New Analyst 101

New Analyst 101audio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Deborah-Osborne/2009/09/22/New-Analyst-101-Webinar
Tips and Tricks to Guide You

Things You Must Know
Information
Skills
Uniform Crime Report
Jurisdiction Facts
Processes
Subject Matter Facts
Actual Criminals & Crime Groups
Actual Crime Problems
Available Tools &Technology
Available Resources
Analytical Product Options
Gathering & Organizing Relevant Information
Identifying Relevant Patterns
Producing Relevant Work
Networking & Communicating
Prioritizing & Time Management
Relevant Researching

Uniform Crime Reports

Jurisdiction Facts
Size (Square Miles)
Population (Residents and Day Time)
Crime Rate
Economy
Characteristics
Go on ride-alongs!

Processes
Compstat
Community Policing
Problem Oriented Policing
Intelligence Led Policing

Subject Matter Facts
Develop expertise in the area you are assigned (robbery, burglary, jack-of-all-trades, motor cycle gangs, sex offenses, money laundering – whatever)
Expand your expertise once you master the area of your responsibility

Actual Criminals & Crime Groups
Who are your problems?
Debrief officers, analyze data
Who operates in your jurisdiction? What gangs? Organized crime groups? Do traveling criminals visit in fall and spring?
Do you have some problem families – not organized crime per se – but criminal nevertheless?

Actual Crime Problems
Big city problems: shootings, robberies, gangs, commercial burglary, bootlegging
Small town problems: theft from vehicles, vandalism, burglary, traffic
What does your jurisdiction need to focus on? How do you prioritize?

Available Tools & Technology
From simplest to all the bells and whistles… simple is sometimes best
MS Office is your friend
Google maps, Rflow, think low cost
Get training – the tools don’t work by themselves
Automate whenever possible

Available Resources
Search the Internet
Attend conferences
Join Listservers
Hunt for resources!
Ask for help!

Analytical Product Options
We often fall short here – just what is it we are supposed to create?
Your products should pass the “so what?” test
Ask for guidance and advice
Produce and show your agency what you can do – they need to see it – they cannot imagine it
Spell correctly and use good grammar

Gathering & Organizing Relevant Information
Not just police data!
The key here – learn what is relevant
Plan, plan ahead
Use consistent data entry
Do a time study on yourself to reduce time wasters (surfing is fun but…)
Be proactive
Revise as needed – don’t just stick with what you have always done

Identifying Relevant Patterns
You will do a lot of searching and find nothing worth writing about
Relevant means it meets the “so what?” test – can something be done about this pattern?
Once you find a relevant pattern look for more information about it
Keep track of your past work on patterns - some of it will come in handy in the future

Producing Relevant Work
Is anyone using what you produce so far? Have you asked?
Surveys have limits – talk to real people
Don’t be afraid to have new ideas for relevant work – this is a young profession – we need new ideas
Executive summaries are mandatory
The minimum for the most impact
The issue of recommendations

Networking & Communicating
You NEED people
Network with your peers
Network with officers
Network with agencies
Network with academia
Improve your communication skills
Communicate in new ways

Prioritizing & Time Management
Time is of the essence!
What comes first?
The top managers must be satisfied
Danger is a priority
Be proactive during slow times
Use the 80/20 rule

Relevant Researching
Practical is best – this is the real world
The Center for Problem Oriented Policing
The Police Foundation
Your peers
Online libraries and publications
Internet limitations
Pick up the phone
Share

Tips and Tricks
Daily Maintenance
Proactive Searching & Collection
Say NO
Excel Pivot Tables
Excel Formulas, Graphs & Tables
Making Templates & Being Consistent
Find the Workers
Ask for Help
Create a Support System
Creative & Strategic Thinking

Daily Maintenance
Review crimes daily!
Collect data daily and organize it
Clean out email
Develop a system for filing
Create your own databases if needed
Streamline

Proactive Searching & Collection
Look for problems you don’t know about
Systematically check for high-threat problems such as sex crime series indicators, targeting of vulnerable victims, and home invasions
Systematically check for data related to your prioritized problems
Systematically check for other indicators

Say No
You cannot be everything to everyone
Know your limits
Ask for guidance on what you can decline to do
Have a policy of your own
Be polite
Take assertiveness training if you need it

Excel Pivot Tables
Crime analysts love them
Any analyst will love them
Learn how to use them!

Excel Formulas, Tables & Graphs
Formulas simplify your life – can be used to make fields such as day of week, year, month…
Tables can be formatted nicely and pasted into your products
Graphs are as easy AND useful

Making Templates & Being Consistent
Design your product templates
Include appropriate information: Agency, Date, Time, Distribution (LE Only etc), Name, Unit, Contact Info
Don’t change things unless you need to change them – it will confuse your audience
Avoid information clutter – aim for a simple design

Find the Workers
Who makes the most arrests?
Who shares intelligence?
Who asks for your help?
Who gives you good information?
Who wants to teach you?
These individuals are your assets in your organization

Ask for Help
People want to help you
Experts are often accessible
Consider interns
IT help to automate

Create a Support System
A network of analysts
A network of resources
A network of officers
A multi-jurisdictional network
A network of experts

Critical, Creative & Strategic Thinking
Reason and decide effectively
Invent and create effectively
Think ahead and prepare for the future

Adapt
Your agency has its particular challenges
Seek to improve continuously
Don’t get discouraged!

Thank you!
www.analystscorner.com