police tracking activists (the more things change...)

[Faustine]

Subcommander Bob wrote: 

>ANAHEIM -- Detectives compiling information on Latino activists used an 
>investigative technique typically reserved for investigating organized 
>crime, drug networks and street gangs, according to a former police 
>captain. Police, under orders from Chief Roger Baker, created 
>organizational charts on five Latino activists who complained about
>alleged police misconduct. Baker presented the confidential report Nov. 
>14, 2000, to the City Council in a closed-door briefing. Retired Capt. 
>Marc Hedgpeth said the charts showing the activists and their connections 
>to community groups were part of a process called "link analysis," often 
>used to outline conspiracies.

If you're interested in how this works, here's a link to some interesting 
free demo software, for those who haven't seen it already:


The Analyst's Notebook
http://www.i2.co.uk/products/an/index_ns.htm

The Analyst's Notebook is the world's leading visual investigative analysis 
software, used in 1200 organizations world-wide. It assists investigators 
by uncovering, interpreting, and displaying complex information in easily-
understood chart form. 

The Analyst's Notebook includes two main tools for differently types of 
analysis, the Link Notebook and the Case Notebook.

The Link Notebook supports:

Link Analysis chart (also called Association charts) 
Commodity Flow charts 
Activity Charts 
Network or high volume link analysis charts 
The Case Notebook supports:

Timeline or Sequence of Events Charts 
Case Flow or Transaction charts 
Combined Charts Showing Events and Flows 
Use the power of the Analyst's Notebook to:

Visualize your Data! The Analyst's Notebook gives you a range of 
visualization formats, each one shedding a different light on your 
information. 

The Analysts Notebook supports the full range of analytical conventions 
adopted by analysts world-wide. 

In addition, the extensive features enable you to quickly find the 
connections between related sets of information, and reveal significant 
patterns in your data. 
 
Analyze Information from Many Sources The Analyst's Notebook can 
automatically analyze a dataset and portray it in the chart format of your 
choice. It helps you navigate through large networks in order to unravel 
complex relationships and quickly discover key information. 
The analytical techniques you can apply include:

Link Analysis 
Timeline Analysis 
Network Analysis 
 
Create Intelligent Graphics In the Analyst's Notebook, chart items aren't 
just symbolic representations, they link back to the records in your data. 
Clicking on a chart item allows instant viewing or editing of the 
supporting information. 

.. and Present a Professional Picture. Use Analyst's Notebook's rich 
graphical environment to create charts for use in briefings and easily 
create "the picture that speaks a thousand words"! 

The Analyst's Notebook has proven to significantly increase the 
productivity of investigative teams, to help both analysts and managers 
achieve and retain an understanding of multiple cases and extensive data. 
The charts have proven successful in conveying complex information to 
judges and juries." 

"Intelligence-led Policing
In 1996, the UK hosted the European Football (Soccer) Championship 'Euro 
96'. the British Government was determined that the football action would 
not be overshadowed by hooliganism.

A special unit was set up at New Scotland Yard to police the competition. 
the unit included an intelligence cell equipped with i2's Analysts 
Notebook linked to a text database.

The majority of countries represented at the Euro 96 competition already 
used the i2 Analysts Notebooks to analyze crime in their own countries. 
Each country sent a representative to liaise with the British police and 
the product provided a common format for exchanging intelligence between 
them.

The analysts used the Analysts Notebook to create charts identifying the 
trouble makers and showing the links between them. 

These charts were used in briefings at all levels to show the remarkably 
complex associations identified by the analysis. Senior officers were then 
able to identify possible problems and prevent trouble by targeting 
resources in the right locations. 

The i2 Analyst's Notebook charts were then included within the intelligence 
briefing packs and distributed to the operational units. They proved to be 
a very powerful method of showing problem areas and significantly 
contributed to the success of the operation. The disruptive elements were 
often intercepted before they reached the stadium.

The country-wide operation successfully identified and prevented many 
potential incidents in the days, hours and minutes leading up to the Euro 
96 matches. The operational teams used the intelligence to good effect, 
ensuring that the games were enjoyed in the trouble-free atmosphere they 
deserve."
 
Analyst's Workstation
 
A tailored software solution that has proved effective in law enforcement 
for tackling Crime and Social Disorder, and has applications within the 
commercial sector for loss prevention, such as fraudulent claims against 
insurance companies. 
The Analyst's Workstation integrates the complete i2 suite of analysis 
tools, enabling you to switch seamlessly between different analysis 
techniques without losing the overall thread of your work:

Spatial, through links to Geographical Information Systems - highlighting 
concentrations of activity or "hotspots".

Statistical, with iGlass (see below)

Associative, with Analyst's Notebook - identifying associations and networks

Temporal, with Analyst's Notebook - showing how events and activities 
relate to time 
Visual Querying, with iBase (see below) 
At the heart of the Analyst's Workstation, iBase is a database that 
provides a central repository for information from a variety of sources, in 
a structured and co-herent manner. iBase includes user-friendly features, 
such as Visual Querying, which enables you to easily ask questions of the 
data and quickly find the information you require.

iGlass is a state-of-the-art data-mining tool which enables you to explore 
and present your data in a variety of statistical formats. You can identify 
patterns and trends, make comparisons between data-sets and highlight 
exceptions from the norm, all of which can be presented in a range of 
graphs and charts for reporting purposes.

Seamless integration with the Analyst's Notebook., so you can conduct 
detailed link and timeline analysis of the data. Represented as a 'chart' 
you can analyse the detail of your information and visually identify the 
key entities, common associations, sequence of events and location of 
scenarios.

Integration to leading GIS suppliers enables you to conduct spatial 
analysis, for example, viewing the location and number of incidences within 
your chosen geographical area.

With the Analyst's Workstation you can more easily identify, consider and 
communicate complex scenarios, giving you an understanding of your problem 
which is fundamental to the formulation and implementation of strategies to 
address it."