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Crime Analysis

By studying and tracking crime, a crime analyst can predict when and where the next offense could happen. These tools can be used in crime prevention. Crime Analysis supports a number of department functions including Patrol, Special Operations and Tactical Units, Investigations, Planning and Research, Crime Prevention, and Administrative Services (budgeting and program planning).

A Crime Analyst

  • Studies crime and profiles suspects
  • Analyzes crime data to forecast the day, time, and place a crime is likely to occur and to keep it from happening
  • Shares crime patterns with detectives and patrol officers

The three types of Crime Analysis are:

  • Tactical
  • Strategic
  • Administrative

A Crime Analyst studies the crime data daily through police reports. After pulling the data, the 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 such as method, description of suspect, and the type of weapon used
  • Share information to patrol officers and to detectives to provide leads and prevent crime

Strategic crime analysis is used to:

  • Decide where police presence needs to be increased or decreased

Administrative crime analysis is used to:

  • Provide special reports to the Police Chief that interpret crime statistics categorized by geographical and/or economic conditions
  • Inform officers of crime statistics and patterns
  • Justify the number of officers at an agency or request more officers
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