Tuesday, September 29, 2009

analystpedia

Join me in my wiki project analystpedia. The purpose of analystpedia is to capture and share the collaborative knowledge of crime intelligence analysts and relevant experts. The more the merrier!

Intelligence Job Links (How To Get A Job In Intelligence)

Intelligence Job Links (How To Get A Job In Intelligence) is a 12-part Sources and Methods blog post by Kristan Wheaton, professor at Mercyhurst College. There are a lot of great tips here that apply to a variety of analytical jobs.

Monday, September 28, 2009

ShotSpotter Announces Chris Delaney and the Rochester Police Department as Recipients of Its Inaugural “Outstanding Best Practices Award”

ShotSpotter Announces Chris Delaney and the Rochester Police Department as Recipients of Its Inaugural “Outstanding Best Practices Award”

Chris is a great guy and a very bright analyst, Congratulations to him and his agency!

DHS shares a new plan for intelligence and analysis

DHS shares a new plan for intelligence and analysis is a podcast from Federal News Radio. Bart Johnson, Acting Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis for the department, details his group's new strategic plan in this interview.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Dallas terrorism sting shows FBI is willing to let undercover efforts go further

Dallas terrorism sting shows FBI is willing to let undercover efforts go further

Excerpt from article:
""If you look organizationally at the FBI, the fact that no analyst can run an FBI field office or rise to senior ranks in the FBI speaks loudly and clearly about the role of analysis in the bureau," said national security expert Amy Zegart, a public-policy professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. "It's one thing to say intelligence analysis matters. It's quite another to make it clear that you'll get promoted because of intelligence analysis.""

Friday, September 25, 2009

DHS intell office to realign IT capabilities

DHS intell office to realign IT capabilities

"Bart Johnson, is DHS’ principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence and analysis and is acting as head of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis and chief intelligence officer. The intelligence office will better align IT capabilities to the needs of DHS analysts and the department’s state, local, tribal and private sector partners, Johnson told the House Homeland Security Committee’s Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment Subcommittee."

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

In the News

A Crime Series du jour:
Gym-locker thief picked wrong guy

A very significant crime in Sweden:
Robbers In Daring Helicopter Raid

Collaboration Tools in Fusion Centers

Collaboration Tools in Fusion Centers is a very interesting Analysts' Corner Blog Talk Radio podcast. It features Joe Rozek. He currently serves as Microsoft’s Executive Director for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. "With over 35 years of experience in the areas of Combating Terrorism and Homeland Security, Joe Rozek has served in senior positions within the White House and the Department of Defense, having played an integral role in the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in the development of the nation’s post-9/11 defense strategy. Colonel Rozek served over 29 years in the United States Army, most of which was served in Special Forces (Green Berets). In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Colonel Rozek convened and directed the Secretary of Defense’s Crisis Coordination Center at the Pentagon synchronizing the Department’s response efforts. He then served as a subject matter expert for combating terrorism on the Vice President’s National Domestic Preparedness Review Group."

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A Dialogue with the Drug Czar: Crafting the Obama Drug Strategy

A Dialogue with the Drug Czar: Crafting the Obama Drug Strategy

Click on the recording link at the above site and you can listen to the webinar. Gil Kerlikowske was the Commissioner of the Buffalo Police Department when I was hired in 1997. He is a very bright and kind man. I am glad he is our nation's Drug Czar. Having lost a dear loved one to a drug addiction related death, I strongly agree that looking at the drug problem from a public health standpoint makes a great deal of sense.

2009 National Intelligence Strategy

2009 National Intelligence Strategy

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Crime Intelligence Analysis and Policy Analysis

While my Master's degree is in Social Policy, I have not thought much in terms of combining policy analysis with crime analysis and intelligence analysis until recently. It seems to me that analysis in policing cannot be effective until it is combined with policy analysis.

There are different views of policy analysis and it has its own version of cycles. Since crime and intelligence analysis is only effective if it influences a change in policing policies, from the micro to the macro level, I think analysts and related experts need to become aware of how policy works and how to influence it.

Intelligence Analyst Charged With Hacking Top Secret, Anti-Terror Program

Intelligence Analyst Charged With Hacking Top Secret, Anti-Terror Program

Lesson to analysts: Follow the rules. When in doubt about the rules, ask.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

CRIMEMAPPING.COM FEATURE ON CITY FOCUS WITH LINCOLN POLICE CHIEF TOM CASADY



Nice video with Chief Tom Casady - a great police leader. Note that a number of agencies are using CrimeReports.com (rather than CrimeMapping.com) - so check that site out if your city uses it. They also have citizen alerts.

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners

The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime's The Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners looks like a useful resource.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

IACA and AACA Joint Training Conference podcast

Listen to an Analysts' Corner podcast on the upcoming International Association of Crime Analysts and Arizona Association of Crime Analysts joint training conference. The 2009 IACA/AACA Training Conference will be held at the Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort in beautiful Scottsdale, AZ. The conference will be held from 10/12/2009 through 10/15/2009. I will be there!

Online mapping services help police spot trends in crime

Online mapping services help police spot trends in crime

National Insurance Crime Bureau Report

National Insurance Crime Bureau Report: 1st Half 2008 and 2009 Referral Reason Analysis

"An analysis of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) 1st Half 2008 and 2009 Questionable Claims (QCs) was performed to compare Property, Casualty, Commercial, Workers’ Compensation, Vehicle, and Miscellaneous referral reasons. In total, all categories showed an increase in referrals between the 1st half of 2008 and the 1st half of 2009, even though some individual referral reasons showed a decrease."

Monday, September 7, 2009

Security has advanced since terrorist attacks

Security has advanced since terrorist attacks - Naperville Police Chief David Dial - from Naperville, Illinois.

Chief Dial states "Our intelligence analyst, Kathy Lichay, produces a daily intelligence bulletin that is shared with 165 local, state and federal agencies."

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Oak Lawn neighborhood #3 for crime in Dallas

Oak Lawn neighborhood #3 for crime in Dallas

This article emphasizes crime analysis as a policing priority.

Friday, September 4, 2009

ATTACKing Auto Theft in Washington State: The Redmond Initiative

ATTACKing Auto Theft in Washington State: The Redmond Initiative

This Police Chief Magazine (April 2009) article is worth reading. It is a great example of intelligence led policing, without calling it that. (Note that the term "car prowl" in the article refers to theft from auto - that's northwest slang for that crime).

Excerpt:

"The impact of the ATTACK center and the Car Theft Initiative has been nothing short of remarkable. Car theft in King County has been in a steep decline since the beginning of 2007, which continued through 2008 and into 2009. The effect of the initiative was felt even earlier, with the number of thefts actually declining in 9 of the 12 months of 2006. In March 2008, the number of auto thefts in King County was 616, down from 1,448 in March 2005, a 47 percent decrease. Redmond experienced a 22 percent decline in auto thefts from 2006 to 2007 and a 50 percent decrease from 2007 to 2008."

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Afghanistan Opium Survey 2009: Summary Findings

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Afghanistan Opium Survey 2009: Summary Findings

Rising SA gold theft funding 'terrorism, human trafficking'

Rising SA gold theft funding 'terrorism, human trafficking' is an interesting post from the blog Policing with Intelligence.

Crime down 22 per cent last year: Prince George, BC

Crime down 22 per cent last year: Prince George, BC

"Butterworth-Carr credited the introduction of a crime analyst to the detachment and the work of the newly-formed crime reduction team with turning the city's crime rate around." Read more...