Scream Masks in Crimes

Use of disguises in one way analysts connect crimes in crime series. It is so important that disguises are described in detail and consistently in crime reports.

It's Halloween and why not read about criminals who have used "scream" masks when committing crimes?

Police investigating after suspect wearing ‘Scream’ mask robs convenience store

“Scream” masked bandit sentenced in Jefferson County to 1,888 years in prison

Gang attacked police car wearing Scream masks during crime spree

Armed man disguised in 'Scream' mask wanted for multiple gas station robberies in Virginia, FBI says

And, even worse, some murders are attributed to the perpetrators watching the movie "Scream:"

Curse or coincidence? The catalogue of 'Scream' killings

Marine Ports and Organized Crime

Even if your jurisdiction has no nexus to marine ports, understanding how ports facilitate organized crime activity is good to know.

Organized Crime Research Brief no. 25 - Marine Ports and Organized Crime is available at this link.

Seaport Vulnerability to Criminal Networks: A Mixed Method Approach to Measuring Criminological Vulnerability in the Top 30 U.S. Container Ports is a research paper available at this link.

Gangs

Read NIJ's What Is a Gang? Definitions at this link. 

There is no universally agreed-upon definition of "gang" in the United States. Gang, youth gang and street gang are terms widely and often interchangeably used in mainstream coverage. Reference to gangs often implies youth gangs. In some cases, youth gangs are distinguished from other types of gangs; how youth is defined may vary as well.

Motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, hate groups, adult organized crime groups, terrorist organizations and other types of security threat groups are frequently but not always treated separately from gangs in both practice and research.

When I was a crime analyst in the city of Buffalo, many of our gangs were simply local groups, named by their own choice based on the blocks they lived on. Understanding what "gangs" operate in your jurisdiction is crucial! Knowing as much as you can about gangs in helpful to inform your analysis work. 

Resources:

Strategies to Address Gang Crime: A Guidebook for Local Law Enforcement

FBI: Gangs 

National Gang Center

Street Gangs and Interventions: Innovative Problem Solving with Network Analysis

Repeat Victimization

 Did you know?

While most people and places do not get victimized by crime, those who are victimized consistently face the highest risk of being victimized again. Previous victimization is the single best predictor of victimization. It is a better predictor of future victimization than any other characteristic of crime.

from the POP guide: Analyzing Repeat Victimization

Crime analysis and crime prevention efforts should focus more on repeat patterns of victimization. 

More reading:

Repeat Victimization: Lessons for Implementing Problem-oriented Policing

Repeat and Multiple Victimizations: The Role of Individual and Contextual Factors

Examining the extent of repeat and near repeat victimisation of domestic burglaries in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science

The  UCL Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, in London, is the first institute in the world devoted to crime science. It celebrated its 20th birthday recently - a video about that and its history is at this link.

Research at the Jill Dando Institute is concentrated on new ways to cut crime and increase security, drawing upon UCL's vast experience in related disciplines, including architecture, economics, engineering, geography, medicine, psychology, statistics and town planning.

It brings together 30 top research departments and research groups across UCL all with a working interest in the field of security and crime. The JDI aims to promote multidisciplinary research in crime and security and also promote multidisciplinary conferences, events, training and short courses in these fields. Partners and clients include organisations from academia, industry, commerce and government.

So, what IS crime science?

Crime science is the application of scientific methods and knowledge from many disciplines to the development of practical and ethical ways to reduce crime and increase security.

Read more about it at this link.

Investigation process

Crime and intelligence analysts are often mired in details and processes - it is wise to occasionally take a step back and look at the forest, rather than the trees.

Enter the "Investigation process" page at the College of Policing (for England and Wales).

What I really like about this webpage is this focus, below, from the web page, which assumes analysts are integral to the investigation process:

Proactive investigations can start from an intelligence package identifying groups or individuals who are assessed as being involved in ongoing criminal activity. They are often generated as a result of the tasking and coordination (T&C) process, and allocated for further investigation. Intelligence packages may include:

crime pattern analysis

network analysis

operational intelligence assessment

problem profiles

market profiles

subject analysis

tactical assessment

criminal business analysis

tactical profiles

Target-Hardening Homes

The ASU Center for Problem Oriented Policing has a guide called Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Single-Family Houses, available at this link. 

Crime analysts can be helpful by providing ideas for crime prevention that are proven to work. 

Resources to help citizens:

Richardson Police Home Security Assessment Checklist

Franklin Police Department Home Security Checklist

Washington County (OR) Sheriff's Home Security Inspection

Olympia Police CPTED Home Security Checklist

Santa Monica Police TARGET HARDEN YOUR HOME

Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement

The 1999 publication Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement is available at this link.

Law enforcement analysts rely on witnesses information, because a great deal of the information we analyze comes from eyewitnesses. Good analysis depends on good information. Understanding the issues surrounding witnesses can help us improve our critical thinking about the information we have, and possibly improve information gathering in our agencies. 

Eyewitnesses frequently play a vital role in uncovering the truth about a crime. The evidence they provide can be critical in identifying, charging, and ultimately convicting suspected criminals. That is why it is absolutely essential that eyewitness evidence be accurate and reliable. One way of ensuring we, as investigators, obtain the most accurate and reliable evidence from eyewitnesses is to follow sound protocols in our investigations.

Resources:

Chatham IL Police How to Be a Good Witness

CHULA VISTA POLICE DEPARTMENT HOW TO BE A GOOD WITNESS

Kent County Sheriff Department's Crime Prevention- A Good Witness

Analyze the Problem: Tools

There are a number of tools to use at the website Analyze the Problem, at this link. While it is not geared toward law enforcement analysts, its generic approach applies to any work. Check it out to get some ideas for improving your critical thinking as you work on crime and intelligence analysis tasks and projects.

Questions we all can use when approaching a problem, from the website:

Getting started checklist:

What is the real problem?

Why is it necessary to solve this problem?

What have you done in the past with similar problems?

Who can help you solve your problem?

What is the root cause of your problem?

What are the key questions that need to be answered?

What should be done first?

How will you know when you are successful?

Understanding and Presenting Data for Police Managers

 CompStat360: Understanding and Presenting Data for Police Managers from National Police Foundation on Vimeo.

The Integration Of Crime Analysis Into Patrol Work: A Guidebook

The Integration Of Crime Analysis Into Patrol Work: A Guidebook is available at this link.

"This guidebook has been developed for mid-level managers and commanders of police agencies who are looking for guidance in fully incorporating crime analysis into their agency, particularly into patrol. The guide presents a series of considerations and recommendations for crime analysis integration, provides crime analysis product examples that have been implemented into innovative police agencies around the United States, discusses key issues of implementation, and outlines an implementation framework strategy. Notably, this guide is not a detailed plan that can be taken and immediately adopted by any one agency, but is a practical overview of the importance of crime analysis and its usefulness and offers recommendations and examples for crime analysis integration."

Information Needs for Operational Policing

The informational needs for operational policing are vast - and that is why having law enforcement analysts is valuable. They analyze a variety of information and maximize its utility to policing agencies. 

The chart below is from Improving Information-Sharing Across Law Enforcement: Why Can't We Know?, available at this link.

Identity and travel document fraud

Interpol can assist you in investigations involving identity and travel document fraud. Check their resources out at this link.

Some resources they offer:

INTERPOL Travel and ID Document Reference Centre

With many thousands of different identity and travel documents in existence it can be a challenging task to differentiate between false and genuine documents. To help overcome these difficulties, INTERPOL provides a number of databases and reference libraries through its secure global police communications system, allowing member countries to conduct first-line checks and second-line inspection at airports, sea ports and border crossings as well as forensic laboratories.

• The INTERPOL Stolen and Lost Travel Documents Database contains records of travel documents that have been reported as lost, stolen, stolen blank and revoked.

• Dial-Doc is a joint G8-INTERPOL initiative, which allows countries to share to share alerts on newly detected forms of document counterfeiting.

• EdisonTD is a reference tool that contains images of genuine travel and identity documents.

• DISCS is a database containing certificates of civil status such as birth, marriage, death, identity and citizenship.