ABSTRACT
Prior to the attacks of 9/11, most state and local law enforcement agencies did not engage in robust intelligence production. However, when it became clear that prevention of both terrorist and criminal acts requires an intelligence capability that includes the strong protection of civil liberties, authorities developed the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP) in 2003. Based on 28 Code of Federal Regulations 23, the NCISP sets forth guidelines for state and local agencies to use when setting up intelligence units. In addition, law enforcement agencies have developed other methods to apprehend criminals and disrupt unlawful activity. These include:
Crime Mapping: The geographic representation of crime patterns and “hot spots” to understand past criminal events and forecast future ones.
Criminal Investigative Analysis: The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “behavioral profiling” technique that uses characteristics of crime scenes and victims to analyze serial offending.
Geographic Profiling: A technique that analyzes geographic patterns to determine the “home base” of serial offenders.
