Listen to an Analyst's Success Stories

My colleague in the US Secret Service, Investigative Analyst Ryan Heethius, assisted on a murder case and played a significant role in solving it. Listen to how that played out at this link. It's interesting!

He is featured in another analyst success story in a podcast at this link.

Ryan illustrates how a good analyst thinks in investigations and you can learn for his processes.

"IA Ryan Heethius is under the Investigative Support Division (ISD) for the Office of Investigations. Ryan has worked on many different cases to include, including counterfeit operations, money laundering, homicide, and cybercrime. The role of an Investigative Analysts are multi-faceted, consisting of broad-based criminological research, link analysis, intelligence data gathering, performing complex statistical analysis and trend forecasting for criminal and protective intelligence, develops curricula for and provides high-quality training for investigators, researchers, and support staff. IAs also travel frequently to support field offices and task forces, often assisting with search warrants and asset forfeiture. The work of IAs involves extensive knowledge of criminological theories, research methodologies, and the development and use of investigative and intelligence systems and analysis of investigative cases such as; financial crimes, access device fraud, telecom fraud, high- tech crimes, counterfeit U.S. currency and obligations, and protective intelligence."

It was my honor to work as an IA for the USSS.

Attend Virtually! 5th Annual American Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference

The 5th Annual American Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference registration form is available at this link.  You can attend in-person or virtually.

Do you want to learn more about policing in the United States? Are you passionate about bringing positive change to the law enforcement community? Do you want to learn about the latest policing research?

The American Society of Evidence Based Policing is committed to bringing you the latest on policing research.

Please join us for our hybrid virtual/in-person conference August 28 & 29, 2021. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, capacity is limited and we expect in-person tickets to sell out quickly. As we approach August, more tickets may become available as restrictions and the University's guidelines change.

This is the perfect opportunity to expand your knowledge of evidence-based policing and meet researchers and practitioners alike whose mission is to bring cutting edge empirical evidence to policing practice.

With participants from around the world, attendees will learn about the newest evidence-based policing practices and ways to reduce crime and disorder and improve police-community relationships.

Our keynote speakers, Michael Millensen, Seth Stoughton, and Lawrence Sherman will be speaking about how evidence-based medicine informs evidence-based policing, effective strategies to reduce police use of force, and much more.

New York Association of Law Enforcement Analysts

It has been almost 24 years since I became the first crime analyst for the Buffalo Police Department, and FINALLY, New York State has a law enforcement analysts' association! The New York Association of Law Enforcement Analysts welcomes working analysts (especially those in NYS), interested students, and people like me - former analysts who want to support growth of the profession.

To join NYALEA, email nyaleaanalysts at gmail.com. It needs your support to get off the ground. They have a Facebook group but no website yet.

Matthew Zacharewicz is the President of NYALEA and is featured on this episode of L.E.A. Podcasts. He talks about NYALEA is his interview.

Intelligence Analyst Apprenticeship

Read more about the Intelligence Analyst Apprenticeship at this link.

 "The Cambridge Centre has launched a 15-month intelligence analyst apprenticeship course for police officers and civilians, for English police forces, and in 2022 for police outside of England. 

Our next cohort begins on 21st and 22nd July 2021 with the two day launch event in Cambridge.

For more information and to enroll, contact apprenticeship@cambridge-ebp.co.uk.

This apprenticeship is available to employees of English police agencies and other employers paying an Apprenticeship Levy. It is available to all participating employers at no cost beyond the fees they have already paid—and can only be spent spend on registered apprenticeships, such as the Cambridge Centre-OPG Intelligence Analyst Apprenticeship."

Standards & Training Director Magazine

The Standards & Training Director Magazine is a new publication by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, which is available online at this link.

Check it out!

One of the ongoing challenges for the field of law enforcement analysis and its analysts is training others in law enforcement regarding the crucial elements of the process and the real value of the field. Writers guidelines for this publication are including in the back of the new publication. Consider submitting an article!

A new version of CompStat: CompStat360

From the Police Foundation:

 "CompStat360 is the next generation of CompStat. Taking a proactive and problem-solving approach, CompStat360 provides law enforcement with the tools to integrate community needs and feedback with a traditional CompStat (data-driven crime monitoring) process."

Read more at this link.

You'll find a variety of resources at this site including tools and checklists as follows.

"Tools and Checklists will be shared to provide further guidance on the various parts of CompStat360.

CompStat360 Basics

CompStat360 Comparison

CompStat360 Dimensions and Goals

CompStat360 Research & Development

CompStat360 Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

CompStat360 Strategic Problem Solving

CompStat360 Problem Solving Teams (PSTs) Basics

CompStat360 Community Map

CompStat360 Data Collection Guidance for Police and Epidemiologists"

Are You a Subject Matter Expert?

I call myself a Subject Matter Expert (SME), and an analyst questioned me about that a few months ago.

According to Wikipedia, "a subject-matter expert (SME) is a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic."

A definition at OPM.gov can be found here.

I like this definition: "An individual who is considered an authority in a particular topic based on their work and/or educational experiences."

I do not doubt my subject matter expertise in crime and intelligence analysis. 

What is your particular subject matter expertise? Own your subject matter expertise! If you want subject matter expertise, become devoted to a subject.

UK's 2000 National Intelligence Model

The UK's 2000 National Intelligence Model is summarized in a document available at this link. 

When it came out over twenty years ago, I was working as a crime analyst and privileged to learn about it through my attendance at a colloquium at Mercyhurst College (now Mercyhurst University) where top intelligence experts from all over the world were meeting to discuss educating analysts. Later they formed the International Association for Intelligence Education (see this link):

"IAFIE was formed in June 2004, as a result of a gathering of 60-plus intelligence studies trainers and educators at the Sixth Annual International Colloquium on Intelligence at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. This group, from various intelligence disciplines including national security, law enforcement and competitive intelligence, recognized the need for a professional association that would span their diverse disciplines and provide a catalyst and resources for their development and that of Intelligence Studies."

I was so excited to learn about the National Intelligence Model, as it delineated guidelines for analytical products and thus, to me,  meant that the role of the analyst was becoming essential to policing. Yet, the profession is still not what it should be, especially here in the United States. We are so fragmented when it comes to valuing the role of the analyst and have no universal understanding of what analysts create.

Here are some analytical products as described in the National Intelligence Model:

The Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program

The Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) "provides near real-time suspected overdose surveillance data across jurisdictions to support public safety and public health efforts to mobilize an immediate response to a sudden increase, or spike in overdose events. It links first responders and relevant record management systems to a mapping tool to track overdoses to stimulate real-time response and strategic analysis across jurisdictions."

If you don't know about this important resource, check it out at this link.

When asked to fix something, we don’t even think of removing parts

 When asked to fix something, we don’t even think of removing parts is an interesting article, available at this link.

Consider this: instead of adding MORE to your list of tasks and or proposed solutions, is there something that should be removed to improve the quality of your outcomes?

A thought for the day!

"Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it."~Alan Perlis

Skype search engine

 "Skypli is the first Skype search engine on the web. You are able to search for Skype users without Skype accounts, browse their profiles and much more. We also give you additional possibilities, such as adding new users to your Skype contacts, as well as starting regular chats, calls or video calls."

Skypli: https://www.skypli.com

Thinking about police data: Analysts’ perceptions of data quality in Canadian policing

"The lack of buy in from frontline personnel, who are mainly responsible for data entry, poses a significant question as to how well police are committed to data-driven policing and the necessary data collection tasks. Having high quality data entered into police data management systems has profound implications for the subsequent data analyses and decisions police make based on analytical work."

The quote above is from the Police Journal paper  Thinking about police data: Analysts’ perceptions of data quality in Canadian policing, available at this link. So true!

Data quality is such a huge issue for analysts - it affects everything you do. The problems of getting data WORTH analyzing is significant. Frontline personnel are not simply data entry clerks - they are often police officers who are in a rush to go to their next calls. How can they be convinced to gather information that is important to policing? 

I think a common understanding of data is needed - reasons to collect quality data have to be articulated so that make sense to ALL of the stakeholders. That has not been done. There must be the will to do it if we are to have the data needed to improve public safety. 

All officers KNOW what a crime series is and they themselves can often recognize them if they are the collectors of such a pattern, but it is not their job to identify them. We need to create a shared understanding of the vale and role of information in the future of policing.

Boolean Rules Simplified: A Guide for Security & Intelligence Analysts

Since so many more analysts are including open source intelligence in their analytical work, as they should be, understanding Boolean rules becomes more and more useful and important. A refresher helps!

The article Boolean Rules Simplified: A Guide for Security & Intelligence Analysts is  available at this link.

"Whether you’re using a standard search engine like Google or gathering OSINT through a sophisticated threat intelligence tool, Boolean rules are crucial for refining your search results."

An Overwhelming Year Plus

I have had the privilege of talking to some bright, young crime analysts recently and to hear how this past year or so has been overwhelming because of several issues.

One major stress was the analysts' changing roles during the protests and riots of the past year. More work involved scanning social media for potential threats to the community. This was added to their current responsibilities and so there is a sense of overwhelm, not enough analysts to do the work. There is also an urgency to monitoring social media for threats that is stressful. It is up to you to find the possible threat so that it can be counteracted, if possible. No matter what, this work prepares a police agency to deal with emergent problems. 

Other analysts spend more time than ever determining geolocations of phones and vehicles for investigations. Because law enforcement analysts are the people with high level computer skills, they often become the technicians for using software. More violence and violent crimes in communities leads to more investigations wherein suspects are identified and need to be linked to their criminal activities via tools that determine suspects' activities. Some of this analysis is very time consuming and takes analysts away from other types of analytical work. Traditional crime analysis work (such as identifying crime patterns and strategies to solve them) is being supplanted by investigative support work. 

The current call to "defund the police" by some citizens is a stressor for analysts who worry about job security. Unfortunately, the role of the analyst may be devalued when it comes to considering budget cuts, despite the fact analysts are force multipliers by helping police agencies better determine how to allocate limited resources. The morale in law enforcement agencies is low and that affects everyone who works in them. Uncertainty is stressful.

How do you handle the sense of overwhelm? Recognizing it is a first step.

Photo Line-Up Guidance

When I created photo line-ups, known as photo arrays, also known as 6-packs, I enjoyed it. It could be a real challenge, especially when suspects had face-tattoos or extremely strange hair. 

Some mugshot database systems allow you to print photo arrays out, so you don't need a template, but that did not always work. I often used Excel to make my own template, and had my agency information on it, as well as a page with the subjects photos-only, unidentified, and a second page with their identifiers.

Guidance from the USDOJ, Eyewitness Identification: Procedures for Conducting Photo Arrays, can be found at this link.

Guidance from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Identification Procedures: Photo Arrays and Line-ups Model Policy, can be found at this link.

Here is guidance from Nebraska's Eyewitness Identification Best Practices Toolkit, available at this link.

Photo-Array/Photo-Pack:

a. The array must contain at least six photos that are selected to match the witnesses description of the

perpetrator and include at least some persons who are similar in appearance i.e. facial hair, glasses, age etc.

b. All photos must include persons of the same race and sex as the suspect.

c. Photos should be presented in a way that does not suggest that the subjects in the photos are criminals i.e. mug-shot with numbers (Mug shots may be used, but portions of photo that would indicate that photo is mug- shot should be cropped or hidden from the witness.)

d. The officer who conducts the photo-array shall be someone who is not aware of which photo in the array is that of the suspect in the case.

e. During the process officers shall not, in any way, prompt the witness toward a particular photo.

f. Photos will not be shown at the same time as an array or six-pack, instead the photos will be shown from a stack, held by the presenter who shall present the photographs one at a time as if dealing a deck of cards to the witness.

g. If an independent administrator is not available, the investigative officer shall follow the following procedures:

I. Place the suspect photo and filler photos in separate folders. Include four (4) blank folders that contain no photograph for a total of ten (10).

II. Shuffle the folders before giving them to the witness.

III. The officer administering the array should position himself or herself so that he or she cannot see

inside the folders.

IV. Allow the eyewitness to open the folders one at a time to view the single photograph.

Call for Presentations: The Carolinas Crime Analysis Association

"The Carolinas Crime Analysis Association (CCAA) is partnering with the North Carolina Gang Investigators Association (NCGIA) to host the 2021 CCAA Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. The conference will take place from August 10 - 12 and will be held at the Benton Convention Center, located at 301 W. 5th Street, Winston-Salem, NC.

We are now accepting submissions for presentations and workgroup discussion topics. 

To submit your presentation, please visit our website by clicking below:

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

All proposals must be submitted online no later than Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 23:59 EST.

Presentations can be intended for any experience level, from beginner to advanced, and they can cover a wide range of topics. 

If you have questions about this Call for Submissions, please email us at carolinascrimeanalysts@gmail.com."

The webpage is available at this link.

1973 Police Crime Analysis Unit Handbook

When I discovered the 1973 Police Crime Analysis Unit Handbook online, it made me very sad, since it is almost  50 years later, and crime analysis is still not integrated and accepted fully into policing. This document proves its value was understood way back then, before computers were what they became to crime analysis. Crime analysis is not a technology - it is a way of thinking about the work of policing. 

It has never been rocket science. 

Read Police Crime Analysis Unit Handbook at this link. It is illuminating.

You'll find other, related resources under "historical" on the right sidebar this blog. Check them out.

Try a Decision Journal to improve Your Thinking

Analysts are encouraged to improve their critical thinking skills, but the actual means of doing so can feel vague and just too abstract.

The article "Creating a Decision Journal: Template And Example Included" provides a tangible example of a method you can use that can improve your awareness of some of your thinking obstacles. Read the article at this link.

"You can think of a decision journal as quality control — something like what we’d find in a manufacturing plant or a restaurant. Conceptually, using the journal is pretty easy, but implementing and maintaining it requires some discipline and humility."

Click here for the template you can use for your decision journal, but read the entire article and give it a try. Improving your thinking is work, but it may be worth it to you.

Premises as Location

When we consider the location where a crime took place, we often think of the place on a map.

But places can mean a variety of things, such as:

actual location

actual place in location: elevator/stairwell

type of location (premise)

cyber location

context of location: no one home (funeral, work hours)

travel patterns

routine activities

!!!!

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary: premises also premisses plural [from its being identified in the premises of the deed]

a : a tract of land with the buildings thereon

b : a building or part of a building usually with its appurtenances (such as grounds)

The type of premise where a crime took place can be an important aspect of the model operandi. Knowing it can help the analysis link crimes.

Consider the concept of PREMISE by looking at the premise codes Houston uses:

Houston Premise Codes

http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/premise.htm

AIRPORT TERMINAL

BUS STATION

RAILROAD TRACK/RIGHT OF WAY

PARK & RIDE TERMINAL

LIGHT RAIL VEHICLE

TRAIN TERMINAL

BANK

CREDIT UNION

SAVINGS AND LOAN INSTITUTIONS

VACANT BANK

BAR/NIGHT CLUB

SEXUALLY ORIENTED CLUB

CHURCH/SYNAGOGUE/TEMPLE

VACANT CHURCH/SYNAGOGUE/TEMPLE

AMUSE. PARK,BOWL. ALLEY,SKATE RINK

BARBER AND BEAUTY SHOPS

COMMERCIAL BUILDING

CAR WASH

AUTO REPAIR

FACTORY/MANUFACTURING/INDUSTRIAL

GYM,RECREAT,CLUB HSE,INDR POOL,SPA

BODY SHOP

LAUNDRY/DRY CLEANERS/WASHATERIAS

MALL COMMON AREA

MAINTENANCE/BUILDING SERVICES

OFFICE BUILDING

POOL HALL/GAME ROOM

CHECK CASHING PLACES

APARTMENT/RENTAL OFFICE

STADIUM/SPRTS ARENA/RACE TRACK

THEATRES,DINNER THEATERS,AUDITOR.

UTILITY COMPANY,ELECTRIC,GAS,WATER

VACANT BUILDING (COMMERCIAL)

WAREHOUSE

VEHICLE/AUTO SALES/LEASE/AUTO PARTS STORE

VACANT INDUSTRIAL/MANUFACTURING/INDUSTRIAL

MISC. BUSINESS (NON-SPECIFIC)

CONSTRUCTION SITE

CONVENIENCE STORE

DEPARTMENT/DISCOUNT STORE

DRUG STORE/MEDICAL SUPPLY

HOSPITAL

PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE

REHABILITATION CENTER

VACANT HOSPITAL

FIELD/WOODS

CONVENTION CENTER/EXHIBIT HALLS

FIRE STATION

GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC BUILDING

LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS

POLICE STATION

PARKS & RECREATION, ZOO, SWIM POOL

SOCIAL SERVICES/PUBLIC CHARITIES

VACANT GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC BUILDING

GROCERY/SUPERMARKET

VACANT GROCERY/SUPERMARKET

ALLEY

BUS STOP

CONTRA-FLOW/HOV

HIGHWAY/FREEWAY

ROAD/STREET/SIDEWALK

FREEWAY SERVICE ROAD

TOLLWAY

HOTEL/MOTEL/ETC.

VACANT HOTEL/MOTEL/ETC.

JAIL/PRISON

VACANT JAIL/PRISON

LAKE/WATERWAY/BAYOU

LIQUOR STORE

APARTMENT PARKING LOT

BANK/SAVING INSTITUTION PARKING LOT

CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT

LAUNDRY/DRY CLEANERS PARKING LOT

GROCERY/SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT

HOSPITAL PARKING LOT

LIQUOR STORE PARKING LOT

HOTEL/MOTEL PARKING LOT

BAR/NIGHT CLUB PARKING LOT

OTHER PARKING LOT

COMMERCIAL PARKING LOT/GARAGE

RESTAURANT/CAFETERIA PARKING LOT

SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESS PARKING LOT

STRIP BUSINESS CENTER PARKING LOT

MALL PARKING LOT

CHURCH/SYNAGOGUE/TEMPLE PARKING LOT

RENTAL STORAGE FACILITY

VACANT STORAGE FACILITY (BARNS,GARAGES,WAREHOUSES,ETC.)

APARTMENT

CONDOMINIUM

DRIVEWAY

GARAGE/CARPORT

HIGH RISE

APARTMENT LAUNDRY

MOBILE HOME

NURSING HOME

MULTI-PLEX HME(DUPLEX,TRIPLEX ETC)

RESIDENCE/HOUSE

VACANT SINGLE OCCUPANCY RESIDENCE (HOUSES,TOWNHOUSES,DUPLEXES, ETC.)

VACANT OTHER RESIDENTIAL (APARTMENT,INN,DORMS,BOARDING HOUSE)

RESTAURANT/CAFETERIA

VACANT RESTAURANT

COMMERCIAL OR TRAINING SCHOOL

DAYCARE/CHILD CARE/KINDERGARTEN

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

PRIVATE SCHOOL

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE

VACANT SCHOOL/COLLEGE

SERVICE/GAS STATION

SPECIALTY STORE (NON-SPECIFIC)

ADULT BOOK STORE/NEWSSTAND

BOOK,RECORD,STATIONARY,OFFICE SUP.

CLOTHING STORE

ELECTRONICS STORE, ELECTRICAL SUP.

FURNITURE, APPLIANCES, RADIOS, TV

GARDEN SUPPLY, NURSERY, FLORIST

JEWELRY STORES

MARINE VEH. SALES,BOATS,SAILBOATS

PAWN/RESALE SHOP/FLEA MARKET

SPORTING GOODS/GUN SHOPS

TOYS,ARTS & CRAFT,MUSICAL,BIKE,PET

VIDEO RENTAL & SALES

OTHER/UNKNOWN

LIGHT RAIL PLATFORM

VACANT OTHER STRUCTURE (OUT BUILDINGS,MONUMENTS,BUILDINGS UNDER CONSTRUCTION,ETC.)

If officers do not collect data on premises, you are missing an important "clue" in your analyses of crime in your jurisdiction.

Analyzing Travel

The concept of analyzing a suspect's travel patterns is seen significantly differently by crime analysts versus intelligence or investigative analysts.

I enjoyed analyzing suspects' travels an Investigative Analyst in a federal law enforcement agency, when it was relevant in an investigation. For example, from where they flew on a plane (or in a car) to what destination, how long they stayed, how often they traveled... this a type of travel analysis related to a specific individual suspected of criminal activities.

In one case, I even had reason to contact a control tower of an airport, and they assisted me. That was interesting!

Analyzing Travel For A Case

Crime analysts tend to think more scientifically about travel patterns - for example, how it is more likely that a burglar might live close to a neighborhood he or she targets. The chapter Study the journey to crime in the book Crime Analysis for Problem Solvers in 60 Small Steps states that: "many studies have shown that the journey to crime is typically very short - offenders generally commit crimes within 1 or 2 miles of their homes."

More research on journey to crime:

Analyzing an Offender’s Journey to Crime: A Criminal Movement Model (CriMM)

How Far to Travel? A Multilevel Analysis of the Residence-to-Crime Distance

The "Old Days" of Crime Mapping

Back in the old days of crime analysis, in the late 1990s, crime mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in law enforcement agencies was rare - it was estimated that only 13% of police department were using it. 

The 1999 National Institute of Justice book Crime Mapping: from Principle to Practice, by Keith Harries, Ph.D., provides an excellent overview of the history of crime mapping as well as the basic elements to consider while mapping crime maps. 

While it was written over twenty years ago, it is worth reading; view Crime Mapping: from Principle to Practice by Keith Harries Ph.D. at this link.

Harries delves into many aspects of crime mapping, including how it might be used in criminal intelligence areas:

It's a great overview of many concepts relevant to today's analyst.

Where? Thinking More Specifically About Locations

Where does a crime occur? The street address is what an officer puts in a police report. "Where" is often a single "pin" placed on a map.

I used to wonder what "location" could be in cyberspace, until I worked on cyber-investigations and learned that IP addresses existed at real locations with street addresses. Yet the IP address itself matters as we build a case. It is a location that does things.

Where can be a defined area in the vicinity of a cell phone tower. Where was the suspect's phone at a certain time proximate to a crime?

When I was a crime analyst linking a series of rapes with an unknown assailant, I was distressed to find out that a type of location was left out of a police report, where knowing the type of location would have allowed me to link another crime to the series, earlier than I was able to do so. One rape in the series occurred in an elevator; another rape in the series took place in a stairway. These two locations are similar in that they are the means to get between floors in a building. Reporting locations types specifically IS important. The sooner we identity a sex crime series, the more likely we can apprehend the suspect and prevent another heinous crime.

Obviously, the answer to the  question "where?" is more than a street address. We have to think critically to use this variable of "location" most effectively in analysis.

IACA YouTube Channel

 The International Association of Crime Analysts has a new YouTube channel, available at this link.

Some other YouTube resources for you:

Analysts' Corner YouTube Channel

All About Analysis YouTube Channel

What is Crime Analysis?

Crime Analysis Basics

What Makes a Good Intelligence Analyst

In Focus | Intelligence Analysis Standards

I wonder why there are not more resources for analysts on YouTube? Can you add to the knowledge-base for analysts and society by creating some? Please do!

It is rather amazing that a profession that relies on state-of-the-art computer skills has not created more on platforms like YouTube.

Be The Go-To Person

My husband and I went to the farmer's market and then went to some yard sales this beautiful late spring morning. A police officer I used to work with was hosting a yard sale along with his wife, and we had a very pleasant chat about post-retirement life. He told his wife that I was the "go-to" person for any information when we worked at the Buffalo Police Department.

If you are working as a crime analyst at the local level of law enforcement, it is good for you to develop the reputation of being the go-to person. You want to be remembered over twenty years later as someone who helped officers in the field.

How do you do that? Be quickly responsive. Be curious about what is needed and create information that is truly helpful, actionable information. Be welcoming when people come to you for help. Care.

If you need any coaching to do this better, email me at analystscorner at gmail dot com. 

Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions

Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained) is available at this link. "This guide explores everything you need to know about mental models. By the time you’re done, you’ll think better, make fewer mistakes, and get better results."

Who doesn't need that?

An excerpt:

What Are Mental Models?

Mental models are how we understand the world. Not only do they shape what we think and how we understand but they shape the connections and opportunities that we see. Mental models are how we simplify complexity, why we consider some things more relevant than others, and how we reason.

A mental model is simply a representation of how something works. We cannot keep all of the details of the world in our brains, so we use models to simplify the complex into understandable and organizable chunks.

Learning to Think Better

The quality of our thinking is proportional to the models in our head and their usefulness in the situation at hand. The more models you have—the bigger your toolbox—the more likely you are to have the right models to see reality. It turns out that when it comes to improving your ability to make decisions variety matters.

Most of us, however, are specialists. Instead of a latticework of mental models, we have a few from our discipline. Each specialist sees something different. By default, a typical Engineer will think in systems. A psychologist will think in terms of incentives. A biologist will think in terms of evolution. By putting these disciplines together in our head, we can walk around a problem in a three dimensional way. If we’re only looking at the problem one way, we’ve got a blind spot. And blind spots can kill you.

Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities

Following your  agency policy and guidelines for use of social media in intelligence and investigative analysis is important! If you don't have these in place, it is time to develop them.

Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities is available at this link.

It contains several examples of policies/guidelines.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2010-MU-BX-K019 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative. 

ANZSEBP Police Science Journal

 A resource from Australia & New Zealand Journal of Evidence Based Policing :

ANZSEBP Police Science Journal is available at this link, including back issues.

"The mission of the ANZSEBP is to develop, disseminate and advocate for police to use scientific research (“the evidence”) to guide best practice in all aspects of policing. The SEBP is made up of police officers, police staff, and research professionals who aim to make evidence-based police practice part of everyday policing. We believe that all aspects of policing including police patrols, investigations, crime preventions, human resource management, and all other forms of service delivery should be evaluated using sound, scientific methods and used when the evaluation of evidence shows that the police practice works to control or prevent crime and disorder or enhance quality of life."

Check it out!

Technology is Not Information and Information is Not Knowledge

Below is another snippet of my MA final project written in 2001. 

The entire paper can be found at the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts website on the Resources & Publications/Police and Intelligence section - the bottom line, "The Role of the Crime Analyst in Policing (Osborne)." Access it at this link.

Technology is Not Information and Information is Not Knowledge

     Local law enforcement is a creator of mass volumes of information daily as new crimes are reported, calls for service logged, arrests made, and citations given. With the development of information technology, local police departments can now access and utilize this wealth of information in innovative ways. Along with the information that comes into police agencies daily, there exists other sources of information, such as parole and probation reports, open source information, and other types of data that can be analyzed to uncover possible correlations to crimes.

    Unfortunately, many police agencies operate under the assumption that the information that results from new technology equals new knowledge. Modern industry has also operated under this false assumption. Technology only helps us to produce information in new forms that are more accessible for analysis, but this improved information productivity does not create knowledge. Only human interpretation can give meaning to information. 

      With this new ability to produce and make use of information comes the imperative to develop the role of persons trained to be information experts.

      None of the data stored in a police agency have meaning until a human being gives them meaning. Artificial intelligence, when it arrives in policing, cannot tell police what information means. If police agencies rely on technology to improve policing without developing a role for persons to become information crafters, the technology will be a waste of tax dollars. The role of the crime analyst, if developed and supported, will be that information crafter in local law enforcement, the “knowledge worker” of policing.

     For too long policing at the local level has relied primarily on “tacit knowledge.” Tacit knowledge, in policing, refers to the knowledge officers have about crime, criminals, and public disorder, which is not knowledge that is written down or articulated to share or pass on to others. Depending on tacit knowledge in policing has significant problems. If officers do not want to admit that they have a problem they can’t solve, as is sometimes found in traditional police culture, they may be unlikely to go to others for help. Thus the knowledge others have will not get to them. If a police agency has crime analysts on staff who are trained and who generate meaningful information (knowledge), officers will be informed without having to ask others for help. If the political atmosphere of the police department sanctions crime analysis and it becomes “politically correct” to make use of an analyst’s expertise, more knowledge will flow through a police organization. 

    There is no way to evaluate tacit knowledge if it is simply spread “word-of-mouth.” It is even more difficult to know whether it is wrong when it is unexpressed, since it is then unquestioned. If police officers are operating under unexamined false assumptions, their effectiveness suffers significantly.

     If crime analysis is developed as a true profession and instituted in larger police departments, some of the institutional knowledge of police officers may be captured, incorporated into the knowledge base of the police organization and made available to many. The role of the crime analyst will complement that of police officers, rather than replace it, and will expand the knowledge base of police organizations. If knowledge is a type of power, than we can safely assume that policing effectiveness will improve as the tool of knowledge becomes more readily available.

     Although officers may resent the changes in traditional policing, these changes may be presented as a win-win situation; the officer looks more knowledgeable and is, in fact, more knowledgeable with the support of formal crime analysis in his or her police department. It is the officer who gets credit for an arrest and it is the officer who has contact with the public in the role of information-sharer. The crime analysts are in the background and the public may never know of their contributions. The crime analyst has the privilege of doing “police” work without the inherent risks that face the street cop.

      It should be noted that researchers from universities have tried to assist local law enforcement with knowledge creation and information support. However, often the researchers impose their own research designs on these agencies. Since police culture is known to be resistant to change and suspicious of outsiders, the world of academia is unlikely to infiltrate most police departments. This is why the creation of the crime analyst’s role as an internal researcher, working for and with police officers is the best way to incorporate research findings into the street level of policing.

     The importance of information sharing and knowledge creation in policing has been underestimated and inadequately analyzed. If we consider how actionable information can assist police, we will realize how urgent the imperative is to develop the role of the analyst in policing.