Advocating for Your Crime Analysis Needs: Don’t Be a Tree

Over the last month, I’ve been traveling to crime and intelligence analysis related events to speak to analysts about the power of BLTN. Between the National Real-Time Crime Center Association (NRTCCA), the California Crime and Intelligence Analysis Association (CCIAA) and the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) conferences, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the profession I’m passionate about and the community that I proudly advocate for, discussing the importance of bulletin automation. But something that continues to be loud and clear to me – analysts continue to have technological needs that aren’t being met. Too often I hear the phrases, "they won’t listen to me. In my department, they won’t buy technology for an analyst." "We really need your solution but I would not even know where to begin to get this purchased." We really need to change this narrative!

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Hearing About Crime Analysis Needs

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Since I left the crime analysis profession 10 years ago and joined the private sector, I’ve dedicated myself to working with analytical units to automate and improve operations through technology. When analysts attend training conferences like the aforementioned, many go back to their agencies after seeing powerful technology with a desire to transform their processes. They are fired up and excited for change! After just a few conversations with supervisors and command staff, reality sets in and they face objections. As a salesman now, I face objections all the time but I’m motivated and compensated to overcome these objections. When facing objections, many analysts feel rejected and begin to question their place in their agency. "Do they really care about me? Am I really part of the team? Why don’t they listen to me when I tell them my needs?"

The reality is that many analytical units often do not have purchasing power or significant budgets. I remember during my time at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, I was participating in a budget meeting and advocating for my Crime Analysis Unit to get a larger training budget.  We had twenty (20) crime analysts and our annual budget was $20,000 and I was trying to double it. I was told “no way” but the spreadsheet was up on the screen and I pointed out that the Air Unit’s training budget was $90,000. The response: “Yes Joe, but the air unit requires very specialized training.” I didn’t do myself and favors that day when I stepped upon my soapbox to explain the specialized training needed for Geographic Information Systems, Crime Series Analysis, Social Media Analysis, Call Detail Records, and everything else that I could think of at that time. When I came down from my soapbox, my training budget was still $20,000.

Analysts Need to Advocate for Their Analytical Needs

So how do crime analysts find a way to get the tools that they need to do their jobs more effectively? Well, I think one of the best qualities a crime analyst can have is curiosity. How do we capture data for this problem? What does an officer write when that happens? If an analyst can be curious, they can learn, maybe better than anyone, how a department works. They enhance their value, figure out ways to provide analytics, and become a trusted resource within their department. This curiosity can also playa role in getting the tools that they need. In Sales, we are trained to find the Funding Owner and the Champion. Who is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to funding and who is the person that will help “sell” this in the department. I would say that for analysts trying to advocate for new technology, the most important person is the Champion. Who is that person in your department that consistently can present an idea, get in front of the funding owner, and get something approved. I’ve known some great ones both at the departments where I worked and now with my customers. The interesting thing is that this role is not always defined by rank. I’ve met Detectives who were better at getting new technology than Captains. Your task, as the analyst, is to find that champion at your department who can get things purchased. Get to know them, befriend them, take them to lunch, and then pitch your vision to those folks who can then walk beside you or run with your idea.

When I left the crime analysis field and transitioned to Sales, I focused on self-development much more than when I was in the public sector. I gravitated to people like Simon Sinek, Tony Robbins, John Maxwell, and Mel Robbins. My wife turned me on to Jim Rohn and I listened to quite a few of his speeches. One of my favorite Jim Rohn quotes is “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.” This message has been on my heart for a while now. Analysts, don’t be a tree. Your value to your agency should not be discounted, but you need tools to help you focus on analysis. Automating manual processes – like creating bulletins and searching bulletins in your inbox – is one of the first ways you can do this.

Advocate for yourself. Find the champions in your department. Handle the objections. Look for grants andunderstand the budget. Speak up. And always remember, don’t be a tree.

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