The thesis survey indicated courses and topics needed for law enforcement intelligence analysts. The survey addressed history, geography, social sciences, philosophy, language, quantitative courses, critical thinking, and internships. It also asked questions regarding miscellaneous topics and courses in analysis.
Most of the results showed a current need for courses and topics involving the Middle East. History of the Middle East was the history course with the highest response. However, all history courses in the survey were viewed as important. While most of the results for language instruction indicated Spanish was the most needed language, Arabic and Farsi were second and third, respectively. Islam received the highest percentage of responses for needed religious instruction, while all the identified religions had the second greatest percentage of responses. The responses for the question regarding philosophical instruction indicated all the identified philosophies were important, but Middle Eastern philosophy received the greatest percentage of responses for a single philosophy. Respondents indicated all the identified geography courses were important, but the geography of the Middle East received the greatest number of responses for a single region.
The survey indicated a need for more social science courses. Respondents indicated sociology and political science courses would help them in their jobs. They also indicted psychology courses would help them. Economics was viewed as somewhat helpful, while anthropology was not viewed as helpful.
Respondents indicated a need to have all identified quantitative courses in the survey. Basic statistics received the greatest percentage of responses for a single course.
Multivariate statistics received the fewest response percentage of needed quantitative courses.
Spanish received the highest response percentage for needed language instruction.
While the Middle Eastern languages of Arabic and Farsi received the second and third highest response percentages, Chinese followed closely behind them. Respondents did not view the African languages of Swahili and Eastern Cushitic as important for law enforcement intelligence analysts.
Respondents felt all identified religions in the survey were important. However, they overwhelmingly believed Islam was the most relevant religion. The response percentages for the other identified religions were close together. The exceptions of Odinism and Sikhism had a response percentage of less than three percent.
While respondents identified Middle Eastern philosophy as the most important philosophy course of the given choices, they viewed all the choices as important. The choice, “none of the philosophies,” received the third highest response percentage.
African philosophy had the lowest response rate of the given philosophies.
Geography of the Middle East received the highest response percentage of individual regional choices for geography courses. However, the choice of all the given geography course choices received the highest total response percentage. There was a big difference between the response percentage for geography of the Middle East and the region with the second highest response percentage (Africa). The response percentage for South America was very close to that of Africa.
Questions eight and nine addressed miscellaneous courses and topics for law enforcement intelligence analysts. Question eight asked which of the following courses have been most helpful: written communication, public speaking, analytical/mental processes, data management software tools, law enforcement organization, critical thinking, all the courses, or none of the courses. Research skills/tools received the highest response percentage at 48.6%. However, the choice of all the courses was second at 43.6%. Law enforcement organization received the lowest response percentage of specific courses at 16.8%. Question nine asked which of the following courses would better prepare a law enforcement analyst for his or her job: crime pattern analysis;
alternative hypothesis, practical/simulation exercises, all the above, or none of the above.
The choice of “all the above” received the highest response percentage at 53.6%. Crime pattern analysis received the second highest response percentage at 27.4%.
Questions ten through twelve involved yes and no responses. Question ten asked if an internship would better prepare analysts for their jobs: overwhelmingly, the response percent was 84.3%, yes. Question eleven asked if respondents received training in the mental processes used during analysis: yes received the highest response percentage at 55.4%. Question twelve was related to question eleven. It asked if respondents did not receive mental processes training, would the training have better prepared them for their jobs: overwhelmingly, respondents indicated the training would have helped them.
The survey results correlate with the areas of the world that currently receive the most attention for terrorism: the Middle East. Respondents chose courses and topics involving Middle Eastern religions, philosophies, languages, and geography as areas of study that would be most beneficial to them. However, respondents generally viewed all given course choices in those questions as important. It is interesting to note that respondents viewed the study of the geography of Africa as the second most important region behind the Middle East to study. However, respondents did not view the study of the African languages, Swahili and Eastern Cushitic, as important as the other given choices. Respondents also did not view the study of African philosophy as important as the other given choices of philosophies.
According to survey respondents, there should be more courses on the social sciences of sociology and psychology. The responses on questions involving miscellaneous courses indicated all the given choices were important, but research skills/tools received the highest response percentage for a single course between questions eight and nine. Survey results clearly indicated the importance of instruction in critical thinking and the need for internships.
Survey respondents made few comments on the questions. Respondents made the most comments for the question about history courses: thirty-nine. Most questions had approximately one hundred-seventy five responses. The comments were a small
percentage of the responses. The comments for all questions were diverse and most were isolated. If there was one pattern in the comments, it was respondents indicated courses should be based upon the analyst’s assignment or specialty.
D. SUMMARY
This survey has identified patterns in courses and topics for current law enforcement analyst instruction. Current world conditions show increased terrorist activity in South East Asia. However, survey respondents did not indicate a significant need for courses related to South East Asia. The projected trends in terrorism and criminality indicate a need for instruction in African geography, history, religions and languages. However, survey respondents also did not indicate a significant need for instruction on African related courses and topics. Law enforcement analyst instruction must address current areas of concern as well as future areas on concern. Therefore, academia should provide instruction on the religions, geography, languages and history of Asia (including South East Asia) and Africa. The next chapter discusses law enforcement analyst training guidelines for the two major law enforcement analyst organizations and why academia should be the source of law enforcement analyst instruction.
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VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS
This thesis discusses the definition of intelligence and intelligence analysis. It examines various types of intelligence analysis. It also addresses law enforcement analysis and the current state of it. There is an examination of how several foreign nations train their analysts and how academia in the United States trains intelligence analysts. Law enforcement intelligence analysts in the United States were surveyed to determine the courses and topics they believe are most relevant to them. Finally, this thesis discusses the processes involved in getting academia to teach law enforcement analysis.
This chapter revisits the educational standards and training for the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) and the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA). There is a discussion on combining the two standards. This chapter also presents an argument for academia teaching law enforcement analysts. At the end of the chapter, there is a short summary showing why academia should teach law enforcement analysts.