PRISM program and classified intelligence collection methods

¶ … gathering and using knowledge as a basis for making decisions in formal settings is an old one. If one is to gain advantage over their rivals, it is essential to gather updated knowledge that is also accurate with regard to what they intend to do and their capabilities. The principle applies across a wide range of fields including military strategies, politics, criminal intelligence circles and business. Further, it is a continually evolving process. It has been changing in response to socio-cultural factors, higher advanced analytical skill requirements, organizational demands, and even technology. Review of the roots of intelligence and the analytical procedures as a pre-occupation and profession is a consultative activity. Such analysis of the background of intelligence processes helps us to understand the past, the present and help anticipate the future. We also learn, in the process, that intelligence gathering is an ever evolving field. Consequently, if the practice is to remain relevant and helpful, there is a need to constantly adapt to the changes and times in practice and technology. There is an ever demanding need to keep it flexible. Indeed, the ever constant challenge for the professional intelligence expert is that no two projects can ever be identical. New assignments need new methods to decipher (UN, 2011).

Law enforcers realize that the world is full of information, with more being added to it constantly. There is plenty of data with regard to criminals and criminal activity. The challenge that such law enforcers face is how they can collate the data to develop a body of information to aid decision-making, bolster the strategies they apply, combat crime and increase the benefits of preventing crime. The central objective is, therefore, to transform the data into actionable information. Unfortunately, many a times, the abundance of data has not been an indicator of improved or increase in knowledge.

Information handling processes in policing institutions are still archaic. They are definitely not largely designed for modern new millennium intelligence needs. Indeed, it is commonplace to encounter ideas regarding the management of intelligence information and its dissemination dating back to the 70s. These ideas are still present and common in the minds of many policing officials across various levels. Intelligence-driven policing is both a business model and a management philosophy in which the analysis of data and the prevention of crime are both -- core to an objective and the general decision-making regime; it helps in reduction of crime and prevention, and disruption via strategic management approaches and enforcement techniques that focus on notorious offenders. Criminal intelligence, in its current form is a useful tool that can provide police chiefs with a caption of crime games and criminal behavior patterns and trends. Analysis of crime provides police officers with an in-depth view of patterns of crime. If those charged with the role to prevent crime and protect communities from criminal attacks are not well-versed with intelligence information and progressive techniques, they will not provide security effectively. This is because they will lack the essential ingredients for effective planning and strategizing (Ratcliffe, 2007).

In the process of collecting signals intelligence, i.e. SIGINT, in its bid to protect the nation as provided for by the law, as a vital arm of the CIA (denoted as the agency here) has a commitment to protect everyone irrespective of their nationality. This regulation provides a guideline as to how the CIA runs SIGINT operations and encodes a lot of existing practices that had not been brought to the fore in a comprehensive issuance regulation into formal policy. When compliance issues of significance arise with regard to personal information of any individual; irrespective of their nationality, and gathered as an outcome of the activities of SIGINT, it must be reported directly and promptly to Private and Liberties Officer, also denoted as PCLO, who decides the corrective actions that can be undertaken (CIA, n.d.).

Social, Economic, and/or Legal Implications

The point at which intelligence and criminal law meet, is a subtle, yet very significant meeting point. Such convergence can lead to huge realizations in the field of security and crime prevention. Indeed, there is also the likelihood of monumental clashes between the two. Two major efforts by the U.S. government often collide and lead to a standstill in scary stances (Manget, 2006).

The bodies charged with managing the two agencies and the people involved often encounter inconsistencies between the roles of the two security bodies. This has been the case for a long time. The U.S. attorneys and the department of Justice -- Criminal Division seem helpless. For example, the focus of the judicial system is to remove the innocent and subject the guilty to justice. The prosecution, on one hand, reviews past events while the trial passes a judgement on each case by merit. The accused persons are entitled to protection and due process of the law as provided by the constitution. Suspects are presumed innocent until the process of the law finds them otherwise. The most significant use of information for prosecution purpose is the evidence adduced to support the position of the government in a case. Openness and transparency is a core intention in the criminal justice processes. Defendants are entitled are privy to the details of the government's case (Manget, 2006).

Intellectual endowment of a criminal might constitute sufficient motivation to engage in anti-social behaviour. There have been efforts to pre-empt the propensity to crime by studying the intelligence of delinquents. This was especially interesting since there have been no studies that explore such dynamics. The outcome of the literature revealed little correlation between crime and intelligence. There were only speculative indications of the possibility of feeble mind's inclination to crime. Otherwise there was nothing reliable or precise (Erickson, 1929).

The Relation to the Saint Leo core values of integrity and excellence

In order to fulfill its mission, the university fraternity provides a student centered surrounding that promotes the yearning to learn and makes it the central agenda. Community members are expected to observe and show their values in expression and embrace a cooperative culture in which everyone listens to views of others with respect and serving the surrounding community and open for others to participate and share lives, including caring for all (SLU, n.d.).

Excellence

Saint Leo University functions as an educational enterprise. Thus all members of the university fraternity are engaged in constant collective effort to make sure that all students internalise skills, develop the character and acquire knowledge and skills that are necessary to make them responsible and moral leaders. The success of the university is pegged on conscientious commitment to the core mission, goals and vision (SLU, n.d.).

Integrity

Saint Leo University commits to excellence. Therefore, it is expected that all members of the university community live up to and deliver on that commitment. The whole faculty staff and students undertake and pledge honesty, justice in their actions and word (SLU, n.d.).

In the process of crafting intelligence and law enforcement agencies in future, the designers of such outfits should take into consideration the history and lessons learnt from such outfits. The design that provides for division of power and authority has been effective in mitigating abuse. However, there have been instances of failure. It seems that the fundamental differentials between the criminal legal systems and intelligence will stick around for a good while. While radical surgery may be an item some decision-makers may consider applying, it is apparent that exploring boundary links may be the best option if good results are to be extracted from the structure. Indeed, the U.S. government already has MI-5 in place. It comes with all required authority. It also has the necessary human resource and the capability, i.e. FBI. The secret behind the desired adjustment here is to have a segment of the unit split to handle other matters apart from the tradition prosecution support. Intelligence data that has no use in such a system as far as their core mandate of prosecuting is concerned is likely to be lost. Consequently, such intelligence that may be helpful in other respects is not utilised. In the past, owing to such a situation and dilemma as outlined in the discussion on the mandate of the FBI and the loss of non-evidentiary intelligence, the U.S. government was frequently confronted with what was popularly called grey mail. This denotes a situation in which a suspect will divulge incriminating evidence or such information that will compromise the security of the nation or its interests. If the law requires that the defendant be accorded classified information, the authorities must quickly determine what to provide, and estimate the likely extent of the damage (Manget, 2006).