Intelligence Analysis Tools PRS 3 Michele A Melton

Intelligence Analysis Tools PRS 3 Michele A. Melton Upstate New York Regional Intelligence Center Minneapolis, Minnesota March 29, 2007

Information: Only Scratches the Surface

Intelligence: Reveals the Whole Picture

Law Enforcement Intelligence: Collection Efforts Prior to 9 -1101 § § § Often Informal § § § Lacked Prioritization Often Redundant Lacked Sufficient Procedures Limited Support Lacked Analysis

September 11, 2001 • • 2, 973 people killed Defining moment for law enforcement agencies nationwide Highlighted the critical need for the flow and exchange of information and intelligence Indicators development becomes investigative focus Added a new sense of urgency to interagency cooperation Moved Terrorism & Intelligence initiatives to the forefront of many law enforcement agencies concerns Strained resources of law enforcement statewide

“We can never let this happen again. ” -New York Governor, George E. Pataki

Intelligence: The Need for a Statewide, Proactive Approach • The Problem: As with many other government agencies, law enforcement agency information tended to be “silo’d”restricted to the creator and owner of the information, and never shared with other agencies. • The Solution: The Fusion Center concept. The fusion center reduces the compartmentalization of information by eliciting the involvement of law enforcement agencies at every level in its intelligence gathering efforts: – – Federal State County Local

Fusion Centers • What is a fusion center? • How does a fusion center operate? • What services does a fusion center provide? • Who staffs a fusion center? – Sworn law enforcement – Civilians

New York State Law Enforcement § § § 540 Local, County and State Law Enforcement Agencies. More than 75, 000 Full Time Sworn Officers. More than 3, 000 Probation Officers Statewide. § § § Work 24 – 7. Eyes and ears. Well-positioned to supply critical information and intelligence.

Upstate New York Regional Intelligence Center The UNYRIC is a multi-agency, co-located intelligence center designed to gather and analyze information and disseminate terrorism -related and criminal intelligence to our local, tribal, state and federal law enforcement partners in New York State.

UNYRIC Goals • Detect and prevent crime and future terrorist activity • Develop and disseminate information on all crimes and terrorism related activities • Serve as a “One Stop Shopping” Center • Support Field Intelligence Officers across the State through: • • • Case Support Actionable Intelligence Awareness Bulletins Safety Bulletins Trend Analysis

Investigative Focus Areas at UNYRIC • • • Criminal Intelligence – i. e. US DOJ Index Crimes Cross-border Criminality Financial Crimes (money laundering, identity theft) Gangs Illicit Gambling Narcotics Organized Crime Terrorism – Domestic and International Weapons Trafficking

Elements for Success - Why the UNYRIC and Fusion Centers Make a Difference • Enlisting the aid of state/county/local law enforcement. • Maintaining a continuous dialogue between: – Local agencies – County agencies – State agencies – Federal agencies • Incorporating sophisticated analytical techniques to support cases and promote strategic decision making. • Obtaining support from state government officials.

Role of Analysis in Law Enforcement • Historically • Analysts used to generate summary statistics (i. e. Index Crime Reports) • Not traditionally used to support or direct law enforcement officer activities • Today • Analysts support, focus and direct law enforcement activities and critical incident responses. • Used to create “the big picture. ”

What Can Analysts Do? Intelligence • Provide Tactical Intelligence • Providing analysis, maps, and data to support an operation or disaster response effort. • Fulfilling short term, case-specific needs. • Provide Strategic Intelligence • Taking a “big picture” view of criminal or terrorist activity. • After-action reviews; pre-planning

Analytical Tools Analyzing large amounts of information can be a challenge. Useful tools for managing and displaying your data include: ü I 2 – Analyst’s Notebook – supports timeline and link chart analysis. ü Excel – supports a multitude of functions and other software applications. ü Access – useful for managing large volumes of information on a multitude of subjects. ü Penlink/ACISS – supports toll analysis. ü ARC GIS manages large numbers of location information. ü MS Publisher and Adobe PDF- useful for packaging info.

With all the technology available, it is easy to forget … The human element of analysis 1) Reviewing the data set for trends and typos before analyzing it. 2) Understanding the information in front of you – what is it supposed to show you? 3) Outlining your analytical questions before analyzing the data. 4) Communicating with your lead investigators at all times – are the results making sense to them? 5) Having another set of eyes review the data and analysis - what do they see?

Association or Link Charts

Satellite Images

Timelines

Crime and Event Mapping

Conclusion • Fusion centers are key to fighting crime and terrorism. • Educating the field must continue. • Quality analytical products are essential to supporting law enforcement’s efforts. • Information sharing and compatible technology are vital.

“Fighting terrorism is like being a goal keeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you. ” Paul Wilkinson British Scholar & Terrorism Expert

QUESTIONS PRS 3 Michele A. Melton UNYRIC (518) 786 -2125