Roles of Crime and Intelligence Analysis in the Future

Roles of Crime and Intelligence Analysis in the Future

In this paper I will analyze and answer the question of the roles of crime analysis and intelligence analysis in the future of policing and homeland security. Whether or not the Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies are sharing intelligence information on terrorism as well as over all criminal activities between the agencies. There are three levels of law enforcement in the United States as well as the privet security firms that are working for profit that I would like to look at. The us law enforcement is considered one of the most complex law enforcement systems in the world. The US system of law enforcement consist of three levels the federal government, the state government and the local or county law enforcement. With the attacks of 9/11 it is clear that all three levels of law enforcement need to pass information between them but first let me show you just some of the agencies that make up our system and to allow you to see the complexities of sharing needed

"Federal government consists of many different agencies spread throughout the federal government these agencies have a wide range of different enforcements from inspection, regulation and control activities. Three of the more commonly known departments and their sub-agencies are: Department of Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Federal Protective Service, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Includes U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF),Bureau of Prisons, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Transportation, Federal Air Marshals Program (Schmalleger). These are just three departments and some of their sub-agencies and just in our federal government you can see how hard it can be to pass information throughout the different departments. For not all the agencies don't always want to work together they are all out to make Their case. Let alone sharing with state and local law enforcement or privet security. Which has its own agencies and complexities

"The State Government which consist of all sorts of different law enforcement like: Alcohol law enforcement agencies, Fish and wildlife agencies, Highway patrol's, Port authorities, State bureaus of investigation, State park services, State police ,State university police, Weigh station operations, and after these departments come Local law enforcement agencies that consist of: Campus police, City/county agencies, Constables, Coroners or medical examiners, Marine patrol agencies, Municipal police departments, Sheriff's departments, Transit police and Tribal police"(Schmalleger). However there is a part that is little known and it is The last part but not an actual part of the law enforcement field is security we see more and more privet security taking a role in investigations and protection of privet areas as well as some government areas(Cooke& Hahn). As you can see with the little I have listed here there are just too many agencies needing to be informed and a. Commonly, political and jurisdictional divisions among local, state, and federal agencies affected law enforcement investigations. "Agencies ran concurrent investigations without any mechanism or procedures in place to share the information they got"( homeland security). This unfortunately resulted in the keeping it in house of potentially useful information. "There are also some big technology gaps between Federal, state and local agencies making it hard to share information, preventing the production of viable intelligence. Following the terrorist events of 9/11, it became evident that such lack of communication limited the ability of U.S. law enforcement communities to share intelligence"( homeland security).

As a result of the tragic terrorist attacks in on September 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies throughout the country from the Federal government down to the lowest privet security agencies have realized this and that there is an immediate need to refocus many of their investigative and intelligence efforts on terrorism, as well as other crimes. Across the United States, detecting and preventing terrorism has become a law enforcement top priority. Pursuing terrorists cells and gathering as much intelligence data all to thwart further terrorist attacks has shown the government that the agencies give out scarce resources. "That by working alone and relying on each of the different agencies individual budgets, agencies limit their ability to detect and prevent terrorism successfully"( homeland security). "Yet the importance of intelligence and the exchange of information among agencies cannot be dismissed. Proactive intelligence efforts are the key to making it hard on any criminal networks whether those networks are related to terrorism, drugs, or other organized criminal enterprises. For this reason, any information-sharing solution must employ on an all-crimes approach"( Congressional Testimony).

The government recognized the challenges facing the different law enforcement agencies and has propose solutions to the problems involved with the exchange of criminal intelligence. This relies on regional networking and information sharing, ideally through fusion centers. Are the way the government need to go."Fusion centers combine multiple agencies in one location, pooling resources and personnel in order to share information and develop intelligence about criminal activities. Information collected by agencies is collated and analyzed, producing actionable intelligence for dissemination to other law enforcement agencies"( homeland security). An big part of the fusion center concept is developing and disseminating intelligence, and organized response to terrorist and other criminal activity throughout the target jurisdiction,

According to the homeland security page on fusion centers I read. Fusion centers benefit all law enforcement communities by providing agencies with resources, including organized intelligence support. Fusion centers are essential assisting law enforcement with intelligence based policing. placing attention on gathering and sharing information statewide about all criminal activities to reduce crime and produce safer communities. In addition, fusion centers help in the jurisdictions problems by structuring the intelligent gathered and providing real benefits to global information sharing in an environment where it can be difficult even to share information locally. State fusion centers across the United States maximize local knowledge of potential