358 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
358 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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May 1990
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ANALYTICAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING
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By
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Marilyn B. Peterson
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Analytical Supervisor
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New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice
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Trenton, New Jersey
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and
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R. Glen Ridgeway
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Director of Training
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New York Organized Crime Task Force
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White Plains, New York
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The ability to analyze is very important in law
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enforcement. Every investigator uses analytical ability on the
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job daily--from the investigation of a single traffic accident to
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the most complex fraud and money laundering schemes. Analytical
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ability is what makes a good investigator.
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This article provides a look at the philosophy, environment,
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and pitfalls of teaching intelligence analysis within law
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enforcement. It explores curricula now available and the need to
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develop more advanced courses. The article also calls for the
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institution of professional standards for intelligence analysts,
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including specific training topics.
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THE FIELD OF INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS
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Investigators have always used analysis while performing
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their jobs, but not with the disciplined procedures that
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characterize a professional analyst. In most investigations,
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which are reactive by nature, analysis is done on a case-by-case
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basis. Yet, a systematic analytical approach requires adherence
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to accepted, fundamental principles and techniques, most of which
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are learned or assimilated over time. The ability to develop a
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structured, systematic approach is the hallmark of an
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intelligence analyst.
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The field of intelligence analysis has grown enormously in
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recent years. As a result, there is increasing focus on complex
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crimes, particularly in the area of drug enforcement, strategy
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development, and the need to analyze varying types of data. Only
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a decade ago, a handful of law enforcement agencies employed
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trained analysts; now, analysts can be found in even small
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departments. Even so, analysis is not so entrenched in the law
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enforcement profession that it is taught to every recruit at the
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police academy. It is, however, offered in nearly every State in
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various training settings.
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The Federal law enforcement community has influenced the
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development of law enforcement intelligence analysis. The
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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement
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Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
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Firearms (ATF) have even created a series of job titles and
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career paths for analysts.
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The FBI National Academy Program offers instruction in
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intelligence analysis to participants during their training at
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the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. ATF encouraged and
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supported the beginnings of the only professional association for
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analysts, the International Association of Law Enforcement
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Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA), which opened its membership in
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1981. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has sponsored
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conferences enabling the various projects to exchange experiences
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and build on each agency's success. Other Federal agencies
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employ analysts, as do State agencies such as the Florida
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Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Illinois State
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Police.
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Federally funded Regional Information Sharing System (RISS)
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projects, which provide support to over 2,000 agencies
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nationwide, also played a significant role in promoting
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intelligence analysis. RISS projects created computerized
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analytical software for specific types of analysis (1) and offered
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these services to its members. Under this system, agencies could
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forward data to the appropriate project. The data was then
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entered, analyzed, and compiled into a finished report.
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Additionally, some RISS projects taught analysis to member agency
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personnel. As a result, line investigators passed on the
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techniques to others.
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Several agencies also developed analytical training in the
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public sector. Many of these agencies are associated with the
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Federal Government or the RISS projects. While most of the
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analytical classes cover basic information, a few advanced
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courses address such areas as computer-aided analysis, complex
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financial case analysis, and strategic analysis.
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The success of intelligence analysis courses suggests that
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there is a market for analytical intelligence training. However,
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the courses offered are basic and reflect little initiative in
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developing alternative models. One reason is that agencies have
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opted to modify the basic training wheel, rather than redesign
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it, mainly because of lack of time and expertise. This means
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that analytical training capabilities remain rudimentary and do
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not advance the science of intelligence analysis in law
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enforcement.
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ANALYSIS IN ACADEMIA
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All colleges and universities offer analytical courses, such
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as statistical, financial and market analysis, and most mandate
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a minimum number of analytical course credits within the degree
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program. However, few colleges offer courses in intelligence
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analysis, and even fewer have courses in law enforcement
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analysis. Even so, the law enforcement analytical courses that
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do exist usually focus on the use of intelligence analysis, not
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on how to analyze. As a result, when law enforcement agencies
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look for analytical candidates, they generally look for people
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with degrees in political or social science and strong research
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skills.
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ANALYTICAL COURSE DEVELOPMENT
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Developing any course curriculum is a time-consuming
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process, and analytical courses are no exception. Minimal
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research material is available, and there are no textbooks to use
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as a basis for course formation. As a result, most instructors
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must begin from ground zero. Therefore, the first step in
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developing a course is to examine the components, i.e,
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definitions, steps, examples, and practical exercises.
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Definitions
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Within the intelligence field, definitions have long been a
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point of contention. Everyone seems to make up definitions to
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suit individual needs, and most of these definitions are not
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written down. While there have been attempts to define key areas
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of analysis, there is rampant disagreement, (2) as can be expected.
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Steps
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When formulating an analysis course, step-by-step
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instruction should be provided. This reduces the procedure to
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its most basic components, increases the likelihood of
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comprehension, and provides a basis for future reference.
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Examples
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Actual samples of analytical products are not only
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impressive but are also informative. Ideally, an intelligence
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analysis course should include fictitious or sanitized examples
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of every method/product taught.
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Practical Exercises
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People learn best by doing. Considering that analytical
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concepts are hard to teach and difficult to learn,
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authentic-appearing case material should be used during course
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instruction. Many practical exercises can translate the concept
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of analysis into the investigator's stock-in-trade solving
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cases.
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PITFALLS OF TEACHING ANALYSIS
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There are four general pitfalls in teaching intelligence
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analysis. They are:
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* Using someone else's material,
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* Being too technical,
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* Not being able to respond to questions, and
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* Creating training programs that are too specialized.
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Each needs to be considered when teaching an analytical
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intelligence course.
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Using Someone Else's Material
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This pitfall is perhaps the most dangerous, since there are
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so few sources that can be used in analytical training. Also,
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developing training modules is difficult and time-consuming; so
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borrowing another's material has become a common practice.
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Yet, using another's course curriculum keeps individual
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experiences from being incorporated into the training, which
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helps to explain ideas and techniques. This also prohibits an
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instructor from truthfully answering the question most often
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asked in the analytical classroom, ``Why did (or didn't) you do
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it that way?'' If the ``it'' referenced is an example or answer
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an instructor did not create, the instructor can either make up
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an answer or admit ignorance. But, too many ``I don't know''
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answers may have negative consequences.
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Being Too Technical
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Because intelligence analysis is a very technical field, it
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is important to explain the subject matter in the simplest terms
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possible. Instructors should speak to the audience as a whole,
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not direct the lecture to one or two technically oriented
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students who may ask questions frequently. It may be necessary
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to cover certain concepts and techniques more than once. What is
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important is that everyone thoroughly understands and comprehends
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the topics covered.
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The presentation should be designed for the audience at
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hand. Investigators are generally the least technical, but most
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practical, while managers and analysts usually have a greater
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tendency to use details and speak abstractly. However, all
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instruction should be as simple as possible. The goal is to have
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the students learn intelligence analysis.
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Responding to Questions
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The nightmare of all instructors is not being able to
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respond adequately to questions. Using original materials helps
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to decrease the likelihood that this nightmare will occur.
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However, an instructor who teaches a course only a few times a
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year can forget to cover certain details. To prevent this,
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materials should be thoroughly reviewed a few days before the
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class begins.
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Specialized Training
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At present, a limited number of advanced analytical courses
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are offered in the United States because there is a limited
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audience for such training, making it not cost effective. For
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the most part, those who take analytical courses are not
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analysts; they are more interested in an overview of the concepts
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and techniques, not in details. In addition, structured courses
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for experienced analysts may only be offered a few times a year.
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Therefore, time spent in course development may never be recouped
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in terms of the number of persons taught, particularly on the
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local or State level.
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The answer might be in forming advanced classes through the
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cooperation of Federal agencies, programs such as RISS, or a
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national consortium of analytical experts. This would allow more
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advanced classes to be available over a wider area and to a
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greater number of participants.
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THE FUTURE
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It is clear that analysis will continue as a necessary
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component of criminal investigation in the future. It is also
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clear that computerization will not take the place of the
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analyst, but instead will create a greater demand for more
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complex analysis. However, if analytical intelligence
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instruction is to reach its potential, there are several areas
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that must be addressed. These include developmental support, the
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training of analytical instructors, the development of new models
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and curricula in computerized analysis, and emerging analytical
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techniques.
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Developmental Support
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There is little support to rely on in the area of analytical
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training development. Articles, chapters, books, or monographs
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depicting practitioners' methods are scarce. A few instructors
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exchange training manuals informally or permit one another to
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borrow teaching modules. Unfortunately, there is no formal
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structure designed to assist in the development of training
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through a professional organization or agency.
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Training Analytical Instructors
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Outside of one private company that trains its own faculty,
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there is no organization that educates analysts on how to become
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analytical instructors. As a result, there are very few
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qualified analysis instructors in the United States generally
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available for teaching in multiagency settings. One solution
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may be to form an intelligence analysis faculty in order to teach
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others to become analytical instructors.
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Developing New Models
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New models for providing analytical training should be
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encouraged. One particular model--definition, how-to steps,
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practical exercises--is effective at the introductory level but
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not at the more advanced level. The case-long practex model,
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developed in the training course ``Advanced Analytical
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Training,'' (3) could be used in various scenarios, such as drugs
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and the infiltration of legitimate businesses. However, other
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models also should be designed.
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Computerized Analysis
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The field of computerized analysis has opened new areas of
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expertise and potential courses. Currently, classes are limited
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to database applications for toll records, event flow, or network
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analysis. Artificial intelligence in which computerized data are
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flagged based on certain elements is a solid tool for targeting
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criminals and helping to predict criminal activity. Agencies
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with such programs in use should develop applicable training
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courses.
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DEVELOPING STANDARDS
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The International Association of Law Enforcement
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Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) has called for institution of
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standards for analysts. In fact, the IALEIA's Standards and
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Accreditation Committee, first formed in Florida, was able to
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have standards adopted there. However, further efforts toward
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standardization have encountered obstacles, mainly because of the
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myriad of position classifications used for analysts. Some
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analysts are sworn police personnel, others are civilian. Some
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perform a quasi-clerical function, while others are
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management-oriented strategic planners.
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Some analysts view their jobs merely as stepping stones to
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investigative work; others look at it as a step toward computer
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software development positions. But few remain analysts for more
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than 3 or 4 years, and few receive advanced training, develop
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training, or write in the field. In short, not all analysts are
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committed to analysis as a profession for the long term. This
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lack of commitment helps explain the lack of advanced analysis
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and standards. It also does little to foster the goal of IALEIA
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to promote high standards of professionalism in analysis.
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CONCLUSION
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This article has detailed the support, or the lack of
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support, for analytical intelligence training. Several agencies
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have, in fact, devoted time and personnel to analysis
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instruction. As a result, hundreds of law enforcement agencies
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have benefited. However, analytical intelligence training needs
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more support.
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Adequate support for the use of analysis within law
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enforcement will only come through the education of managers,
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investigators, prosecutors, and analysts. Unfortunately, a vast
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majority of agencies in the United States still do not realize
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how analysis can help them.
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Analysis is a subject worth exploring, but law enforcement
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will only fully accept it when it becomes a routine part of the
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teaching curricula and standard operating procedures. To achieve
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this, each analyst must help to persuade the law enforcement
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community that professional analysis is necessary and vital to
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law enforcement's mission. Only through standardization and the
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cultivation of dedicated analysts will analysis as a profession
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receive the acclaim it so rightly deserves.
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FOOTNOTES
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(1) There are six RISS projects--the Rocky Mountain
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Information Network, the Western States Information Network, the
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Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, the Regional
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Organized Crime Information Center, and the Middle
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Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network.
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(2) Marilyn Peterson Sommers, ``Law Enforcement Intelligence:
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A New Look,'' International Journal of Intelligence and
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Counterintelligence, vol. 1, No. 1, Fall, 1986.
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(3) ``Advanced Analytical Training'' includes complex cases
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for which teams of analysts were required to do analytical
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products. Areas of instruction include collection plans, fact
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patterns, corporate analysis and event flow analysis.
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