Questions for Discussion

• 1. What role would a crime analyst likely play in a terrorist situation such as the Boston Marathon bombing? If you were a crime analyst on duty that day in Boston, how would you see your role?
• 2. Can crime be eliminated completely? Why or why not?

Important Terms

Intelligence: Data available to, collected by, or disseminated through the tactical crime analyst.

Intelligence analysis: Continually evaluating and analyzing data in order to provide the most useful possible information to police officers.

Real-time crime center: Room in which the tactical crime analyst has at his or her disposal a bank of computers and extensive websites and data banks that allow access to and analysis of intelligence in order to provide practical and useful on-the- spot information to police officers in the field.

SARA: Model that was developed by Professor Herman Goldstein at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to enhance the problem-solving approach to policing. SARA is an acronym that stands for scanning, analysis, response, and assessment.

Tactical crime analyst: Trained analyst whose job it is to analyze crime and criminal events or offenses in order to provide practical intelligence to police officers, the police command, or the public.