Most, but not all, of the largest police departments across the world embraced modern crime analysis decades ago. In 2017, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) further supplemented its long commitment to crime analysis and CompStat by hiring about 100 civilian crime analysts who were assigned to each of the patrol boroughs, precincts, and specialty positions throughout the department. These analysts continue to serve in those roles today. New York State supports and funds a network of 10 crime analysis centers that provide crime analysis, investigative support, and information to more than 350 state and local law enforcement agencies. This is the only such network that is funded at the state level, and in fiscal year 2023, it received $15 million in dedicated funding from New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The network has been recognized as a critical resource across the state, responding to more than 60,000 requests for assistance in 2021.

As of August 2022, the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) had more than 5,000 members worldwide, the most in IACA’s history, including crime analysts, researchers, sworn police personnel, and others invested in the process of crime analysis. The increase in IACA membership represents a slow but steady increase in the recognition of what analysts bring to policing and further recognition that policing decisions should be based upon data and analysis.

At the same time, an overwhelming number of new and experienced analysts struggle to create actionable information for their agencies simply because many agency executives and decision makers remain unsure of what they want from analysis, what to do with analysis that is produced, and what is required of the agency to support quality analysis.