Adv Crim Intel

Crime Problem

The sociological and criminal issue concerning the reasons and causes of crime in society.

Parkland school shooting

A mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

Homicide rate

The number of homicides per 100,000 people in a particular area.

Crime Analysis

The study of crime patterns and trends to develop effective crime prevention strategies.

Intelligence Analysis

The process of collecting, evaluating, and analyzing data to provide actionable insights.

SARA model

A problem-solving model in policing that stands for Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment.

Classical criminology

A theory of crime that suggests individuals make rational choices and weigh the benefits and consequences of their actions.

Positivist school

A school of thought in criminology that emphasizes the role of social, biological, and psychological factors in determining behavior.

Victimology

The study of victims and the patterns of how they become victims.

Real-time crime center

A location where tactical crime analysts work, equipped with computers and extensive databases to access and analyze intelligence for on-the-spot information for police in the field.

CompStat

An in-house performance management system, officially adopted by the NYPD in 1994, that uses statistical data and GIS technology to hold upper management accountable for crime reduction in their areas of patrol.

Criminal personality theory

A theory suggesting that a criminal's behavior is influenced by distinct thought patterns and personality traits, independent of environment.

Abuse of discretion

A legal term that describes an action taken by a judge or court that is unreasonable or arbitrary.

Exclusionary rule

A legal principle that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in court.

Miranda rights

The rights that must be read to a suspect before interrogation, informing them of their right to an attorney and against self-incrimination.

Modus operandi (MO)

The method of operating or a consistent pattern of behavior used by a criminal, serving as a comfort zone for committing crimes.

Tactical crime analyst

A trained analyst whose job is to continuously evaluate and analyze crime and criminal events to provide practical intelligence to police officers, command, or the public.

Community policing

A strategy that focuses on building relationships and collaborating with community members to reduce crime.

Hotspot policing

A strategy that focuses on concentrating policing efforts in areas with high crime rates.

Social media intelligence

The analysis of social media platforms for criminal activity, trends, and gathering information.

Unreported Violent Crime Statistics

Approximately 60% of violent crimes in the U.S. go unreported, per the USDOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Unreported Property Crime Statistics

Approximately 70% of property crimes in the U.S. go unreported, per the USDOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Tactical Crime Analysis (Type)

A type of crime analysis focused on examining crime trends and events to provide useful intelligence to law enforcement, often addressing immediate patterns.

Strategic (Problem) Crime Analysis (Type)

A type of crime analysis that researches long-term crime problems to develop prevention and intervention strategies.

Administrative Crime Analysis (Type)

A type of crime analysis used to provide general crime information and statistics to police command, public, and government.

Operational Crime Analysis (Type)

A type of crime analysis conducted at county and local levels to support daily police operations.

Criminal Intelligence Analysis (Type)

A type of analysis used to identify and map criminal networks such as mafias, gangs, drug networks, and financial networks at county, state, and federal levels.

Criminal Investigative Analysis (Type)

A type of analysis focused on profiling offenders involved in serial crimes like rape, homicide, and arson, primarily conducted at the federal level.

Cesare Beccaria's Theory of Crime

A theory suggesting that people are rational and make choices that bring them pleasure while avoiding actions that cause pain; the foundation of classical criminology.

Intelligence (Analyst Context)

The data available to, collected by, or disseminated through the tactical crime analyst to aid law enforcement.

Enhanced 911

A 911 phone system that provides operators with automatic access to the caller's name, address, and phone number.

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Program

An FBI-managed program that collects, organizes, and disseminates crime information voluntarily submitted by over 18,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

UCR Violent Crime Offenses

Four specific offenses reported under UCR as violent crimes: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

UCR Property Crime Offenses

Offenses reported under UCR as property crimes: burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft, which involve taking money or property without force or threat of force.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

An annual self-report survey conducted since 1972 that asks interviewed persons about their victimization experiences during the prior six months.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

An improved crime data collection program developed in 1985 to enhance the quality of information in the UCR program.

Self-Report Studies (Crime Data)

Surveys that collect information directly from individuals about their own law violations and criminal acts, providing more detail about offenders but subject to exaggeration.

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)

A data collection and storage system primarily used to manage the volume of calls for service and auto-assign units, lacking analytical capabilities.

Records Management System (RMS)

A comprehensive data collection and storage system used by law enforcement for crime reports, arrest reports, field interview forms, accident reports, and evidence tracking.

Geographic Data System (GIS)

A system within law enforcement databases used to display and analyze crime patterns spatially, often for hotspot analysis.

Positivism (Criminology Detail)

A school of thought in criminology viewing human behavior, including criminal behavior, as shaped by a combination of internal and external influences such as biology, psychology, and social factors.

Cesare Lombroso's "Born Criminals" Theory

An early positivist theory suggesting that criminals possessed distinctive biological attributes, such as specific body measurements and skull sizes, indicating they were "born criminals."

Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

A psychological theory, applied to criminal behavior by some, suggesting criminal offending can stem from internal mental conflicts involving the id, ego, and superego.

Id (Psychoanalytic Theory)

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the instinctual and pleasure-seeking part of the personality.

Ego (Psychoanalytic Theory)

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality that mediates between the self-centered desires of the id and the learned values of the superego.

Superego (Psychoanalytic Theory)

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality that acts as a person’s conscience, developing from learned values early in life.

Defective Intelligence (Charles Goring)

Charles Goring's concept suggesting a relationship between crime and a condition of mental deficit he observed in English convicts.

Predisposition for Antisocial Acts (August Aichhorn)

August Aichhorn's idea that impulsivity and a tendency to prioritize one's own needs over others can predispose individuals to criminal behavior.

Cognitive Theory of Crime

A theory hypothesizing that criminal offending results from particular habits of thought, interpretations of reality, and differing responses to situations compared to non-criminals.

Yochelson and Samenow's Criminal Thinking Theory

A theory stating that criminals choose to commit crimes due to distorted thought patterns common to all hardcore criminals, wherein punishment is not adequately considered.

Sutherland's Differential Association Theory

A sociological learning theory suggesting delinquent behavior is learned through observation, role modeling, and reinforcement.

Blocked Opportunity Theory

A sociological theory suggesting that criminal behavior arises from a lack of access to legitimate means for achieving societal goals.

Labeling Theory

A sociological theory where negative societal reactions or labels lead an individual to acquire a negative self-image and subsequently act in accordance with that label.

Social Bonding Theory

A sociological theory proposing that individuals with weak bonds to society are less likely to respect customary social rules or laws, increasing the propensity for criminal behavior.

Rational Choice Theory (Criminology)

A criminological theory that posits offenders make rational decisions, weighing costs and benefits, before committing a crime.

Routine Activities Theory

A criminological theory stating that three elements must converge for a crime to occur: motivated offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardians.

Capable Guardians (Routine Activities Theory)

Individuals or entities whose presence might deter a would-be offender from committing a crime, a key element in Routine Activities Theory.

Stand Model of Policing

A traditional policing model focused on responding to 911 calls, where law enforcement provides services and investigates incidents as they are dispatched.

Broken Windows Policies

A policing strategy advocating for police to focus efforts on specific criminal behaviors that contribute to the deterioration of a geographical area, aiming to prevent more serious crimes by addressing minor disorder.

Problem-Oriented Policing

A proactive policing strategy where police identify, understand, and respond to underlying problems rather than just incidents, often utilizing the SARA model.

Intelligence-Led Policing

A policing strategy heavily reliant on gathering, sharing, assessing, and disseminating intelligence to aid in strategic planning and proactive enforcement, aiming to anticipate crime trends.

Dual System of Policing

The independent but sometimes overlapping system of law enforcement in the U.S. where state-level crimes are handled by local/state police, and federal crimes by federal agencies.

Judiciary Act of 1789

The act that established the federal judiciary in the U.S. and created the U.S. Marshals Service, marking the first federal law enforcement agency.

Constable-Watch System

An early English-influenced policing system predominant in America for 200 years, where citizens were expected to serve as watchmen, but often paid replacements led to low-quality protection.

First American Police Departments

Established in Boston in 1838, followed by New York City in the 1840s which combined day and night watches into a unified force.

Slave Patrols

Early forms of law enforcement, particularly in Southern U.S. states, designed to prevent slaves from fleeing owners; these evolved into more formal, government-sanctioned entities.

Prohibition Era (Policing Context)

The 1920s period during which the ban on alcohol created new crimes and law enforcement challenges, exposing police departments as underpaid, poorly trained, and ill-equipped.

Wickersham Commission

The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, initiated by President Herbert Hoover in 1929, which concluded prohibition was unenforceable and condemned widespread police corruption, brutality, and lack of training.

Kansas City Preventative Patrol Project

A study conducted on preventative patrol which concluded that varying the level of routine police patrol had no significant impact on crime rates.

Criminal Investigation (Detailed)

A lawful search for people and items useful in reconstructing an illegal act or omission, and the analysis of the mental state of the person(s) committing that act or omission.

Fourth Amendment (Evidence)

The U.S. constitutional amendment governing the search and seizure of evidence in a criminal case, requiring probable cause for warrants.

Terry v. Ohio (1968)

A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that defined the parameters of "stop and frisk," distinguishing it from a full search and allowing pat-downs for weapons based on reasonable suspicion.

Weeks v. U.S. (1914)

A Supreme Court case that established the exclusionary rule at the federal level, prohibiting the use of illegally seized evidence in federal courts.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

A Supreme Court case that extended the exclusionary rule to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, making illegally obtained evidence inadmissible in state courts.

Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine

A legal principle stating that evidence derived from illegally obtained primary evidence is also inadmissible in court.

Search Incident to Lawful Arrest Exception

An exception to the search warrant rule allowing police to search an arrested person and the immediate area around them without a warrant.

Plain View Exception

An exception to the search warrant rule allowing police to seize evidence without a warrant if it is in plain sight and they are lawfully in the position to see it.

Consent to Search Exception

An exception to the search warrant rule allowing police to conduct a search without a warrant if they obtain voluntary consent from the person with authority over the property.

Exigent Circumstances Exception

An exception to the search warrant rule that allows police to act swiftly without a warrant in situations demanding immediate action, such as hot pursuit, fleeing felons, or sounds of struggle.

Good Faith Exception

An exception to the exclusionary rule where evidence obtained with a technically invalid warrant may still be admissible if police acted in good faith without misconduct.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Decision

A landmark Supreme Court case that ruled confessions are inadmissible if suspects are not informed of their Fifth Amendment rights to an attorney and against self-incrimination before interrogation.

Powell v. Alabama (1932)

A Supreme Court case that established the right to legal counsel for indigent defendants in capital cases, predating the Miranda decision.

Corpus Delicti Evidence

One of three broad categories of evidence; specific facts that prove a crime has occurred and help substantiate the elements of that crime.

Associative Evidence

One of three broad categories of evidence; connects a suspect or victim to the crime scene or connects a victim to a suspect.

Tracing Evidence

One of three broad categories of evidence; small pieces of physical evidence that help to identify an offender.

Direct Evidence

A type of proof that directly links a person to a crime, such as eyewitness testimony about what they saw or heard related to the crime or suspect.

Circumstantial Evidence

A type of proof that requires an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact; examples include weapons, blood, fingerprints, and other traces found at a crime scene.

NCIC (National Crime Information Center)

A database maintained by the FBI, containing 19 files, including the National Sex Offender Registry, Unidentified Person File, Missing Persons File, and Gang File.

AXIS (Arson, Explosives and Incident System)

A national database run by the ATF that contains information on arsons, bombs, and misuse of explosives, useful for determining patterns, trends, and motives.

NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistics Information Network)

A national database operated by the ATF that helps determine if firearms used in one case are related to other cases.

NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System)

A national database administered by the NIJ designed to help track missing persons and identify human remains.

6-Step Intelligence Process (Crime Analysis Centers)

A framework for intelligence units including: Planning and Direction, Collection, Processing, Analysis and Production, Dissemination, and Re-evaluation.

Time-Event Charts

An intelligence report format that graphically depicts the chronology of an individual’s or group’s activity, providing a timeline for investigators to identify patterns and anomalies.

Link Analysis

An intelligence report technique used to find matches in data for known patterns of interest, identify anomalies, and discover new patterns of interest, often used to visualize relationships between entities.

Data Mining (Technical Definition)

The process of finding correlations or patterns among many fields in large relational databases, used to analyze vast, complex datasets and identify useful information.

Machine Learning vs. Data Mining (Distinction)

Machine learning uses data to improve its own understanding (known patterns), while data mining extracts patterns for human comprehension (unknown patterns).

Series Finder (Machine Learning Method)

A machine learning method designed to assist police in discovering crime series by learning to detect housebreak patterns using historical data and constructing an offender's modus operandi (MO).

Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)

Computing systems made up of simple, highly interconnected processing elements, loosely modeled after the mammalian cerebral cortex, used in applications like CATCH and CATCHRAPE for crime data analysis.

Data Mining Relationship Types

Four general types of relationships sought by analysts: Entity Extractions, Clusters, Associations, and Sequential Patterns.