Hiring An AnalystInterviewing CandidatesThe oral board process gives the hiring agency an opportunity to determine the qualifications of the candidate and how that candidate might fit within the agency. Along with standard questions your agency may use to learn about a prospective employee, the following questions may be used to determine the candidate’s knowledge and abilities to perform the duties of a Crime Analyst. Following each question is a set of answers that can be used to rate the responses given by the applicant. The answers provided are not meant to be an exhaustive list. Comparing the applicant’s responses to these answers should give the hiring committee an idea of the applicant’s qualifications.
Testing CandidatesThe written exam for a crime analyst position helps determine which candidates possess the necessary or desired knowledge and skills for the position. The written exam should cover the various duties that the analyst will be expected to perform. Each of the following sections tests the knowledge of the applicant to perform the duties of a crime analyst. StatisticsAn analyst needs to have at least a minimum level of knowledge with statistics to measure the performance of the agency and compare rates of crime. This section provides examples of questions that can be used to determine the level of knowledge that the candidate possesses to perform the statistical duties of an analyst. Given a set of numbers, what is the mean, median, and mode?
Provide a set of crime statistics for a multi-year timeframe. Have the applicant determine the percentage change for certain crimes within a certain timeframe. Below are sample data and questions that can be included in this section.
Download this sample data with solutions
Calculating Crime RatesDetermine the crime rate per 100,000 (the standard for UCR comparisons) given the following statistics:
Knowledge of AnalysisUnderstanding the main types of crime analysis and the benefits that each provides to the agency is essential for the successful candidate. The following questions are designed to test the candidate’s general knowledge of crime analysis. Which type of analysis describes the daily identification and analysis of emerging or existing crime patterns, including series and hot spots?
Analyzing long-term crime trends, problems, and their causes is the focus of which type of analysis?
The study of demographic changes in a jurisdiction, preparation of Uniform Crime Reports, and the creation of crime information for presentation to City Council all fall under which type of analysis?
Which type of analysis describes the study of a police department’s own operations and policies, including its allocation of personnel, money, equipment, and other resources?
Which type of analysis concentrates on the collection and dissemination of information about criminals, particularly organizations and conspiracies?
Two or more related crimes believed to be committed by the same offender or group of offenders is a:
A statistical procedure designed to determine if there is a relationship between two variables is:
What is the process of translating addresses or numeric coordinates into points on a map. In law enforcement, this is mostly referred to as “address matching”:
The acronym, “GIS” stands for:
An area of high crime, events that form a cluster, or a single place with many crimes all describe a:
The process in which an analyst reviews police reports with the aim of identifying and analyzing a pattern of crimes that is believed to be committed by the same offender or offenders is called:
The acronym, “SARA” stands for:
Which of the following is NOT a NIBRS Group A data segment?
Which of the following is NOT a Part-I Crime?
Practical ExercisesTo test the candidate’s skill level in Excel, have him/her produce a chart based on crime statistics. Provide the candidate a spreadsheet of crime statistics for a one or two year period and ask them to produce a chart that compares certain crime types within a certain timeframe. Provide a scenario (incident reports or narrative describing a crime series) and have the applicant perform analysis on the information provided. The information should include a crime trend, pattern, or some commonality that gives the candidate the opportunity to show how they would relate the incidents (and not relate ones that don’t have aspects in common). Candidate work products could include a crime matrix, summary analysis narrative, or crime bulletin. Forecasting – given a set of dates/times, have the candidate predict when the next crime in a series is likely to occur. |
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