The events of 9/11 revealed a major problem in the area of law enforcement in the United States. It revealed the lack of coordination between police agencies and the lack of analysis inside the various law enforcement agencies. This article reveals why such analysis was lacking and what steps have been taken to remedy the situation.
¶ … technology has developed at an extraordinary rate. Computers, DNA research, and information technology have enabled the law enforcement industry to greatly expand its ability to use intelligence methods in its effort to combat crime. In this paper an effort will be made to examine how these factors have impacted on law enforcement.
Intelligence and its corollary process, analysis, is a relatively new concept in the law enforcement industry. When originally introduced to law enforcement officials there was a general discomfort with the concept and the operation of intelligence but, over time, as officials began to realize the benefits of intelligence they became much more comfortable with its use.
Intelligence analysis has been instrumental in providing reliable and accurate information in the effort to battle criminal activity. Intelligence has armed law enforcement officials with the necessary evidence and other information that allows them to better understand the capabilities, intentions, operations and organization of criminal activities within the country. Two of the primary areas of criminal activity that intelligence has been used most effectively are drug enforcement and organized crime. Both of these types of criminal activity involve patterned behavior and are not generally impulsive acts so the use of intelligence has proven to be quite effective for law enforcement officials.
Through the increased use of intelligence local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been able to coordinate their efforts in combating crime. Intelligence technology has enabled such agencies to successfully collect, analyze and synthesize information. This has allowed the agencies to share this information and to thereby reduce the cultivation, production, trafficking, and distribution of drugs. It has also allowed police agencies to coordinate information regarding the overall operation of organized crime.
The increased use of intelligence began in the mid-1970s as policing agencies began to slowly adopt greater technical solutions for organizing their information management needs. Information that was once just warehoused in file folders regarding the activities of criminals was gradually collected and synthesized and began to be used to assist police agencies in making decisions regarding law enforcement. Innovators in the field began to provide tactical support for police in the field and as the supporting technology improved so did the level of intelligence use.
The amount of information accumulated by law enforcement agencies, regardless of the level, collect an enormous amount of information. This information is an untapped source for solving many crimes and as a method for preventing other crime. For too many years this information went unused. As former CIA intelligence methodologist Richard J. Heuer noted, "Major intelligence failures are usually caused by failures of analysis, not failures of collection."
Once the law enforcement industry began to recognize the value of the wealth of information at its disposal the intelligence aspect of law enforcement began to develop.
It should be pointed out that intelligence analysis differs from typical crime analysis. Crime analysis is used by the officers on the street in an effort to make decisions on the deployment of officers in an effort to actually fight crime on the street while intelligence analysis is used to support the solving of a particular case. These types of analysis have developed independently of each other but there is a concentrated effort among law enforcement agencies at all levels to coordinate the two types of analysis. This effort has been intensified since the events of 9/11.
One of the prevailing problems encountered in the unification of criminal analysis and intelligence analysis is the fact that specialized nature of intelligence analysis requires police agencies to employ the services of civilians as analysts. Most career law enforcement officers lack the advanced skills required for most intelligence positions and using civilian intelligence analysts also frees up career police personnel to patrol, investigate, and perform other field work. Additionally, the use of civilian intelligence analysts also creates a permanent and experienced body of personnel that lends a measure of consistency to the intelligence process.
As earlier noted, since 9/11 the role of analysis in the intelligence field has received increased attention. The move toward increased use of intelligence in the law enforcement industry had begun before 9/11 but the events of 9/11 brought to the surface the seriousness of the inadequacies in the field of law enforcement intelligence analysis
. It highlighted that intelligence analysis in the United States was lacking in proactive analysis, the hiring of qualified personnel, and the effective use of information technology.
One of the most glaring errors in the way that intelligence was being utilized by law enforcement agencies prior to 9/11 was in the use of preventing and forecasting criminal activity. Intelligence was being used primarily for providing support for existing cases and not in an effort to prevent criminal activity from developing. This has changed dramatically since 9/11. A new emphasis has been placed on this aspect of intelligence analysis but the development of this type of analysis has been slowed by the lack of individuals trained to perform this function. Due to the demand for such individuals, it is anticipated that this will be an employment growth area in the field of criminal justice. As most law enforcement in the United States remains a local responsibility and function, the development of this type of intelligence analysis on the local level will be a slow process with many jurisdictions never being in a position financially to justify the hiring of such personnel. This will require that many jurisdictions will be forced to rely upon regional, state and federal intelligence agencies to provide them with support in this area.
The events of 9/11 revealed to the nation how carefully planned criminal activities can affect the lives of every citizen. In response, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have made a concentrated attempt to increase the use of intelligence in not only solving crimes but also in preventing crime
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