intelligence Analysis. Crime Analysis looks at historical information for the
purpose of providing insights for the future. This
is a 'reactive' type of analysis after the crimes are
committed. Intelligence Analysis
focuses on persons and assesses threats predicated on actual criminal
events. They are basically looking
for patterns, series and trends that can also support predictions about
what to
expect next.
Types of Crime Analysis
Administrative: An accounting of
how much or how many and what has occurred. These reports are created
mostly for administrative needs such as budget or staff planning.
Strategic: An example
of this would be to support
a goal of reducing a certain type of crime within a time frame of 6
months or
more. Data gathering and reporting
would center around providing baseline crime stats and outcome data to
assess
the success of achieving the established goal.
Tactical: This would be an immediate need for
data based on a specific threat or crime.
A typical day in
the life of the crime analyst includes reading reports, creating various
types
of maps, researching through databases, issuing crime alerts, meeting
with
detectives and officers. The
products of their work support investigations, initiatives and
presentations
that others need to make informed decisions about their operations.
Prediction Analysis
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior so
with that in mind, they compile data looking for patterns in how
criminals are
operating. Some aspects of this
may include favored days, times, places, types of victim.
All these can be used to
make predictions about future activity.
Bringing
it
All Together!
Click here to read about the real life scenario of a Serial Rapist-->
What it takes to
become a crime analyst:
Attention to detail, close reader, comfortable with a wide
range of software, some math ability with emphasis on statistics,
writing
ability, presentation skills, education varies by agency that is hiring,
but
usually requires working towards a criminal justice degree or other
related
social science. Motivation and a
high degree of interest in this type of work is a necessity.
A hot new area of
crime analysis is also the future of law enforcement. The
trend is towards working smarter, not harder. Crime
analysts can help to provide data
that allows administration to utilize resources more efficiently. There is a big emphasis on thinking
smarter than the crooks.
If
you would like more information about this presentation, please contact
Danny Santos
at 974-5318. CLASP would like to thank him kindly for his generosity of
time and for his dedication in keeping Austin a safe city.
