15C - Crime and Incident Analysis

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Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 5 Lexington Police Department Subject: Crime & Incident Analysis Policy Number: 15CAccreditation Standards: Reference: Effective Date: 11/1/11 New Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES Crime and incident analysis is a law enforcement agency function whereby data relating to crime and frequently occurring incidents is collected, collated, analyzed, and disseminated. Data is primarily generated from records and reports within the law enforcement agency. Additional data may be obtained from outside sources, such as other law enforcement agencies, other government agencies, private organizations and other agencies of the criminal justice system. Crime analysis represents a system utilizing regularly collected information on reported crimes and criminals to prevent and suppress crime and to apprehend criminal offenders. Incident analysis identifies patterns of police service calls to help assess how police resources are being used. Crime and incident analysis involves the collection of valid and reliable data, employs systematic techniques of analysis and seeks to determine, for predictive purposes, the frequency with which events occur and the extent to which they are associated with other events. Collecting and analyzing readily available crime and incident data and making the analyzed information regularly available to individual line officers and investigators can make them more aware and consequently more effective. The information obtained by analyzing the data is used to support management and operations. Patrol units are provided with information that can benefit them in the development of daily operations and tactical plans and to identify potential or actual police hazards that are within the Town. Officers receive information for use in strategic planning as it’s related to such topics as crime trends, agency resource allocation, crime prevention, and other associated areas. Incident analysis allows the Department to employ problem solving techniques for reducing unnecessary calls or resolve frequently occurring incidents. It is the policy of the Lexington Police Department to use crime and incident analysis to provide quality information support for the pro-active management of crime prevention, investigative, and suppression strategies while also identifying problems that may affect the quality of life in Lexington.