CRIME ANALYSTS and INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS are two distinct occupations, but share a common goal: to predict and prevent crime.

WHAT DOES A CRIME ANALYST DO?

• Study crime and profile suspects.
• Analyze crime data to forecast the day, time, and place a crime is likely to occur and to prevent it from happening.
• Communicate crime patterns to detectives and patrol officers to produce efficient law enforcement.

A Crime Analyst uses three types of crime analysis:

• Tactical
• Strategic
• Administrative

For each analysis type and in order to plot suspect activity, the Crime Analyst scrutinizes all the crime data that enters the police agency daily through crime/police reports. After extracting relevant crime data, the Crime Analyst tracks that criminal activity in a database or by computer mapping software.

Tactical crime analysis is used to:

• Concentrate on crimes that are an immediate threat to the community such as rape, burglary, robbery, and serial murders.
• Detect a pattern from crimes by studying and linking common factors together such as method, suspect physical description, and weapon used.
• Disseminate information regarding the anticipated crime to patrol officers and to detectives to provide suspect leads and to prevent the crime.

Strategical crime analysis is used to:

• Make informed resource decisions to determine where police presence needs to be increased or decreased.

Administrative crime analysis is used to:

• Provide special reports to chiefs of police and city councils that interpret crime statistics categorized by factors such as geographical locations and/or economical conditions.
• Keep officers informed of crime statistics and patterns.
• Justify the number of officers within the agency or requesting more officers.
• Write a request for a federal grant to increase the agency’s budget.
• Give speeches on crime prevention to organizations such as Neighborhood Watch Programs.

• Study criminal relationships.
• Link and chart suspects to criminal organizations or events to determine who is doing what with whom.
• Focus on organized crime such as narcotics smuggling, money laundering, gangs, terrorism, and auto theft rings.
• Work with intelligence officers who gather information by field observation, confidential information sources, and public records.
• Establish criminal profiles that include prior crimes and criminal relationships to aid in making a connection between members and the organization.
• Use telephone toll analysis to plot telephone activity to determine the size and location of criminal groups and individuals involved.
• Study the suspect’s assets to determine the flow of money going in and coming from the targeted group.

Crime and Intelligence Analysts work in a police department. However, the majority of analysts are not police officers. Analysts usually sit at a desk and work with a computer in a general office atmosphere. They do not visit crime scenes or examine physical evidence.

The International Association of Crime Analysts reports that the demand for Crime Analysts has risen ten-fold in 15 years. Crime and Intelligence Analyst positions depend on the state budget and federal grants, but with the nation’s focus on crime, law enforcement agencies are receiving more funding.

Most crime analysis units consist of an average of two Crime Analysts. However, the number varies with the size and location of the police agency. For instance, the Los Angeles Police Department employs about 27 Crime Analysts. In addition, a large department may assign one Crime Analyst to a particular crime, whereas a smaller department may have one analyst for all crimes committed.

Projected job outlook reflects population growth and continued favorable economic conditions.

Salaries vary with the size and location of police agencies. Crime Analysts and Intelligence Analysts with little or no experience earn $1,900 to $2,500 per month. Those with some experience earn $2,600 to $3,000 per month. Experienced Analysts earn $3,300 to $4,200 per month.

Crime and Intelligence Analysts work a 40-hour week. If there is an emergency requiring additional hours, overtime is paid. Sometimes analysts will work split or graveyard shifts in order to disseminate information to different shifts of patrol officers.

A bachelor’s degree with major courses in Criminal Justice, Psychology, or Sociology is required. However, some police agencies will accept two years of college with a minimum of two years technical experience. Job seekers may be required to complete a certificate program approved by the California Department of Justice for formalized training.

The amount of work experience required depends upon each police agency, however a minimum of one year of experience is required. Some agencies like to see experience dealing with criminal information in a law enforcement atmosphere and others may prefer analytical experience in either a police or a non-police agency environment. Knowledge of law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and Research and statistical methods is desired.

An applicant without related work experience may be required to complete a 400-hour practicum in addition to a degree and a certificate. The practicum is a volunteer service internship with a crime or intelligence analysis unit.

Most Analysts enter their job at a supervisory or management level, but this can vary depending on the police agency. Some agencies rank their Analysts as senior or supervising analysts after so many years of experience.

Job seekers should check:

• Police agency websites
• Police department personnel offices
• Classified ads
• University career centers or libraries