NEW ANALYST 101

AUDIO 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