This report's objective is to evaluate the intelligence reports provided by the law enforcement intelligence section covering gang and drug activities in the Western District of Big City in the United States. Table 2 contains murder statistics committed on various dates in 2018, murder weapons, gang names, and multiple addresses where the murders occurred. The chart provides no intelligence on the killings but data on the murder and requires a further and detailed examination to qualify as an intelligence report. It could form part of appendices to an intelligence report but not an intelligence report on its own. The new reports provide further details and insights into the nature and operations of drug gangs and thus qualify to constitute intelligence reports and are detailed than the data contained in table 2 but on their own do not contain sufficient information to facilitate an informed decision. They are not speculative since they used investigative reports and databases only that the information provided by the informant requires further verification. However, it is worthy of the information to be noted. The story is missing information on the non-drug-related deaths, and a new investigation on the deaths is necessary. Criminal databases, investigative reports, and court records provide reliable information that is supported by evidence. The mention of the sources is a testament that collaboration was done on both the state and federal databases. The most likely databases used include the FBI information and intelligence databases on organized crimes, especially on drug gangs, robbery, gun trafficking, prostitution, and fraud. The two reports provide crucial information on the groups. Still, the intelligence reports cannot form a basis of the well-articulated decision, and further intelligence should be undertaken to complement the data captured. The primary role of intelligence reports is to provide accurate, sufficient, and credible information to support a decision taken on their basis. The two reports form a strong preliminary base for further analysis and could become critical factors in making operational and strategic decisions. However, they are not adequate to inform tactical choices. The two reports could reliably inform operational decisions such as where to look for further leads and agencies, local, state and federal, that could help gather additional corroborating information on crimes in the Western District of the Big City. Moreover, the reports indicate the crime hot spots and inform decisions on how the local police department could draft policing strategies to counter these crimes. Their reports indicate an international party to these crimes as a weapons supplier, which requires the involvement of federal departments to pursue. The two reports could have provided additional information on the drug gang activities, concluding exhaustive data evaluation and analysis. It would have very important for the reports to draw direct relation of the deaths to the criminal gangs and shed more light on any non-drug related murder, including possible leads to explore. There are indications that the intelligence analyst consulted other intelligence-gathering bodies both at the local level and federal level ("Law enforcement Analytic Standards," 2020) . The second report mentions the various sources of information as court records and other investigative reports and databases, including the database on gangs by the FBI, Bureau of Justice statistics drug and crime facts, and National Data Exchange ("Crime Type;Gangs", 2020) . The report suggests an international drugs and arms syndicate that requires federal agencies such as the FBI since there is mention of a murder victim with West African origin. Another federal organ is the ATF - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms could provide a thorough report on gun forensics. The .9mm caliber are the principal weapons used in the murders and could help determine whether they are used in other crimes not related to the drug trade in the city ("National Firearms Examiners Academy, "2020) . The ballistic experts could use the casings recovered from the crime scenes. Any recovered gun would be an ideal exhibit in connecting the murders to the drug gangs by tracing the gun owners and their location when the crime happened. Intelligence gathered through confidential informants could not be entirely relied upon until it is supported by independently collected information. The reports raise additional questions that need exploring and provide further insight into the crimes in the city. The supplemental issues raised from the reports include whether the local intelligence community maintains a data file for the gang membership, are the reported murders related, or are separate incidents? Why is it that the most common murder weapon is .9mm gun? What could have caused the death of the one-year-old? Is it drug-related? How and what is the connection between the local drug gangs and international drug trafficking syndicates? How are the crime gangs organized? Who are their leaders? Intelligence from sources such as FBI and ATF are valid and credible as well as the various databases from courts. They could be reliably used as the basis of decisions, tactical and operational crime-fighting choices in the city. Other sources, such as the surveillance videos and listening devices, are corroborative and cannot be valid independently. The analyst combined facts and information on the gang's activities in the reports and summarized them into two short reports without a distinction between events and general information on the crimes. A complete description would enable me as the Commander of the Western District in Big city to make informed decisions on how to combat organized crime in the city. I could order an investigation into the operations of the TTC clothing stores to establish a link on arms and drug dealings. The intelligence collection was done in a legal manner and with an understanding of the ethical and civil and privacy issues that have to be considered by intelligence officers. It is also necessary to make sure that the information collected by the defendant seeking a favorable plea was aware and decided without coercion for the evidence to be legitimate. Placing of cameras and listening devices in a public park raises questions about the validity of the information gathered due to invasion of privacy to members of the public ("A guide to protecting communities and preserving civil liberties," 2020). Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the necessary warrants were obtained before the equipment's placement. The two new reports are an improvement from the information presented in a tabular format with no intelligence. Though the latest release contains additional and analysed data from the previous report, there is a need to develop them and indicate how the information was collected and specify the exact sources and databases used to corroborate the intelligence and connect it with the conclusions drawn on the reports. I advise the intelligence section to continue with gathering intelligence on the drug gangs in the city. They should also deepen cooperation with other agencies that provide expert advice on the organized crime, drug and arms trafficking that will help the separate team facts give a stronger foundation for any conclusions drawn from the reports. And until that is done, the reports cannot be used in their current form to inform any tactical decision. Besides, the report should capture more information on the gang’s activities, structure, and organization that could help in targeted intelligence that could help unravel the murders and how weapons are obtained or imported into the country. The provided results lay a good foundation upon which the intelligence section can explore ways to collaborate and corroborate. For instance, identifying targets, undertaking an interview with individual suspects, and forming a task force to this effect is an example of how operational decisions are made. The intelligence-gathering team acquired the evidence through a variety of ways, for instance, though the FBI and ATF databases, through an informant and also a video and voice recorder in public places. All the procedures were followed to ensure the intelligence collection activities are within the law. I have emphasized to the intelligence team the necessity of conducting a thorough information analysis and noting case facts with strong backing from the data. That is why I have asked the section to improve the report to compile evidence-based intelligence that prompts sound tactical decisions from your office. Therefore, the reports set the trend leading to new search areas and questions to explore, to facilitate further intelligence gathering and reliable conclusions. The intelligence section has done great work to obtain pertinent information on the crime in the Big City. However, the reports need to provide more details and well-articulated and analyzed data to help your office formulate tactical decisions to fight the menace in the city.
References
A guide to protecting communities and preserving civil liberties . Law.berkeley.edu. (2020).
Retrieved 6 July 2020, from https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/Video_surveillance_guidelines.pdf
Crime Type; Gangs . Bjs.gov. (2020). Retrieved 6 July 2020, from https://www.bjs.gov/ .
Law enforcement Analytic Standards . It.ojp.gov. (2020). Retrieved 6 July 2020, from
https://www.it.ojp.gov/documents/d/Law%20Enforcement%20Analytic%20Standards%2004202_combined_compliant.pdf .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
National Firearms Examiners Academy | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives .
Atf.gov. (2020). Retrieved 6 July 2020, from https://www.atf.gov/laboratories/national-firearms-examiners-academy .
