Intelligence-led Policing
It is no surprise that one of the most effective ways to solve and more importantly prevent crime is though the timely and efficient collection, analysis and dissemination of properly vetted information to law enforcement personnel. While this concept may at first seem simple and intuitive, its success relies on, among other things, a complex set of relationships between the public and law enforcement.
The concept of "Community Oriented Policing", where officers work to build trusted relationships with the residents and businesses of a given community, has been practiced in various forms across the United States for several years. While the police are charged with the responsibility of enforcing laws and dealing directly with those who violate them, the public bears an equally important responsibility in the public safety process for creating and supporting a social and cultural environment that rejects criminality and embraces the properly exercised use of police authority. Key to the success of community oriented policing is the establishment of a trusted system of bi-directional communications so that, wherever possible, public safety issues can be addressed in partnership.
In addition to historically familiar types of criminal behavior, since the events of September 11, 2001 Americans have been forced to accept the fact that transnational terrorism incidents can be successfully carried out in the United States. The investigations of those involved in 9/11 attacks, as well as numerous other investigations by US law enforcement officials in recent years, have shown that there are individuals living in the United States with ties to foreign entities committed to carrying out terrorist attacks on American soil. There are also individuals and groups who espouse the use of violence to further "domestic" political and social agendas. A common characteristic among many of the individuals involved in these groups is a prior history of contact with the criminal justice system.
With the above information as context, consider the potential value of a technologically advanced policing model originally developed in the United Kingdom to combat terrorism that is working its way into the US law enforcement lexicon. "Intelligence-Led Policing" (ILP) incorporates all of the basic principles of community policing, but takes a more sophisticated approach to handling, analyzing and acting on information gathered from the public and other sources. While the derivation of ILP is counterterrorism, its principles have applicability to a broad range of criminal behavior.
It is important to highlight that the use of the term "intelligence" in the context of state and local law enforcement has less to do with the methods of information collection than how the information is used. Under the ILP model, the information collected can only be properly referred to as intelligence once it is combined with data from other sources, and analyzed and given context by experienced professionals. When properly applied, the concept should raise no concerns related to privacy or civil liberties.
Whether related to potential terrorism, gang violence, drug trafficking or a host of other types of criminal behavior, the collection and analysis of disparate pieces of data is valuable when utilized as a potential predictive indicator of future illegal behavior. The identification of multiple incidents with characteristics consistent with known patterns of behavior related to a particular group or type of criminality can assist investigators in identifying the individuals involved and taking appropriate action to prevent further incidents. This concept is particularly powerful when applied on a multi-jurisdictional or regional scale.
The information management process that is often cited in support of ILP is akin to the "Intelligence Cycle" used by the CIA and other intelligence organizations. The following graphic is one representation of the process.
D.M. Rattner & Associates works with law enforcement clients to understand and integrate the use of the intelligence cycle into their operations.
BEginning in the Fall of 2008, Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies will be offering a Graduate Certificate in Intelligence_Led Policing. Click www.spcs.neu.edu/gradcert_ilp/ for details