Alberta
Edmonton
To support intelligence analysis and align with the 2009–2011 Edmonton Police Service Strategic Plan objective to “become a model of efficiency and effectiveness,” the police service’s Intelligence Services Branch implemented the Criminal Intelligence Database and Analysis project. The initiative began in 2002 with the use of an i2 Analyst’s Notebook to more easily identify connections, patterns and trends within complex data sets and to develop intelligence products that would support investigations and prosecutions. As the amount of data and the number of data sources increased, the requirement to gather, store and process data into actionable intelligence grew. In 2010, the Edmonton Police Service initiated a project using i2 iBase to create an intelligence database. Information from the records management system is loaded daily into the iBase database, which makes connections between entities such as persons, addresses, crimes, vehicles and charges. Crime analysts then run queries in iBase to extract the data needed for their intelligence analysis and push this data to the i2 Analyst’s Notebook application where they perform criminal intelligence analysis. Included in this implementation was i2’s Search 360 technology, which searches across structured and unstructured data to identify hidden patterns and connections.
The initiative seeks to provide timely, accurate and comprehensive analysis and intelligence to improve the operational effectiveness of intelligence-led policing. By providing more timely, efficient analysis and improving access to available data and intelligence information, this initiative aims to improve the effectiveness of investigations. Other objectives include the implementation of a centralized model that allows internal and external units to act in a coordinated effort; effective and secure sharing of data and intelligence; improved technical efficiencies; and the analytical capability to provide real-time intelligence.
This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Office of Strategy Management, the Intelligence Branch and the Information Technology.
Joanne Grahamjoanne.graham@edmontonpolice.ca
N/A
The business case for the iBase initiative was first developed in 2008.
This initiative was undertaken to provide intelligence analysts with a secure environment, intelligence analysis tools and the ability to generate tactical, operational, and strategic output with greater efficiency and timeliness in order to ensure Intelligence Services Branch alignment with the 2009-2011 Strategic Plan objective to "become a model of efficiency and effectiveness."
The software and resource investment required to implement this initiative was approximately $450,000, including approximately $30,000 for training and $75,000 in consulting fees.
The initiative is being implemented in phases, integrating core data in the first stage and adding additional data in subsequent stages.
This initiative is improving the operational effectiveness of intelligence-led policing, which has resulted in reduced victimization and increased effectiveness and efficiency in the deployment of frontline resources. The time efficiencies gained by the crime analysts are significant and the ability to identify patterns in relationships between people, places and crimes is unparalleled. Analysts report anecdotally that activities that previously took two weeks to complete are now completed in a matter of days. This project provides intelligence analysts with a secure environment, intelligence analysis tools and the ability to generate tactical, operational and strategic output with greater efficiency and timeliness. The new platforms facilitate effective collaboration across all levels of the police service.
Yes
The key messaging revolves around the use of the tool. An internal wiki has been developed to share information, best practices and questions.
No
2013-08-01