The Basics for Setting Up an Analytical Unit

Introduction 

An analysis is an essential tool that reinforces various agencies in the law. Despite enabling the police department to use the materials effectively, the analysis also facilitates the implementation of valuable mechanisms that aid in the completion of interrogation and prosecution. It enables the police to understand the relevance of the available evidence by analyzing the data in an organized manner (Leong & Sung, 2015). The analysis is based on the strategies that help evaluate the essential resources for the jurisdiction. The analytic helps managers to formulate strategies and prudent precedencies that foster the development of a concise investigation. An analytical unit is complete when it has a relevant mission, objectives, staffing policies, and adequate staff training programs. 

Mission 

The analytic unit has a fundamental mission of availing adequate analysis that supports the specific investigation agency. Therefore, each should work toward the efficient provision of intelligence services and national programs that helps in criminal information management. 

Goals and Objectives 

The analytical unit aims to provide intelligence services that help the department detect any planned criminal activity. The objectives are aimed towards helping in preventing the occurrence of criminal activities in hotspot regions. The department's goal is to help the agencies collect, analyze, and evaluate data in different criminal cases (Dolly & Shawver, 2018). The evaluation of data enables the investigation team and jurisdiction to complete serious crime groups in the country. The analytical unit also has the objective of reinforcing various security strategies and mechanisms in the department to tighten security and meet its mission. 

Roles of Analysis within the Department 

The analysis is vital in the department because it helps in the planning and provision of intelligence services. Furthermore, it assists in the investigation and analysis of crime scenes to produce meaningful information. The analysis also fosters the research of various prudent strategies that helps in the training of personnel. It provides analysts with guidelines during the interrogation and prosecution process, especially when conducting searches and interviews (Piza & Feng, 2017). Besides, it enables the department to organize its surveillance team when in the scene carefully. As a result, the investigative team efficiently collects all the crucial evidence that is essential in prosecution. 

Additionally, the analysis provides information based on past and future trends that enables the department to get insight into the criminal pattern. The results enable the agency to fulfill its future objectives by supporting strategic assessment that provides stakeholders' recommendations. It also enables the jury to identify optional mechanisms after analyzing the resources and needs required to solve the issue (Piza & Feng, 2017). Lastly, it allows other members and managers to select relevant strategies, plans, and policies through in-depth assessment, thus minimizes the cases of confusion within the department. 

Staffing 

An analytic unit comprises various staff members, including the manager, assistants, officers, and analysts. The department usually has one highly qualified manager, 70-80 sworn officers, and close to ten analysts. The manager must have adequate knowledge in analysis to manage the department's daily activities (Weston et al., 2020). The managers are responsible for planning, controlling, and organizing processes, employees, projects, and departments as a whole. He/she also delegate roles to various subordinates according to their capability level. 

Subsequently, analysts should also possess adequate knowledge in the analysis field by displaying enough education and experience achievements. The department must incorporate both the newly grandaunts and highly experienced analysts in their processes. The analysts should indicate specialization in various criminal processes, including financial, crime, and strategic analysis, depending on their education and training background. Nonetheless, all analysts must be computer literate and have adequate research, visualization, judgment, and writing skills to properly perform their duties (Weston et al., 2020). The skills help them to be innovative and also enable them to undertake their duties logically and independently. The analysts help the department in research study and placement of resources that are important during the investigation. They also facilitate the transmission and analysis of data across the department's databases. The data entry function enables the unit to investigate concisely adequately. 

On the other hand, the officers support the country's constitution and the laws of the jurisdiction. The officers have the mandate to enhance the safety of the interrogative team and communities that they serve. Besides, they also help the unit in warrant delivery, incident reporting, and crime detection. They also observe rules and guidelines when investigating criminal activities and apprehending violators during emergencies. 

The analytical unit often uses an annual hiring process that includes the incorporation of college interns. The hiring process facilitates the grading of other staff according to the experience level. While hiring and promoting new staff, the management must review their documents to determine their competencies. A test is should also be provided during the hiring process to validate their achievements. The test covers various primary samples such as evaluating a journal material, sketching a crime investigation process, and drawing simple wok floe steps. The staff that wants promotion may be given complex tests on in-depth criminal procedures that require recommendation and project proposals. Apart from the entry tests, all new staff must undertake logical and psychometric intelligence quotient tests to reinforce their achievements. 

Procedures 

The analytic department should display an organized work procedure that encompasses critical functions such as gathering data, analysis, evaluation, storage, and dissemination processes. The data collection is the initial step, and it should be done legally to improve each piece of evidence's reliability. Therefore, all objective evidence must be gathered as per the states' regulations and laws to enhance validity. The second step entails the analysis of collected data to verify their existence. Thirdly, the data are then evaluated carefully through auditing to ensure that the data is relevant and accurate (Santos, 2016). The fourth step entails data storage which is done in departmental databases. The information is kept on a software basis to eliminate loss of data and also to promote security. Dissemination is the fifth step, and it is done according to the standards set by the federal government and other systems that use the federal funds. The dissemination step applies the use of two basic standards that improve the authorization of all data. Additionally, dissemination should be done imperatively in the entire unit to enhance clarity and consistency. 

The five essential procedures should also incorporate various analytic products that are important to the sworn officers. Each procedure should indicate a transparent feedback system that encourages the transmission of information across the steps. The procedures should be put into the documentation to enables the stakeholders to review them for reference. All the supervisors should have a copy of the document within the analytical unit to enable all department members to access the information. 

Training 

All staff in the analytic unit should undertake various training programs to enhance their experience and competency. Senior investigators and attorneys are responsible for providing training programs to the officer, analysts, and managers. The training team should ensure that all department members, including the sworn officers, analysts, and senior management, participate in the process. The program allows the senior supervisors to request and interpret analytical concepts. Despite allowing the management and investigators to understand data evaluation knowledge, the training also helps them request and interpret analytic projects. The training programs are often directed toward different department functions such as strategic analysis, criminology procedures, investigative methods, and analysis (Guerette et al., 2020). For instance, the analysts should be trained on how to conduct their duties concerning the available information and the action's objective. A typical investigative analysis training usually takes two weeks, and the training focuses on analytic methods such as financial analysis, chart-flow analysis, voice record analysis, inference development, statistical analysis, and frequency analysis. The two-week program also deals with matters concerning association analysis, intelligence process, and sources of information. 

The training program is done with the assistance of specific software tools that are efficient computerized processes. Besides, the programs should be performed in national centers such as police agencies, enforcement training centers, and vendor centers. Few private organizations can also train the analytical unit staff on statistics and the presentation of crime rates on particular incidents over a short duration. The programs enable both analysts and managers to get insight into emerging trends in the criminology field. The training enables both qualified and less experienced analysts to mingle and share their concerns and guidance. Nonetheless, the program enables the analyst to acquire fundamental knowledge concerning the prosecution process, such as data collection methods, investigative protocols, interview techniques, evidence handling procedures, suspects and witnesses handling, and court preparations. 

Furthermore, the training allows all staff to acquire essential skills and sharpen the existing knowledge. It helps all members of the unit to realize better performances and increase the productivity of their services. The training development also helps the analysts to handle their shortcomings and enhance job satisfaction (Guerette et al., 2020). It sharpens the confidence of the officers, especially in areas where they had doubt previously. Besides, it enables the analyst to get insight into another field apart from the regular specialization. For instance, the financial analysis training offered in various internship programs helps the analysts understand basic accounting concepts. Subsequently, health analysis helps members of the unit to understand how to protect themselves from contracting diseases from the crime scene. 

Expected Products 

A review of various procedural documents comes in distinct forms such as tables, logarithms, pie-charts, and graphs. The basics products include proposals, conclusions, suggestions, and summaries of the research. It is fundamental for analytic supervisors to acknowledge the quality standards of the products to ascertain accuracy. Understanding the analytical processes is essential to managers because they provide contexts for the expected products. The steps entail different things, including organization and evaluation of the information, determination, and identification of the missing capabilities essential for completing a thorough analysis (Santos & Taylor, 2014). Various products can come from the process including, crime analysis products: strategic analysis products, and tactical analysis products. 

Crime analysis products are parts of the products that supervisors receive from the day-to-day analysis in the department. The products provide information on types of incidents, regions, and weapons relating to incidents by type, locations, and duration. The management can also obtain the product from criminal news and headlines in printed media that list potential suspects and violators. Also, digital platforms like software databases of the criminal system help in providing information on specific vulnerable locations from the analytical surveys. Subsequently, both historical and current crime rates can provide information on the possible sequence of future attacks, primarily through evaluating both the uniqueness and similarities of such incidents. The product facilitates the prediction of the intensity of any coming attack through summaries and conclusions obtained from charts, biographical information, and activity indicators. Therefore, crime analysis is fundamental in the analytical units because its implementation leads to security enhancement in society. 

Secondly, the strategic analytic products come from evaluating illegal activities and suspects that threaten the nation's security. The jurisdiction analyzes the activities based on the suspects' past activities and the criminal activity's leading influencers. The strategic analysis enables the management to understand the groups that fund terror activities and the location that the criminals reside. Furthermore, the strategic analysis gives insight into the possible threat that might affect the jurisdiction. It also provides recommendations and conclusions that leaders can observe to prevent criminal activities (Santos & Taylor, 2014). The product also provides vulnerability assessments on tourism visits, religious gatherings, and other rallies to promote safety. Besides, the product can also help managers identify local groups that may plan to cause chaos during national rallies or even travel routes in dangerous locations. It also gives predictions on non-local criminal groups and their hotspot target areas. The information helps the supervisors determine action plans that are necessary for law enforcement agencies regarding the dangers that the group can bring to innocent citizens. 

Thirdly, the tactical analysis product is amongst the products that managers receive from distance association analysis, such as pie-charts and biographical summaries on actual figures. The sources give insight into the effect that the analytical unit has on crime activities and the necessary action that the department can take to prevent any organized criminal activity. The supervisors address the issues after analyzing the conclusions and recommendations that impact that structure has on the criminal actions occurring or on the investigative steps that might be taken; conclusions about the organization or linkages that can be drawn; and recommendations for further action, which may include electronic or physical surveillance, undercover operations, informant development, or specific targeting—telephone records and from other sources (Santos & Taylor, 2014). Sound recording can give vital information such as criminal history information and subscribers; there are also written sources that contain raw numbers such as unusual calls that give information on the date and location that a criminal activity happened. The sources help managers to get additional records and requests from electronic surveillance that has footages. Digital surveillance gives conclusions and recommendations that can provide direction on further action. Recommendations help management to know the criminal history on accounts and interviews. The product helps in analyzing the results that can help in uncovering new leads in an investigation. 

In conclusion, the analytical unit is crucial in every police department. Adequate training of the members facilitates competency and enables the staff to achieve the goals and objectives. A robust analytical unit helps prevent criminal activities, especially after implementing recommendations and conclusions from the expected products. Additionally, careful application of the analysis procedure is fundamental because it eliminates confusion and illegal data collection. 

References 

Dolly, C., & Shawver, B. (2018). The organizational and practical considerations of starting a crime analysis unit: A case study of a Midwestern police department. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 12(3), 255-264. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pay005 

Guerette, R. T., Przeszlowski, K., Lee-Silcox, J., & Zgoba, K. M. (2020). Improving policing through better analysis: an empirical assessment of a crime analysis training and enhancement project within an urban police department. Police Practice and Research , 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2020.1861448 

Leong, K., & Sung, A. (2015). A review of Spatio-temporal pattern analysis approaches on crime analysis. International E-Journal of Criminal Science , 9, 1-33. http://glyndwr.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/8255 

Piza, E. L., & Feng, S. Q. (2017). The current and potential role of crime analysts in evaluations of police interventions: Results from a survey of the International Association of Crime Analysts. Police Quarterly , 20(4), 339-366. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611117697056 

Santos, R, B. (2016). Crime analysis with crime mapping . Sage Publications. 

Santos, R, B., & Taylor, B. (2014). The integration of crime analysis into police patrol work. Policing: an international journal of police strategies & management . https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2012-0075 

Weston, C., Bennett-Moses, L., & Sanders, C. (2020). The changing role of the law enforcement analyst: Clarifying core competencies for analysts and supervisors through empirical research. Policing and Society , 30(5), 532-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2018.1564751