Criminal Justice Intelligence Analysis
This discussion continues the focus on developing a foundation in crime analysis. Module 1 (the prior week module) outlined various police models in which crime analysis is situated. ILP is one of these models that necessitates intelligence and crime analysis processes and places the greatest emphasis on decisions being made on the basis of information. The current week (Module 2) starts the process of developing our skills working with data, but we want to continue thinking about how analysis and results can drive practices.
To that end, work to find an example of any data-driven type of approach to crime actually implemented in practice. Search departmental websites or other public sources (e.g. evaluation articles, media reports) to identify the example. We’ll keep it as open as possible: the example might be a true ILP example but it could also include POP or similar approaches. If it makes data analysis central to informing the response it will work as an example for the purposes of our discussion.
Write a brief summary of the example by considering the following questions:
How/why does this example fit the definition of intelligence-led policing or data-driven approaches?
What sources of information are used?
What types of analytical “products” are used?
Next, within your initial post, reflect on this example:
How well are decisions connected to or informed by analysis?
What are the weaknesses or gaps in the data sources used?
How might you improve upon the example?
Did the responses developed seem to be logically related to the findings of the analyses?
Your peer response posts should then reflect on at least one other student’s posted example. What else can we learn from the posted example? What are one of the key take away learning points from their discussion of the example? You might point them to how your example is similar or different from the one they posted. As always, the aim here is to flesh out important conceptual issues from the examples.
Provide links, if possible, to the materials you are using so that other students can see the examples.
