Crime Analysts

As the career of the crime analyst becomes increasingly well known and as analysts' work continues to contribute to positive results for law enforcement agencies, the need for these professionals should grow. The Department of Labor predicts about 4 percent employment growth for police and detectives, and 5 percent employment growth for private detectives and investigators, through 2033.

One factor that has added to the need for crime analysts is the emergence of community-oriented policing. The point of this type of policing is to get police officers out on the streets of their communities rather than doing paperwork at a desk. To do this, many agencies are hiring civilians for desk jobs, which allows more police officers to be a presence in their community. Crime analysis makes good use of the information that police officers collect on the streets. Good crime analysis helps to deploy officers in the right places at the right times.

The field is also growing because better software is becoming available. The newest technology—like sophisticated databases, geographic mapping systems, and artificial intelligence—gives units increased and efficient capabilities.

While this growth trend is expected to continue, it is important to recognize that it is still a competitive job market. Those who want to become crime analysts should be willing to relocate to find an agency with a job opening. They should also bear in mind that police departments are historically more likely to lay off a civilian than a street officer. When the economy is troubled, these jobs are considered non-essential.