The benefit of intelligence officers: Assessing their contribution to success through actionable intelligence
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 6 November 2018
Issue publication date: 4 February 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which intelligence officers integrated at the patrol level contribute to successful case outcomes through information sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilizes multinomial logistic regression to analyze the outcomes of three years of Intelligence Officer Reports (IORs) submitted by officers trained in the Phoenix Police Department’s Intelligence Officer Program.
Findings
The majority of IORs are either tangible case successes or intelligence successes that have the capacity to become these, as opposed to non-successes. The type of success is impacted by a number of predictors. These include case categorization, nature of crime, information-gathering methods and perceived validity of information. Perceived reliability of information was the only non-significant predictor.
Research limitations/implications
The study suggests the benefits of looking at multiple predictors of success in understanding the value of information gathered by intelligence officers in the field. Limitations include a fair amount of missing data and potential lack of generalizability to other agencies. Future research will also consider alternative ways of measuring success and the nesting of reports within officers.
Practical implications
The study provides insight into key factors for optimizing tangible case outcomes when institutionalizing intelligence-led policing at the patrol level.
Originality/value
This is the first study to consider how intelligence-led policing at the patrol level may influence case outcomes, and, in turn, what factors may contribute to this. Findings provide some initial considerations for optimizing desirable case outcomes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-DG-BX-K050 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the US Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice. The authors wish to thank the dedicated personnel at the Phoenix Police Department, without whom this research would not be possible. The authors would especially like to thank Sergeant Darin Lund, Intelligence Analyst Wendy Rountree, Intelligence Analyst Danielle Brueback and all of the participating intelligence officers for their invaluable contributions. The authors would also like to thank William Terrill and Jacob Young for their helpful feedback on previous drafts.
Citation
Bottema, A.J. and Telep, C.W. (2019), "The benefit of intelligence officers: Assessing their contribution to success through actionable intelligence", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-07-2018-0088
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited