Reducing Crime Through Intelligence-Led Policing - Bureau of Justice Programs - Bog

Through the Targeting Violent Crime Initiative, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, has identified numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the United States that have experienced tremendous success in combating complex crime problems plaguing their communities. A cornerstone of these agencies' efforts appears to be the incorporation of intelligence-led policing, along with other initiatives, to address their crime problems. To better understand the role of ILP in these successes, BJA requested a study of selected programs that represent a broad spectrum of agencies that are geographically diverse and varied in agency size and available resources. The purpose of the study was to identify commonalities, challenges, and best practices that may be replicated in other jurisdictions. The study was composed of case studies of selected agencies and involved delving into the nature and scope of the crime problems targeted, examining institutional changes made to address those crime problems, and identifying ongoing or newly implemented complementary efforts. Many, but not all, agencies selected for the study were grantees of the BJA Targeting Violent Crime Initiative. A protocol was developed to collect program information, and a team visited ten agencies to review data and policies and conduct interviews. Although the agencies exhibited differing operational practices and organizational styles, it quickly became apparent that they shared certain commonalities that were critical to their success. These include: Command commitment; Problem clarity; Active collaboration; Effective intelligence; Information sharing; Clearly defined goals; Results-oriented tactics and strategies; Holistic investigations; Officer accountability; Continuous assessment. The case studies in this report validate the fact that implementing ILP substantially enhanced the ability of these high-performing agencies to achieve success. ILP was implemented in varying degrees within these agencies and was often complemented by other policing practices, such as community policing, problem solving, and CompStat based on robust data collection and analysis. The success of these programs also reflects BJA's principles of: Emphasizing local control; Building relationships in the field; Developing collaborations and partnerships; Promoting capacity building through planning; Encouraging innovation. Sharing these successes in a publication such as this reflects BJA's commitment to communicating the value of justice efforts to decision makers at every level. The purpose of this paper is to report on new experimentation with intelligence-led policing (ILP) to arenas of crime and disorder and beyond terrorism. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, through a competitive grant program, sought ideas for innovative methods to deal with violent crime through the use of ILP. This report describes some of these initiatives that had demonstrable successes.