Businesses have long turned to data collection and analysis to make informed decisions about staffing, resource allocation, and expansion. This data-informed approach has improved productivity and increased efficiency and profits across many industries.
Data-driven decision-making uses data to inform decision-making processes and validate a course of action before committing to it.1 Businesses use data to identify areas of concern, such as underperforming product lines, or to determine where to locate new facilities.
The application of data-driven concepts and decision-making has enabled police agencies to see the effectiveness of their operations to provide public safety and policing in their communities, rather than the traditional reactive policing.
Data collection and analysis have been a part of law enforcement efforts for as long as police have been working to solve crime. In the 20th century, data collection was manually achieved using methods such as “maps with pins detailing crime ‘hot spots’ or colored dots drawn to identify different crimes committed in geographic areas,” according to Martin Birkenfeld, police chief of Amarillo, Texas.
Unfortunately, the information collected was rarely useful, as sworn officers or administrative staff with little background in the field were often assigned to review data and struggled to find uses for the information collected. It was a cumbersome process and often lacked any real usefulness for departments as a tool for crime prevention. However, as technology continues to evolve, data collection and analysis have become more effective tools for police agencies of every size.
Recently, three chiefs of U.S. police departments—Salisbury, North Carolina; Amarillo, Texas; and Davenport, Iowa— have worked IDEA Analytics’ Building Analytical Capacity Program to successfully enhance their agency’s data-informed strategies to managing their resources and providing public safety services. These chiefs shared how other agencies can align their leadership, people, and technology to ensure accurate and simply understood data to inform their public safety efforts.
They found that increasing analytical capacity allowed them to collect and analyze data that led to more transparency and equitability in staffing, budget allocation, and technology purchase decisions, ultimately changing the way that policing occurred in their communities.
The chiefs also found that getting the right data helps measure what matters to an agency and informs decisions and long-term plans.
Each chief identified a need for change, often after a rise in violent crime or an acknowledgment of strained community relations. They sought out the information and funding needed to increase their analytical capacity and identified how they focused on leadership, people, and technology to transform their processes.
Focus Areas for Increasing Analytical Capacity
Leadership: Seeking leaders inside their departments
Finding champions for change has been instrumental in the success of these departments. Each chief was able to identify individuals currently on their staff to act as change champions. These “champions,” have worked to secure buy-in, obtain grant funding, organize staff, and drive the success of analytical programs in their communities.
People: Hiring civilian personnel for analyst positions
The hiring of professional analysts occurred in all three departments, focusing on new hires with a combination of technical and conceptual skill sets. Combining professional analysts with sworn personnel in centralized crime centers has further developed the use of data to inform resource allocation decisions and statistical analysis to identify and interrupt crime trends.
Technology: Increasing its use and effectiveness
In addition to personnel decisions, each department has upgraded existing hardware and data storage technology, while adding innovative tools for analytical processes and information sharing. The strategic and phased implementation of technology has allowed staff to be trained, adopt new workflows, and convert patrol and investigative operations.
Using Data to Identify the Need for Change
Davenport, Iowa: From Reactive to Proactive
In 2017, Davenport, Iowa, experienced a significant jump in homicide and violent crimes, shares Police Chief Jeff Bladel. This included 11 gun-involved homicides and many violent group-related incidents involving firearms. .
In reviewing this crime wave, then-Major Bladel and other leaders at the department identified the uptick in violent crime could be attributed to retaliatory gun violence and police responses were generally reactive, not proactive. Like other departments across the United States, Davenport used a traditional approach to respond to crime that included saturated patrols and zero-tolerance car stops, with minimal results in lowering crime.
Without crime analysis functions, “there was no ability to infuse either prevention or even intervention methods in that matter because it was a constant cycle of response,” noted Chief Bladel.
The implementation of crime analysis functions since has enabled the department to be proactive with identifying victims and repeat offenders and addressing changes in the crime trends. The development of interactive dashboards and routine data analysis disseminated to Davenport Police Department’s leadership enables them to make decisions on how to conduct outreach and diversion programs, where to put public safety resources, and increase communication with the community. This information sharing and community involvement helped repair perceptions that there were “bad areas” in the city when those residing in the community were overwhelmingly law abiding and seeking peaceful, crime-free lives. Analytical reports now inform investigators, patrol officers, and the community about crime trends and police responses to intervene or prevent further harm.
The Davenport Police Department leveraged federal resources via the National Public Safety Partnership and Smart Policing Initiative network to further enhance their ability to be data driven.2
Amarillo, Texas: Smarter Responses for Victims and Offenders
In Amarillo, Texas, Chief Martin Birkenfeld notes that, for decades, the department was collecting data around the crimes happening in their community—but they made little use of the information as there was no clear strategy for data analysis and little focus on violent crime. Chief Birkenfeld, however, recognized that the lack of information and data-driven decision-making was eroding the trust of their community.
In the mid-2010s, as violent crime rates increased, the Amarillo Police Department began to consider how data could help to identify areas of concern where crimes happen most frequently, build community trust, and prevent violent crime, particularly firearm-related incidents.
At first, the chief noted, the department didn’t know what to expect or what to ask to determine what data to review. To help his leadership learn what data meant to policing and how to operationalize data for their efforts to address violent crime, Chief Birkenfeld brought in experts. The agency has been revising their approaches by leveraging resources from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), IDEA Analytics, and research partnerships. During their participation of the Building Analytical Capacity Program, Amarillo has transformed their Intelligence Analysis Unit (IAU) and is developing the Amarillo Regional Crime Center (ARCC). The hiring and alignment of professional analytical staff with sworn personnel for real-time crime responses and drone deployment has created a foundation of data-informed policing strategies for emerging and persistent crime trends. The development of place- and person-based analytical reports have enabled officers to have a holistic view of repeat victims and offenders in their city, enabling police, public health, and prosecution resources to collaborate for solutions.
Salisbury, North Carolina: Data for Crime Management and Regional Information Sharing
In the mid-2010s, the Salisbury, North Carolina, police department began to use data to address gun violence spike in the city.
“A police chief sets the path and vision of an agency, but the mid-level supervisors are charged with the execution of this vision.”
Chief (Ret.) Jerry Stokes requested assistance from the DOJ in developing analytical capacity. Chief Stokes explains, “One of the priorities of this effort was to try and use analytics based on education and professional development that are necessary to any successful crime reduction strategy.”
The resulting partnership with IDEA Analytics led to the development of new crime analysis positions, training for analysts, and the plan and implementation of the Crime Information Center. These efforts have helped the agency experience a 20-year low in crime. The department was “able to put the pieces of an intelligence-led policing strategy together, and the outcome for the community was a significant reduction in crime, particularly violent crime, that hasn’t happened in decades.” The foundations set by former Chief Stokes are continued with Chief Patrick “PJ” Smith, who has been the champion of Salisbury’s Crime Information Center over the last seven years. “The foundation set by Chief Stokes enabled our department to completely pivot the way we approach patrol deployments, staffing assignments, and investigations. Our decision to centralize our analysts and develop information sharing protocols for our region has been a force multiplier to address and manage crime in our city today,” said Chief Smith.
Aligning Leadership, People, and Technology for Police Operations
Police departments face a significant challenge in aligning the three components of the program –leadership, people, and technology – in a sustainable way. Common barriers to this alignment include changing personnel or leadership, data access and quality issues, professional development for all ranks and staffing, and ensuring buy-in among officers for new ways of working. Amarillo, Davenport, and Salisbury have leveraged resources and strategic planning efforts to ensure these components stay aligned.
Leadership for Building Analytical Capacity
A police chief sets the path and vision of an agency, but the mid-level supervisors are charged with the execution of this vision. Their problem-solving characteristics of policing supervisors enable them to adopt new, evidence-based methods of working. Leadership committed to data-informed approaches benefit from open and transparent communications, meaningful partnerships with other agencies and community members, and improved decision-making.
Improving Decision-Making and Transparency with Data
In an age where the media and community residents often scrutinize police actions, departments must have transparency in their decision-making.
In Amarillo, Chief Birkenfeld viewed the use of data to support transparency contributed to ethical policing for his department. As a department, he explained, they may know historically from memory that a particular neighborhood has a high rate of violent crime and so might traditionally focus efforts there. But, when the data show the specific location of shootings that have occurred in a neighborhood, the department shares this information and can collaborate with the community on changes to policing in an area.
Chief Birkenfeld notes that, in Amarillo, using data to explain policing policy decisions and technology purchases has helped smooth relations between his agency and city residents.
Champions of Change
The agencies most successful at building analytical capacity and hiring analysts have found that there are two steps to overcoming initial resistance to the program: communication of change benefits and identification of an internal champion of the change.
Chief Stokes shares that it helps move an organization through a change if leaders identify capable individuals in their department and start to develop them. Using personal development chiefs can build the management and leadership skills of these “champions” to help push an organization forward. After all, he notes, “No one person can do it alone.”
Working with Other Agencies
All three chiefs note that transparency is also important in building trust in relationships with other local agencies. It is the strength of these relationships that allows community organizations and other agencies to work with police departments to create programming that both identifies crime “hot spots” and helps with enforcement issues and that develops community outreach aimed at preventing crimes from happening.
In Davenport, Chief Bladel shared that building transparency into their policing methods has helped develop strong community ties between officers and residents. Data analysis allows the department to share crime statistics that point to particular areas or individuals, limiting the need for wide sweeps or zero-tolerance tactics.
Salisbury, North Carolina has collaborated with community members, city departments, and nonprofit organizations to further understand needs of a community through data. In 2022, Chief Smith worked with the NAACP, Parks and Recreation, and community volunteers to complete environmental surveys in the West End neighborhood. The West End neighborhood is the focus of a community empowerment project funded by the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Byrne Criminal Justice Initiative to develop community-based violence intervention programs. The use of mobile devices to collect data and share this data back with the community has led to funding allocated for traffic safety, security measures, and lighting for the neighborhood, in addition to focusing on revitalization efforts in key common areas.
People Resources and Development
Hiring professional analysts is essential in building analytical capacity as a police department. Analysts are specialized employees, often civilians, with the technical ability to collect, process, analyze and report on complex data that help inform decisions in an agency for internal and external operations.
In Davenport, the police department has hired three analysts to share responsibilities with business analytics, crime analysis, and crime gun analysis. This allows the department to balance the analytical techniques and needs for patrol, investigation, and administrative operations. Hiring these intentional roles and selecting people with specific skills and knowledge has enabled Davenport Police Department to transform their use of data in crime reduction plans and internal management reports.
In Salisbury, crime analysts work in the department’s crime information center. These professional analysts use data to direct patrol operations for prevention and intervention tactics and to support diversion efforts with their victim advocate and homeless liaison staff. In addition to operational support, the analysts work with sworn officers, using data and technology to identify consistent offenders and individuals suspected of criminal activity. This helps the department make wise use of officer time and resources and has led to a 20-year low in violent crime in the city.
Amarillo has restructured their analysis unit in preparation for their regional crime center, establishing a crime analyst supervisor position and investing in training on technical skills (e.g., data architecture, data engineering) to fill gaps in information technology resources. The focus on professional and technical skills has advanced the development of analytical products to inform Amarillo Police Deparment’s operations, as well as supporting the professional development of officers on data-informed policing strategies.
Though hiring civilian analysts has been largely a success for the agencies, it was challenging when the agencies started the process. . One of the highest hurdles to overcome was resistance to change, which was endemic in several agencies. Traditionally, crime analysts came from the administrative pool and were tasked with little more than a secretarial recording of data and little to no analysis responsibilities. Now, civilian analysts are highly trained and specialized with deep technical knowledge.
During the transition to professional roles, agencies faced resistance from those holding the positions and those more comfortable with traditional methods of policing. The chiefs overcame this with a combination of training plans to manage the change, retirements, and transfers to other units.
Using Technology to Amplify Policing
Technology is an essential piece to data-informed efforts. If an agency’s hardware, software, and data storage cannot manage the collection, storage, processing, and reporting necessary for data needs, a department will have wasted resources.
Technology is not just about computer software. It impacts how information is accessed, the quality of data being collected and maintained, and how timely, actionable, and accurate methods keep a department informed. The data infrastructure for a policing agency is the foundation to ensure data can be available on what is happening—not just in the immediate moment, but to enable analysts to model projections for the future. A strategic technology plan to upgrade, maintain, or implement technology to support multiple workflows and business-critical operations.
In Salisbury, the police department purchased over 150 cameras installed across the city in strategic locations. Many of the locations were fire departments or city buildings, as government properties had fewer hurdles to installation. Crime analysts use these cameras to identify locations where crimes are frequently committed; video is also used as evidence of individual crimes. The need to align the cameras (i.e., hardware) with analytical software for viewing, recalling, and analyzing video required a phased approach for implementation and training.
Drones are being tested and added to the suite of tactical tools used by the Amarillo Police Department to great success. Placed in locations identified by geospatial analysis on violent crimes, the department is piloting their drone response program with video and license plate reader technology. A drone was used by a sworn officer to identify and locate a suspect in a kidnapping case as an early success for the program.
Finding Funding Sources
Building analytical capacity requires funding for hiring, technology, and building crime centers. For police departments, the necessary funding can come from several different directions, including reallocated funds, grants, and new funds from local governments.
Reallocation
Like agencies and businesses across the United States, the Salisbury Police Department was struggling to fully staff its agency. This meant that they needed to be creative with currently allocated resources to fund the hiring of crime analysts without affecting service in another area of the agency.
Chief Jerry Stokes explained that to hire two analysts, a team looked at data around the use of patrol resources and asked the question, “What’s going to help the most in the long run—another police officer or an analyst?” In the end, a vacant sworn position was converted to an analyst spot. For the second analyst position in the department, the team converted a position left open from a retired civilian secretary to an analyst position. It took being a little more creative and working within the already-established budget to get personnel in place as a part of an overall stratified policing strategy.
Seeking New Funding from Local Government
Building relationships with local government officials and other local agencies has helped the police departments in Salisbury, Davenport, and Amarillo obtain new funding for crime analysts and crime centers in their cities. These agencies have leveraged state funding for school safety and infrastructure funding, in addition to Department of Justice Grants
“It’s relationship building and understanding the needs of not only the police department but other agencies working to make things better in the community,” shared Chief Stokes of Salisbury. “It’s building trust and sharing information with those in city government to help them understand the need for new analysts or technology,” said Chief Birkenfeld in Amarillo. Davenport leveraged federal funding for their initial shift toward technology and analytics and have since reformed budgets to ensure sustainability with positions, future technology purchases, and expanding modern public safety tools (e.g., cameras).
How Building Analytical Capacity Has Changed Policing
In business, data-driven decision-making is defined as using facts, metrics, and data to guide strategic business decisions that align with one’s goals, objectives, and initiatives.3 According to the Harvard Business School, more than half of U.S. adults trust their “gut” rather than seeking to make data-informed decisions.4
In the past, this was also true for many police departments. Rather than following intelligence-led policing practices, they relied on institutional knowledge about where crime occurred or reactive responses.
The increase in intelligence-led policing that came to the forefront after 9/11 drove many agencies to use data to inform decisions in many areas, including crime prevention, resource allocation, human resources, and community relations.
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Recommendations The following recommendations can aid agencies seeking to improve their use of data, implementation of technology, and advance their crime reduction efforts:
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Building analytical capacity through the right leadership, people, and technology decisions helps agencies transform how they approach policing in their communities. Aligning these characteristics have changed how policing occurs in agencies around the world, including the three departments spotlighted herein. Now able to collect and analyze data to inform decisions across all aspects of their work, chiefs and their departments have a new understanding of what is happening in their cities and how to police it effectively.
Improved community relationships increase the safety of both officers and the communities they protect. Trust is built through consistent, transparent information sharing with community members and leaders.
Using data to identify the needs of a community rather than traditional “sweep” and zero-tolerance tactics, frees residents of impacted areas to enjoy living in safer communities without worrying about unintended, potentially negative interactions with police.
Intelligence-led policing allows departments to work to see the “whole picture” rather than simply solving crimes. Together with building trusting community relationships, this helps agencies come together to seek solutions to crime and other community issues.
Conclusion
Police departments can build analytical capacity if they focus on leadership, people, and technology. It is a multiyear, multiphase process that requires funding and takes leadership to champion the change, people to develop skills and shift operations, and technology to support the access of information.
“Data-informed policing brings together our people, it brings together our community, it brings together our technology, and it brings together our data. This is kind of the central piece that brings everything together and keeps us operating in a responsive versus reactive track. It makes policing better,” concludes Chief Stokes and Chief Smith. 🛡
Notes:
1Tim Stobierski, “The Advantages of Data-Driven Decision-Making,” Business Insights (blog), HBS Online, August 26, 2019.
2Bureau of Justice Assistance, “Smart Policing Initiative (SPI).”
3“A Guide to Data Driven Decision Making: What It Is, Its Importance, & How to Implement It,” Tableau.
4Stobierski, “The Advantages of Data-Driven Decision-Making.”
Please cite as
Jessica Herbert et al., “How Three Departments Turned Data into Change: The Chiefs’ Perspectives on Building Analytical Capacity,” Police Chief Online, November 15, 2023.
