What is the Value of Crime Analysts?

About a year ago, my team at Justice & Security Strategies started getting questions from police departments.

Administrators at smaller departments were asking: “What is the value of crime analysis and how do we defend the requests we want to make for these civilian positions?” 

Before long, administrators from medium and large departments, facing budget cuts, were inquiring about similar dilemmas: “How do we keep crime analysts, justify them, make sure people understand what they do—and how do we work with the city budget people who don’t understand crime analysis and its value?”