Crime and Corrections Analyst in Residence Program

Law enforcement departments across the country are charged with addressing critical issues related to public safety, such as surging violent crime. In support of this mission, agencies are increasingly turning to data tools and analysis to guide operational decisions. Yet these efforts are challenged by limited capacity and resources, turnover in leadership, and external pressures, as well as the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing public scrutiny around criminal justice policy and practice.

CNA proposes to work with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to establish a national crime analysis training and technical assistance (TTA) program. The goal of this program is to expand the use of data analysis and analytics in the management of law enforcement operations and practices and implementation of violence reduction strategies. CNA will partner with IDEA Analytics and a cadre of experts and practitioners to develop the crime analysis TTA program. This approach will bring together a complementary set of skills and knowledge, along with CNA’s accomplished track record of directing national TTA programs and unique expertise embedding researchers into practitioner agencies, makes us well-qualified to execute this project.

CNA’s approach to TTA is rooted in our ability to meet the needs of each individual agency and tailor services. We also help agencies collaboratively identify and work towards common goals. Thus, we propose six activities to fulfill BJA’s objectives for this program:

1.    Organize Project Kickoff and Management: We will meet with BJA to review our project plans and establish channels of communication and coordination.
2.    Identify and Select Sites for TTA: We will recruit and select through an application process jurisdictions experiencing precipitous increases in crime.

3.    Provide In-Residence and Ad Hoc TTA: Our cadre of experts will provide crime TTA to up to 20 sites in jurisdictions experiencing precipitous increases in crime. We will also provide ad hoc support around crime analysis to additional sites.
4.    Support SMEs and Peer Learning: We will organize in-person and remote meetings and a learning exchange with our cadre of experts.
5.    Disseminate Products and Deliverables: We will work with BJA to develop a project-specific website for the model tools, training materials, and other products developed through this project.
6.    Evaluate TTA: We will collect and report on relevant performance measures and outcomes to assess and improve our TTA delivery.