1973 Police Crime Analysis Unit Handbook

I found the Police Crime Analysis Unit Handbook online recently - it was published by the USDOJ in November 1973. That is over 45 years ago, yet law enforcement analysts still struggle to prove their roles are valuable in their agencies, and many people don't know what crime analysis is and why it should be done. This handbook provides some excellent reasoning supporting the development of a crime analysis unit in a police agency.

Here is an excerpt from page 13 of this document describing criteria for selecting an analyst:

"Criteria for Selection of Crime Analysis Unit Staff

Essential
1. Integrity, Honesty, Personal candor, Realistic about self
2. High intellectual capacity, Alertness, Inquisitive mind, Imaginative
3. Analytical aptitude, Thinks logically, Capacity to synthesize, Capacity to hypothesize
4. Meticulousness, Thorough, Pays attention to detail, Precise in handling data

Desirable
I. Perseverance, Not easily discouraged or frustrated
2. Planning skill,  Good manager of time
3. Self-discipline, The "self-starter"personality
4. Cooperativeness, Capacity to work well with others
5. Fast learner, Quick response capability

Highly Desirable
I. Flexibility, Nondogmatic, Broad range of interests, Openminded
2. Special motivation, Draws satisfaction from problem solving, Particular desire to be intelligence officer
3. Articulate, Writes well and concisely, Speaks well and concisely
4. Resourcefulness, The "digger" type,"Where there's a will, there's a way""

These traits continue to be important for analysts.