Reply to post 1 & 2 with 250 words each

Post 1

1.  What is the benefit of accurate report writing in law enforcement intelligence operations insofar as having an influence in operational decisions.
 

Providing accurate reports for operational decisions is important when dealing with intelligence led policing.  Because the reports of information are given to analysts to turn into intelligence products, they need to maintain accurate information.  The information from reports can be entered into systems like the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, which can later be referenced for information on different issues and cases.  The reports that are used are then compiled to give a “big picture” look of something, which will then allow supervisors to generate operational decisions on how to police an area (Moreto, 2015).
 

2.  What intelligence value is gained by a police department that provides street officers with training in collecting and documenting information they receive on the streets while working their assigned sectors or beats?
 

Providing street units with training on how to properly collect information and write reports is incredibly helpful and important to analysts for accuracy and content.  Accuracy is important as if the information is improperly written, the analyst could potentially have an issue in turning the information into an intelligence report.  Without the proper details, the content of the product could potentially be incorrect and cause incorrect crime information going to other officers or misinformation in court (DOJ, 2012, pg 19).
 

3.  In a perfect world of information sharing, can law enforcement prevent or reduce crime using actionable intelligence?  Actionable intelligence is “intelligence that can be acted upon” at the tactical level.    
 

In intelligence led policing, actionable intelligence could help the tactical levels of law enforcement.  With the use of different forms of policing, the intelligence provided to the law enforcement community can help with combating different types of crimes, all the way up to transnational organized crime.  In a perfect world, the intelligence that is shared among the community can theoretically help with deterring and stopping crime at the tactical level if the information was more open to the individuals with the need-to-know, therefore giving them information that has previously been collected by other agencies.  The information or intelligence that is shared could prevent the need to recollect and analyze, reducing the amount of time in an investigation, as well as saving money because the information has previously been assessed and published into a product (Moreto, 2015).

Post 2

1.  What is the benefit of accurate report writing in law enforcement intelligence operations insofar as having an influence in operational decisions?

According to Petersen (2005), one area where intelligence is crucial is in decision making. If decision makers in a department must make decisions that affect policing at the operational level, then it is imperative for analysts to write accurate reports. Not only do they have to be accurate, but timely and relevant (DOJ, 2012). To realize the benefits in accurate reporting, we must recognize the negative aspects of inaccurate reports and also acknowledge the intelligence cycle. The chain of accuracy extends earlier in the intelligence cycle than just the analysis and production step. The intelligence products an analyst creates is only as accurate as information they receive (DOJ, 2012). If data is not accurate during collection, and not vetted during processing and analysis, then reports would be of little to no value for a Police Chief or other decision maker. Since the operational and strategic levels of decision making affect a broader scope of policing, then policing efforts in may not be effective as they could be. The benefit of accurate reporting concerning decision making is that the folks in charge have the best understanding and are empowered to make informed decisions.

2.  What intelligence value is gained by a police department that provides street officers with training in collecting and documenting information they receive on the streets while working their assigned sectors or beats?

When I think about this question, I think back to my earlier days in Afghanistan. We were not really trained properly in tactical questioning or how to properly conduct Sensitive Site Exploitations (SSE). A lot of lessons learned from the deployment revolved around Soldiers as sensors and how to conduct targeted SSEs. By the time we started operations in Iraq, we were proficient in both areas. The information we were able to gather and the SSEs we performed really provided intelligence that enabled us to systematically dismantle terrorist networks. The same principles can apply with policing. If police officers are trained to gather specific information and document things a certain way, the analyst will be more effective and the intelligence products they create will be timely and relevant; they will not waste time sorting through unnecessary information during processing. It requires a team effort. Analysts, supervisors, and street-level police officers must all be synchronized in the planning and collection steps of the intelligence cycle.

3.  In a perfect world of information sharing, can law enforcement prevent or reduce crime using actionable intelligence?  Actionable intelligence is “intelligence that can be acted upon” at the tactical level.  

The short answer is yes. Police officers can prevent and reduce crime using actionable intelligence. To my understanding, actionable intelligence is mainly used at the tactical-level. We have seen many cases of actionable intel at work. There are many cases where actionable intelligence has resulted in a crime being prevented. An example of actionable intelligence is when an all points bulletin (APB) or a be on the lookout (BOLO) list is put out for specific personnel or vehicle. The personnel or vehicle may be involved in drug activity, robbery or possible kidnapping. An example of when it might be used to reduce crime might concern a lead on where certain gang activity is reported to occur in the future. Allocating police officers in patrolling that area can deter criminal activity from occurring. In this case, actionable intel was used to reduce crime in an area of gang activity. A lot of where I see the value of actionable intelligence is with crimes in progress.