Why Is It Called Administrative Crime Analysis?

There is a simple explanation as to why administrative crime analysis is so named. And that is because administrative crime analysis is analysis directed toward the administrative needs of the police department, its government, and its community (International Association of Crime Analysts, 2014). As a type of crime analysis, it can include a wide variety of techniques and products, performed both regularly and on request. These techniques and products include statistics, data printouts, maps, and charts. They also include workload calculations by area and shift, officer activity reports, responses to media requests, statistics provided for grant applications, reports to community groups, and cost-benefit analyses of police programs. However, as you will learn in Chapter 15, some of the later reports may fall into a fourth category of crime analysis, often called operations crime analysis or police operations analysis (International Association of Crime Analysts, 2014).

Are There Areas of Administrative Crime Analysis That Have Little to Do with Analysis?

The brief answer to this question is yes. Administrative crime analysis, while a valid and valuable category of crime analysis, exists to support a police agency’s efforts in planning, community relations, and funding, among many other areas (International Association of Crime Analysts, 2014). The reality of the profession of crime analyst is that analysts often do many things unrelated to analysis. Processes and techniques of administrative crime analysis include

• • Districting and redistricting analysis
• • Patrol staffing analysis
• • Cost-benefit analysis
• • Resource deployment for special events (International Association of Crime Analysts, 2014)

What Reports Do Administrative Crime Analysts Present?

Although the administrative crime analyst will prepare reports and products based on the requests and needs of the police administration, the type of report is basically determined by the audience for which the report or presentation is intended.

The primary purpose of administrative crime analysis might be said to be to inform audiences. These audiences may vary from one situation to the next, which is why the type and quantity of information will vary as well. The audiences that administrative crime analysts may be preparing a presentation for can be police executives, city council, media, citizens, and neighborhood groups, or a combination of these audiences. The type of information prepared and presented should be appropriate for the intended audience. However, in all instances, the information should be simple, clear, and concise and should not disclose sensitive information (Boba, 2001).

Since there is an eclectic selection of administrative and statistical reports, research, and other projects not focused on the immediate or long-term reduction or elimination of a pattern or trend, reports and presentations can be diverse. Here are more examples of the type of product the administrative crime analyst might expect to be asked to produce, along with the audience for which the product is intended:

As can be seen in the above table, often administrative crime analysis is conducted to educate and assist law enforcement administration and city government officials about the extent of crime and the effect crime and disorder have on the city and the citizens. At times, the police administration and city council will request long-range comparisons (quarterly, semiannually, or annually) of various categories of crime in the city.