Intelligence-Led Policing

For more than three decades, BJA has supported state and local law enforcement criminal intelligence initiatives. Beginning in 1974 with establishment of the first Regional Information Sharing System (RISS) project and continuing today with DOJ's Global initiative, the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan, and the Targeting Violent Crime Initiative (TVCI), BJA provides funding, training, and technical assistance in this critical area.

Also during this time, policing in America was reshaped by the theories of problem-solving policing (Herman Goldstein, 1979), Broken Windows (George Kelling and James Wilson, 1982), and CompStat (William Bratton and Jack Maple, 1993). These theories became powerful change agents for law enforcement agencies interested in providing effective, quality police services and are widely credited for reducing crime throughout America. They are firmly established in lexicon of law enforcement.

Crime and criminal behavior also changed over the past three decades. The threat of terror is immediate and persistent. Globalization, propelled by advances in technology and transportation, has made the world smaller for criminals and larger for state and local law enforcement. Today, time and distance no longer impede criminal activity; the traditional, reactive model of policing is ill-equipped to face the new realities. Enter intelligence-led policing (ILP).

ILP, while a relatively new concept in the United States, was an outcome of British efforts during the late 1990s to manage law enforcement resources efficiently and to respond effectively to serious crime. In 2000, the National Criminal Intelligence Service published the National Intelligence Model (NIM) that established the following priorities for British police service (NCIS 2000):

• Target prolific offenders through overt and covert means.
• Manage crime and disorder hotspots.
• Identify and investigate linked series of crime or incidents.
• Apply prevention measures that include working with a broad range of other disciplines.

It is important to note that the NIM priorities were grounded in experience and solid research. Several authoritative longitudinal projects, in America and the United Kingdom, have convincingly demonstrated that a small minority of offenders commit a majority of crimes. It is well known that crime reports and service calls often cluster predominately at specific locations or narrow, easily-defined areas. While demonstrating that random patrol and rapid response does not measurably reduce crime, research has shown that violent crime and neighborhood disorder can be reduced by focused, multiagency efforts in which law enforcement plays an important, if not exclusive role. (See Related Publications/Web Sites section.)

In the United States, the ILP discussion is not without differing points of view. For example, in some quarters, the terms data-driven or information-led are preferred. Others primarily view ILP as a terror prevention initiative and while ILP means different things to different people, there appears to be some basic agreement regarding its place in the evolution of American policing.

ILP does not replace the concepts of problem-solving policing of Goldstein, or the community involvement and neighborhood maintenance theories of Kelling and Wilson, nor the police accountability and information sharing practices of Bratton and Maple. It builds on these concepts to keep pace with changes in society, technology, and criminal behavior. Incorporating research findings and advances in information and communication technology, ILP encourages greater use of criminal intelligence, attends to offenders more than offenses, and offers a more targeted, forward-thinking, multijurisdictional and prevention point of view to the business of policing.

As such, successful adoption of ILP will generally involve the following practices:

• Information collection is part of the organizational culture—led by the chief executive, supervisors, and managers encourage line officers and investigators to regularly collect and forward intelligence.

• Analysis is indispensable to tactical and strategic planning—record management systems are robust, analysts are well-trained and equipped, actionable intelligence products are regularly produced to inform both tactical and strategic decisions.

• Enforcement tactics are focused, prioritized by community harm assessments and prevention-oriented; operations are mounted against repeat or violent offenders; serious organized (gang, trafficking, etc.) groups are identified and dismantled; traffic violations are enforced at dangerous intersections or roadways.

• Problem-solving principles, community norms, and neighborhood expectations of police service, and resources from other government, private, and faith-based organizations are regularly incorporated into law enforcement interventions.

• Privacy is preserved and protected by practices and policies that are consistent with the ideals of a democratic society.

BJA ILP-related services, training, demonstration, and technical assistance activities include:

• Through the U.S. Department of Justice Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global), BJA offers guidance on a wide range of information sharing policy issues. The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan and the Privacy Policy Development Guide are two examples of Global's work that directly support the ILP approach. These documents and others are available at www.it.ojp.gov/global.

• To help law enforcement agencies comply with 28 CFR Part 23, Guidelines for Operating Criminal Intelligence Systems, BJA makes no-cost training and technical assistance available. See BJA's Menu of Training Opportunities for more information regarding this training.

• In addition, BJA recently awarded nearly $74 million to 103 agencies interested in applying intelligence-led policing to violent crime in their communities. The TVCI is designed to create immediate support for jurisdictions suffering increases in violent crime while encouraging adaptation of intelligence-led policing. TVCI results will be reviewed for promising practices for future BJA publications. For more information about TVCI activity, visit www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/tvc.html.

• BJA will continue to support the six Regional Information Sharing System (RISS) projects. The RISS projects provide law enforcement with a crucial, secure venue for intelligence sharing as well as a wide range of training, technical assistance, and equipment activities.

• BJA will also continue to provide terrorism prevention training and technical assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies through its State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) Program. Services under this program range from individualized briefings to 4-day intelligence/investigation courses.

• Technology standards, such as the Global Justice XML Data Model, National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), Justice Reference Architecture (JRA), and CAD/RMS Functional Specifications, provide a common vocabulary and framework for the justice system to share information over a variety of programs. For more information on BJA's information technology initiatives, visit www.it.ojp.gov.

• In accordance with the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan and the National Strategy for Information Sharing, BJA, in partnership with DOJ's Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association, has developed recommendations to be used by law enforcement agencies to improve the process of identifying, documenting, and analyzing of suspicious activity reports (SAR) and the sharing of that information with designated fusion centers.

• The National Criminal Intelligence Resource Center (NCIRC) web site contains information regarding law enforcement intelligence operations and practices and provides criminal justice professionals with a centralized resource information bank to access a multitude of criminal intelligence resources. NCIRC is a secure Web site meant to serve as a "one-stop shop" for local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement communities to keep up with the latest developments in the field of criminal intelligence

Related Publications/Web Sites
Intelligence-Led Policing: The New Intelligence Architecture

Information Technology Initiatives

Wolfgang, M.E., Figlio, R.M., and Sellin, T. (1972) Delinquency in a Birth Cohort (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)

Sherman, L.W., Gottfredson, D., MacKenzie, D., Eck, J., Reuter, P., and Bushway, S. (1998) Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising. (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice)

Kennedy, D., Braga, A., Piehl, A. (2001) Reducing Gun Violence: The Boston Gun Project's Operation Ceasefire. (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice)

McGarrell, E., Chermak, S., Weiss, A. (2002) Reducing Gun Violence: Evaluation of the Indianapolis Police Department's Directed Patrol Project. (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice)

Ratcliffe, J. (2008) Intelligence-Led Policing (Devon, UK: Willan Publishing)

Carter, D. (2004) Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies. (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services)

Law Enforcement Intelligence (Pocket Guide). Contact the Institute for Intergovernmental Research at 850-385-0600.

Clarke, R., Eck J. (2005) Crime Analysis for Problem Solvers. (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services)

Practice Advice: Introduction to Intelligence-Led Policing (2007) (Bedfordshire, UK: National Centre for Policing Excellence)

Global Intelligence Sharing Group (2005) The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan. (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Assistance)

Goldstein, H. (1979) Problem Oriented Policing (New York: McGraw-Hill)

Moore, M.H. (2003) "Sizing up CompStat" in Criminology & Public Policy, Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 469-494. (Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University)

Kelling, G.K , Wilson, J.Q. (March 1982) "Broken Windows" in The Atlantic Monthly , (Washington, DC: The Atlantic Monthly Group)