Cyber-Espionage Report

Recently the school system, in the city where I live, was victim of a cyber-attack, and all the schools were closed for several days. Whether you are an analyst tasked with cybercrime investigations or not, the more you understand the cybercrime environment, the more of an asset you will be to your agency. 

Cybercrime is rampant and affects all of us.

Verizon's 2020-2021 Cyber-Espionage Report (CER) is their "first-ever data-driven publication on advanced cyberattacks." You can access it at this link.

You can find many other interesting Verizon's Business Technology Reports at this link. 

The OSINT Curious Project

 "The OSINT Curious Project is a source of quality, actionable, Open Source Intelligence news, original blogs, instructional videos, and live streams. We try to keep people curious about exploring web applications for bits of information or trying out new techniques to access important OSINT data. We are an OSINT-learning catalyst."

The OSINT Curious Project website is available at this link.

The OSINT Curious Project Resource List (a Google document) is available at this link.

The OSINT Curious Project  YouTube channel is available at this link.

Evidence-Based Policing and Lawrence Sherman in the Media

In July 1998, less than a year after I became a crime analyst, Lawrence Sherman wrote an article published in the Police Foundation's  Ideas in America Policing called "Evidence-Based Policing." It can be found at this link. According to Wikipedia, the term was first defined by Sherman that year. In the same year and month, Sherman was co-author of an article in the NIJ Research Brief called "Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising," which can be found at this link. 

(It is my theory that you will not be able to have an evidence-based police without an accepted, adequate,  and integrated crime and intelligence analysis function in each police agency.)

On March 10, 2021, Wired magazine featured Lawrence Sherman in an online article called "The radical idea to reduce crime by policing less, not more," by Josh Jacobs, which can be found at this link.

Excerpt from the article:

In Sherman’s view, police too often act on instinct and hunches rather than on the basis of evidence. He describes policing like medicine of the past, before the field was reshaped by randomised trials. Sherman has accused British police of treating computers like “electronic filing cabinets” and feels officers over-rely on arresting people even when this is counterproductive. “The police are responding to too many cases where they’re not needed and therefore aren’t available to proactively identify who is at greatest risk of serious harm and to intervene with those victims, offenders and places,” he says. “So if we could stop doing a lot of the senseless errands [that officers run] and start investing much more time in planning where police can do the most good based on statistical analyses, we would have a much safer population as well as a healthier one.”

A March 6, 2021 YouTube interview featuring Professor Sherman can be found at this link.

Visit the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing at this link. Information about the "Targeting Risks of Serious Violence: The Cambridge Online Course for Police Analysts" can be found at this link.

Visit the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing at this link.

The recent Opening of 2021 SEBP Conference - Prof. Sherman & Commander Murray can be found at this link.

Free MA Program with May 1st Deadline

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security's Naval Postgraduate School has a master's Degree program that is offered for no cost to qualifying individuals. Analysts who aspire to more of a leadership role in their field may be eligible. Check out the qualifications at this link. Hurry, though - the deadline for applications for the next cohort is May1st.

I have read a number of graduate papers from this program and the calibre of work is impressive.

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) have pioneered graduate education programs for homeland security. Since 2003, CHDS has built a cadre of graduate education programs and resources used by universities and agencies across the country. The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program is offered at no cost to eligible local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials. To accommodate participants’ time constraints, students are in residence just two weeks every quarter during the 18-month program. Students complete the remainder of their coursework via web-enabled instruction. The degree is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is awarded by the Naval Postgraduate School. The degree provides leaders with the knowledge and skills to:

Develop policies, strategies, plans and programs to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, and reduce America’s vulnerability to the full range of other homeland security threats and potential catastrophic events.

Build the organizational and interagency arrangements needed to strengthen homeland security.

Help mayors, governors, other elected officials and federal leaders improve homeland security preparedness by developing actionable policies and strategies.

The degree program requires 18 months of continuous enrollment and coursework and a thesis. It involves a significant commitment on the part of the participants and their agencies. The courses are organized in quarters rather than semesters. Each quarter requires two weeks in residence at the NPS campus, located in Monterey, California or in the National Capital Region (at the Bolger Center outside of Washington, DC). The remainder of the coursework is completed via network-based learning. Participants spend an average of 15-20 hours per week during the network-based learning periods of study – reading assigned materials, participating in online discussions with faculty and other participants, and preparing papers and projects. Participants and their agencies must be cognizant of this commitment and should view it as an investment in enhancing the individual´s and the jurisdiction’s homeland security capabilities.

The internationally respected faculty guide discussions and focus the attention of the participants, establishing the predicate for continued study through network-based learning methodologies for the non-residential period. The thesis is a qualitative or quantitative research project on a significant homeland security topic. The thesis may, for example, have a strategic planning focus, a model-development perspective, or a threat-risk assessment concentration. The thesis should be of significant benefit to the participant’s agency or jurisdiction."

Elder Abuse Guide for Law Enforcement

 The Elder Abuse Guide for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) focuses on elder abuse, which includes crimes targeting the elderly. 

"By virtue of U.S. demographics, elder abuse is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Elder Abuse Guide for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) is a national web module designed to support officers in identifying, intervening, and resolving cases of elder abuse."

As an analyst, no matter what agency you work for, you are likely to identify elderly victims of financial abuse/victimization. 

From the website:

"Financial Elder Abuse Is…

Using an older adult’s money or assets (pension, home, social security checks) contrary to their wishes, needs or best interests, or for the abuser’s personal gain.

Undue influence is when a person of trust manipulates and takes advantage of a vulnerable elder to gain control of money, property or life—either directly or through power of attorney, trust, marriage, adoption, or inheritance."

The Identifying and Responding to Elder Abuse: An Officer’s Role  website page from the IACP has a tool called the Senior Abuse Financial Tracking and Accounting Tool (SAFTA) described as:

"a simplified method for investigating suspicious financial patterns and prosecuting cases of suspected financial exploitation of older adults."

It includes an Excel worksheet with instructions and subpoena templates.

The USDOJ's website Elder Justice Initiative is another website with elder abuse resources.

Comparative Case Analysis

 The College of Policing, a professional body for everyone who works for the police service in England and Wales, has a webpage for Analytical Techniques that can be found at this link. 

One of my favorite techniques to use when I was working at the local level of law enforcement is defined from that website:

"Comparative case analysis

CCA allows a number of similar crimes or incidents to be identified as part of a series which are likely to have been committed by one offender or a group of offenders. They will be linked through similarities in:

modus operandi (MO)

signature behaviour

intelligence

forensic evidence.

CCA is usually carried out using a chart or table which allows the analyst to organise data in a format where descriptive details of the crime or incidents are displayed in one place. Details may include people, objects, locations, events, language used, MO and vehicles, which would then allow the analyst to identify any potential linked series. This method allows the analyst to find patterns in the detail of an incident and crime which are distinct enough that it separates them from others which are not likely to be part of the series."

When I engaged in tactical crime analysis at the local level of law enforcement, I used this technique without knowing I was using a named technique. Unfortunately there is no agreed-upon, systematic method to compare cases and analyze cases across the crime analysis world. For that, we suffer in establishing credibility - each analyst is inventing their own methods or often using no structured methods at all.

Because of that, many crime analysts cannot testify to an agreed-upon "how and why" we did our tactical analysis. A stated methodology that is professionally approved would help. It doesn't have to look academic, but it must be logical and work in reality. Standards matter in professions.

To learn more about comparative case analysis, read A Preliminary Examination of Crime Analysts' Views and Experiences of Comparative Case Analysis at this link.

The video below is from the National Crime Agency.

April 15th Training on Analytical Tools

 

The Florida Crime & Intelligence Analyst Association is hosting a training event on April 15 - register at this link: https://fciaa.org/training-events/

Jerry Ratcliffe's Collaborative Study - Oscar One: The Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study

Oscar One: The Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study is well known Temple University professor Jerry Ratcliffe's collaborative research study, and includes a summary (and video) that can be found at this link.

"In response to the growing opioid epidemic, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) formed a partnership with Temple University to develop the Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study project. The project includes the implementation of a drug overdose rapid response pilot program centered on the Kensington corridor of Philadelphia. The SEPTA Police Department created a dedicated vehicle "Oscar One" to respond to overdoses in the area. SEPTA officers provide Narcan to overdose patients, offer social services information and transportation to a treatment facility if requested. Temple University researchers conducted an evaluation to analyze the impact of SEPTA’s pilot program which includes field observations and quantitative data analysis. The "Oscar One" video was produced as part of the project. The project is funded by a grant through the Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program."

I have embedded the YouTube video below:

Summarizing Subject Information

We don't have standard products across the board in crime and intelligence analysis, but any analyst working routinely on investigations will find a way to summarize information on a suspect that works for them, if their agency doesn't already have a template they use.

This for-example-only "Subject Summary" image below was created using Excel and then filling the background white and setting the print area. The beauty is that you can include anything you want in this format. This example does not include things such as case number, social media accounts, businesses owned, nor a narrative overview. If you have a case with multiple suspects, you can keep this information in one case-named Excel workbook - very convenient.

This is just an example to trigger your imagination to make it relevant for you; if you are not doing something like this already to summarize the pertinent information that resulted from your search on a subject of an investigation, it's time to invent one. 

I found a site that illustrates what they call "Target Packs" which includes free template downloads at this link.

Two Open Source Toolkits

 There is nothing better than "free and helpful" for an analyst, and there are more than a few free open source research toolkits that have many resources in them.

Here are two to explore and use:

Reuser’s Information Services "The Open Source Intelligence resource discovery toolkit:" http://rr.reuser.biz

Andy Black Associates" OSINT Toolkit:" https://www.andyblackassociates.co.uk/resources-andy-black-associates/osint-toolkit/

NIJ's Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Civilian Program

 Here is a great opportunity for US crime and intelligence analysts! Apply by May 3rd.

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/nijs-law-enforcement-advancing-data-and-science-civilians-program

"The Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Civilians program offers a unique opportunity for law enforcement civilians to partner with LEADS Scholars, Alumni, and Academics in an effort to use data-driven strategies and locally-tailored research to advance their agency’s mission. NIJ is piloting the addition of LEADS Civilians with the goal of strengthening the LEADS programs ability to advance evidence-based policing in the US."

"Eligibility and Expectations

LEADS Civilians must be employed full-time by a law enforcement agency and must have responsibilities relevant to advancing the use of data and integration of research into policies and practices. Such roles include (but are not limited to):

Crime analysts (and intelligence analysts! - my add)

Law enforcement planners

Project managers

Legal analysts

Technology specialists

The LEADS Civilians program acknowledges that all participants are working full-time for a law enforcement agency, and the program is designed to be flexible and dependent on the capacity of the Civilian and the demands of their agency.  There are however two meetings LEADS Civilians are expected to attend that require travel away from their agency: the annual IACP Conference, including a pre-conference LEADS meeting and discussion (4-5 days) and the NIJ Summer Session in Washington DC (2-3 days). NIJ covers the cost of all travel and per diem associated with these events.

Program Activities

The LEADS Civilians program is a three-year commitment, and Civilians have the opportunity to participate in a variety of other activities and take advantage of other available resources, including:

Programming at the IACP Annual Conference, beyond the expected participation in the pre-conference meeting  and orientation day discussed above, including:

A dedicated LEADS program roundtable with NIJ and IACP leadership to discuss priorities in policing research.

Attendance at and potential participation in the NIJ Saturday Session, "What Works and What Matters in Policing."

Participation in the IACP Research Advisory Committee meeting and the newly formed IACP research section.

Additional training opportunities provided around the LEADS Summer Session, held in and around Washington, DC.

Collaborative brainstorming events between LEADS Scholars, Academics; NIJ science staff; RAND; the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and IACP.

Opportunities to present research and findings at law enforcement conferences and be published in practitioner-focused magazines and journals.

Attendance at the annual International Association of Crime Analysts meeting or comparable meeting based on their role in their agency.

Participation in professional development activities hosted by the IACP.

Integration into an on-line community of practice moderated by the IACP connecting both active Scholars and alumni, and acting as a repository for participant information sharing related to research in policing.

Participation in peer review of research applications submitted to NIJ.

Technical assistance on projects (e.g., improving data collection and analysis, integrating existing research into policies and practices, designing research projects) of their own choosing.  During their three-year LEADS commitment, civilians may request assistance from the LEADS supporting organizations through IACP’s online community of practice. 

LEADS Program participants are also provided with a free PERF membership for the duration of their LEADS scholarship (3 years) and opportunities to attend and participate in PERF conferences.

LEADS Civilians are encouraged to pursue projects that directly respond to the priority needs of their agency. This program does not include direct funding to support original research.  However, LEADS Civilians will regularly be exposed to multiple federal resources and programs with relevance to your agency, including such entities as the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).

Application Process

Interested applicants must submit the following materials to Apply-To-LEADS@rand.org. In the email subject line please put LEADS CIVILIANS.

Current CV

Letter of support from supervisor (acknowledging the three-year commitment)

Personal essay. Applicants should address the following questions in a 2-page, double-spaced essay (12-pt, times new roman font)

How have you advanced the use of data and research at your agency?

Why do you want to participate in this program?

How will your participation benefit your agency?

What innovative projects involving the use of data and research would you like to pursue, and how might partnering with LEADS Scholars, Academics or other Civilians advance that project?

All applications must be received by May 3, 2021, 11:59 pm ET."

Serial Crime Categories

For tactical crime analysts and officers:

 I have often considered writing a very basic guide for tactical crime pattern identification, to be used by officers, investigators, and analysts as they work the field. It would not be academic nor technical; rather, it would give people actually working in the trenches a tool to think about how to look for crime patterns in the seas of information they face. It would not be based on statistics or geography, or any sophisticated analytical techniques. It is about being aware of and understanding the actual qualitative data, the words in narratives, the words that describe people, places, and things that occur in crime patterns. Qualitative data gives meaning and significance to analysis.

But writing such a book might be like writing a dictionary - time-consuming and quite exhausting. Thus, I will post some of the things I think would be helpful in the realm of qualitative crime pattern identification in posts on this blog, intermingled with other posts. Then, eventually, I'll gather them all together in some sort of document to share.

If you are a new analyst or new officer in a local level policing agency, you may not know what kinds of crimes might be committed by the same individual. Read this post to see a long list of categories that might be helpful.