Intelligence Training

Abstract

The role of intelligence in law enforcement agencies has an important history, and its importance changed dramatically after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Expectations for law enforcement agencies to build an intelligence capacity have never been higher and fundamental changes to how information is shared and distributed has occurred. Although it is clear that intelligence is critical for responding to terrorism and other types of crime, and that there are great expectations for law enforcement agencies to conform to national standards, there is very little research that has explored the issues related to intelligence training in the United States. This article fills this gap. Specifically, we provide a brief history of the role of intelligence in law enforcement agencies and then describe current expectations. We then provide an overview of some of the national training programs that have been created to assist law enforcement in this area. We then discuss research results using data from a national assessment of intelligence practices, focusing on critical training issues. We conclude with a discussion of what efforts must be undertaken to enhance the current training that is available.