In partnership with their Institute for Homeland Security (IHS), the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice announces the launch of a Center for Intelligence and Crime Analysis (CICA).
CICA’s mission is to help public safety agencies and critical infrastructure organizations increase their analytical capabilities through professional development, education and research. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” says Dr. William Wells, who serves as CICA’s director. “I’ve always thought academics could play a bigger role in advancing problem analysis, crime analysis and intelligence analysis in police departments.”
Crime analysis uses quality data to make informed operational decisions. In law enforcement, it applies to strategic and tactical operations. In corporations and industry, the data analysis can be used to guide informed decisions on policy, deployment of resources or long-term programs. “We’ve been in touch with several police departments, sheriff’s offices, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and have engaged with prosecutor offices,” Dr. Wells said. “CICA will also help private industry and agencies that work to protect critical infrastructure, train their analysts and grow their skills.”
“The creation of the Center for Intelligence and Crime Analysis is a reflection of the on-going partnership between academics and practitioners,” IHS Executive Director Mike Aspland said. “We will fuse research with crime reduction strategies to better inform decision making at all levels of law enforcement. Dr. Wells and the CICA team will work collaboratively with our criminal justice partners to provide professional skills development in the crime analysis space.”
IHS Project Manager and retired United States Army Senior Strategist, Matt Shifrin serves as CICA’s Chief of Staff. “After spending much of my military career in between general officer decision makers and the analysts informing those decisions, I understand the challenges both sides encounter,” Shiffrin said. “It’s an honor to share lessons learned during my military career. I look forward to many future CICA collaborations within the public and private sectors.”
CICA plans to launch a Crime Analysis certification program for professionals in summer 2023, with plans to establish a minor for SHSU students by fall 2023. Courses in the professional certification program are multi-disciplinary, featuring foundations of crime analysis, databases and analysis, social network analysis (SNA) and crime and problem mapping. More specialized and advanced topic courses are currently in development. The new minor for undergraduate students at SHSU will also be multidisciplinary. “We’re currently engaged with the department of environmental geosciences because of their mapping geographic information expertise,” Dr. Wells said. “SHSU students will be prepared for analyst jobs in a variety of criminal justice organizations.”
With plans to establish partnerships in the transportation, energy, healthcare and other industries, Dr. Wells says SHSU’s Center for Intelligence and Crime Analysis multi-disciplinary approach sets itself apart from other crime analysis centers across the country. “Imagine a wheel and spokes,” Wells said. “This could be the hub to so many different areas.”
