CJI Forum

This homeowner had a burglar held at gunpoint awaiting the arrival of the police, but when they arrived, one officer shot him 6 times without giving a verbal warning. He was then cleared by his department of wrongdoing. Should this officer be held accountable? Or were his actions justified? Embedded video from CNN Video

Criminals as well as terrorists signal illegal activity either unwittingly or perhaps in some cases with disdain and contempt for those who are positioned to watch for such behavior. The ability to detect that signal from the din of constant activity intrinsic to daily operations is crucial. Recognition and collection of the signal must be complemented by a robust analytical capability to match with similar signals to discern potential patterns of activity and generate operational leads. In large measure that capability is a key component of the existing and emergent fusion centers. It strikes me that my colleagues Brian Kelly and Barry McManus (see p. 27 and p. 30) have, without collaboration, provided an excellent platform for discussion on signals – intentionally obscured, concealed, disguised, or recast, yet each hidden in plain sight and knowable to the trained observer. Both view the world through an Intelligence Community lens, yet each has seamlessly translated that knowledge...

The developing relationship between law enforcement and the Intelligence Community has taken a major step forward with the launching of an initiative which will bring together experts from both disciplines to examine the parallels between criminality and terrorism-more specifically, the signatures that both discriminate among and between groups and those which transcend culture, language, ethnicity, and geography. The goal is to inform and influence the tradecraft of analysis by leveraging the knowledge and experience historically resident, yet in many cases under-utilized within the domain of law enforcement. The tactics, techniques, and procedures endemic to law enforcement professionals across the world ranging from community policing through criminal investigation to the application of a cold-case methodology to discern the motive, intent, and capabilities of potential terrorists will enhance analytical and operational expertise as well as inform predictive analysis as terrorists f...

Some police colleagues in the United States viewed with trepidation the news that the “Brits” were going soft on the possession of cannabis. You may recall that the drug had been declassified. In 2004, guidelines were introduced that developed the concept of “Street Warnings” for the possession of cannabis. However, in January 2006, the Home Secretary, having taken advice from the Advisory Counsel on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), decided to keep cannabis as a Class C Drug. Police officers became confused, and as a result the top police chiefs commissioned their professional organization, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), to write updated guidelines for police officers dealing with cases of cannabis possession. They did so. The guidelines were published and implemented on January 17, 2007. The aims of the ACPO guidelines are as follows: * To give a justifiable and proportionate response in dealing with persons found in possession of cannabis which can be seen to be ethical ...

Police are expected to bring charges against the owner of a pet python that strangled a 2-year-old Florida girl in her crib, killing her. According to police, the snake's cage was not locked as mandated by Florida law, and the owner did not have a required permit to own the snake. You be the judge: Has this family been punished enough, or should criminal charges be filed? And if so, what sentence would you pass?

Today I want to take you into the realm of Artificial Intelligence and look at its potential to create an impact in the fight against terrorism. The aim of AI (artificial intelligence) is to get at what is happening when one’s mind silently and invisibly chooses, from a myriad of alternatives, which one makes most sense in a very complex situation. In many real-life situations, deductive reasoning is inappropriate, not because it would give wrong answers, but because there are too many correct but irrelevant statements which can be made; there are just too many things to take into account simultaneously for reasoning alone to be sufficient. — Douglas Hofstadter, Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is a concept that is too big to ignore and too exciting to deny. We should not be frightened by it—either its “hype” or its implied shortfalls—but rather should use it as an aid in the development of practical tools. The concept has a wider appli...