Book Review: Crime and Intelligence Analysis
Crime and Intelligence Analysis. By Glenn Grana and James Windell. CRC Press; crcpress.com; 377 pages; $74.95.
The integration of technology and law enforcement is driving the way policing is conducted via the collection and analysis of crime data, the review of government records, and the availability of publicly accessable information. One result of that trend is that civilian crime analysts may be employed in partnership with police investigators and patrol officers to provide actionable information for tactical support in real time, for example, in investigating criminal threats and allocating police patrols to address hot spots or crime patterns. Intelligence-led policing—the collection and dissemination of data, information, and assessments—is explored in the book Crime and Intelligence Analysis: An Integrated Real-Time Approach.
The authors examine the historical context for intelligence-led policing and the evolution of how data is collected and interpreted in relationship to crime theories. According to the authors, the crime analyst’s work is best performed when crime theories help understand an offender’s motivation and when a pattern of behavior can be identified. There are three theories that meet these criteria: rational choice theory, routine activities theory, and criminal personality theory.
The crime analyst has an important role in the development of actionable information for tactical situations, in the decision-making process for the strategic deployment of resources, and for the content of administrative crime analysis reports.
This book is well written and is not only a resource for a classroom; it is an excellent resource for experienced security and law enforcement professionals who will find its content relevant to current criminal justice issues.
Reviewer: George Okaty, CPP, is a security management consultant in Virginia. He is an experienced trainer and was an adjunct instructor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is a past member of the ASIS School Safety and Security Council.
