Criminal Analyst Training: What Will I Learn?
Crime analysis involves studying data and reports, analyzing statistics to identify trends and patterns, and preparing vital products in a timely manner to enable the prediction, monitoring, and suppression of criminal activities. Often, law enforcement agencies will bring analysts a problem they need solved.
Duties of a Crime Analyst
A crime analyst studies criminal patterns with the aim of predicting the day, time, and place that a crime might or might have occurred. They are able to gather and study criminal data by way of computer databases that they design. Law enforcement may ask an analyst to conduct research on a given criminal behavior to see if there are any leads.
Their work will be focused on various areas including narcotics, money laundering cases, theft and burglaries, violent gangs, prescription drug diversion, and any other criminal cases. They are also responsible for handling noncriminal cases such as traffic accidents, domestic disputes, and disorder calls. A crime analyst may also be required to testify in court if need arises.
Not only do they use their findings to identify criminals, they are also able to target suspects as well. Crime analysts work with the community to decrease the likelihood of future crimes and make the town safer. They use insurance information, receipts, and more to conduct research and create a database of criminal activity. The information must be updated and maintained to ensure effectiveness.
The information recovered can be used to:
- Identify, arrest, prosecute, and convict criminals
- Solve crimes and come up with strategies that would be employed in preventing future crimes
- Enact effective policies and enforce safety measures to improve the quality of life
- Optimize internal operation such as investigations and patrols
- Identify and solve community problems
A crime analyst must be proficient with using computers because they are required to combine statistical data on computer programs to map out probable criminal activities and create visual presentations like graphs, maps, and spreadsheets to show police officers.
Crime Analyst Opportunities
There are several types of data analysts use, including intelligence, tactical, strategic, and administrative.
Intelligence analysts: Also referred to as criminal intelligence analysts, intelligence analysts rely on data, interviews, surveillance, and records to collect critical information on organized crime. The information acquired is then transformed into Intel (or "Intelligence") that they can provide to all the relevant law enforcement personnel.
Tactical analysts: These professionals focus on recent crimes. This involves issues such as determining trends of where, why, and when criminal activities are taking place. This allows investigators and police officers to be deployed in a short period to get hold of the crime spree and terminate it.
Strategic analysts: Involves integration of law enforcement and criminal data with geographic and socio-demographic data. This is done in an effort to understand where, why, and when criminal activities are taking place in relation to the community. Strategic analysis is used in relation to intelligence-guided policing. This plays a crucial role in the prevention and control of crime.
Administrative analysts: The analysts educate law enforcement officers and municipal staff on their criminal findings, including trends, data, and forecasts. The administrative role of crime analysts focuses on research, writing reports and presentations.
Importance of Education in This Field
Whether a crime analyst is experienced or just starting, training is crucial to their effectiveness. A well-trained analyst becomes helps develop a more efficient and professional unit. Formal education is crucial in equipping students with the tools and techniques of the profession. Law enforcement agencies, from small sheriff’s departments to large police departments typically have a crime analysis unit.
Candidates must meet the educational qualifications set forth by the hiring agency. Typically, crime analysts work for law enforcement agencies, police departments, and government divisions like criminal customs and revenue departments.
A bachelor’s degree in intelligence analysis, forensic or natural science, or criminal justice is usually required. Other acceptable majors include statistics, public information, information systems, mathematics, and psychology. In most cases, employers prefer candidates who have completed a degree with a major in crime analysis.
Interested in working with law enforcement to help improve your community? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Crime and Intelligence Analysis, ECPI University offers this degree at an accelerated rate. For more information about this degree program, connect with a knowledgeable admissions advisor today.
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