The Case for Crime Analysis
A Necessity in Modern Policing
The policing profession is constantly adapting to a wide variety of changes. Some of these changes are considerable, such as the continued professionalization of the profession over the last 60 years. Other changes are perhaps more subtle, such as gradual adjustments to training in firearms or defensive tactics. There is one change, however, that has proven to be especially considerable in its impact on modern policing while having a progressively accelerated growth from subtle to nearly overwhelming in recent years—data availability. Specifically, nearly infinite data are becoming increasingly available to (most) law enforcement agencies; these data can and should be used to maximize those agencies’ ability to serve the public.