What is Intelligence Analysis?
Ruggeri Case Intelligence Analysis (RCIA) has launched and in full swing. I am sure many of you are wondering what is intelligence analysis and how can it assist the cases in your law firm. I am excited to be bringing this critical thinking career field out to trial litigation. I am going to explain what it is and then start covering how it can help you. Over the next few months, I will take certain aspects of this career field and get more into depth as to how RCIA can assist your cases. Until I post that information, if you have any questions or want to talk about how I can assist please call me, phone number at the bottom of the article.
During my 20 year law enforcement career, I have had numerous defense interviews on investigations
I worked. Once I explained who I was and what my role was, we then started the interview on key aspects in the investigation I directly supported. After each interview, one of the attorneys would follow me out of the room and ask why this concept was not available to them. This is where I came up with the business concept for RCIA.
Let’s look at a few definitions of intelligence analysis.
- “Intelligence Analysis is the process of taking known information about situations and
entities of strategic, operational, or tactical importance, characterizing the known, and, with appropriate statements of probability, the future actions in those situations and by those entities”. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_analysis - “Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural on text”. https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/analytic-culture-in-the-u-s-intelligence-community/chapter_1.htm
- “The identification of and provision of insight into the relationship between crime data and other potentially relevant data with a view to police and judicial practice”. http://www.interpol.int/Public/cia/default.asp
- “Intelligence Analysis and Production is the merging of data and information for the purpose of analyzing, linking, and disseminating timely and actionable intelligence with an emphasis on the larger public safety and homeland security threat picture. This process focuses on the consolidation of analytical products… this capability also includes the examination of raw data to identify threat pictures, recognize potentially harmful patterns, or connect suspicious links to discern potential indications or warnings”. http://www.ema.ohio.gov/documents/pdfs/Target_Capabilities/TCL_Intel_Analysis_and_Production_May_2008.pdf
As you can see there are numerous definitions. They all have important aspects in how I would define intelligence analysis but are focused mainly on the military and law enforcement usage. In researching the definition, I was amazed at all the published articles from university students and the military. This career field has grown tremendously since 9/11.
I am going to define intelligence analysis in my own words in an effort to bring it all together for usage in all areas; military, law enforcement and trial litigation.
Intelligence Analysis is sorting through the raw data, pulling out pertinent information and connecting the; who, what, why, where, when and how then putting this information into a format that is searchable and comprehensive to the intended audience.
Raw data is information. This information can be any form of records, to name a few; phone records, financial records, medical records, business records, criminal records, prior case records…
It may sound easy but intelligence analysis is a methodical process of critically thinking the data and coming to a better understanding of its value and meaning. Intelligence analysts are extremely detail oriented. We tend to find that one link or piece of information buried in the mounds of paperwork that bridges all the information together. Another aspect to analysis is once this pertinent data is extracted, it is put into a format that is searchable and more easily understood by the audience. The audience for trial litigation will be juries. If you have a complex case with a large amount of data, RCIA can put this pertinent information into a format that the jury will understand.
In all my years of being an intelligence analyst and hiring analysts not everyone has this logical and concessive mind frame to look at data analytically. The analytical mind cannot be taught, one must either have it or not. I personally tend to take it to the extreme but that is why I had a successful 20 year career in local and federal law enforcement. While working law enforcement investigations, the most successful investigations had the attorney, detective/investigator and analyst working side by side throughout the investigation and trial. Each person sees the information differently from their own expertise and career field training but the combination of each will get questions/issues that arise solved and answered. I have seen the success of this first hand.
Bringing intelligence analysis to trial litigation, here are a few questions I have for you.
- You have a new client that has a claim for a suit. Who does the research? Who analyzes the information once it is all collected then extracts pertinent facts to see if it could be a viable
case? The larger law firms could have staff to complete this task. What if you are a one attorney firm? - You have a large amount of data (any kind of data). Who takes the time to review it, extract the pertinent information and analyze it?
- You have a criminal case that involved a large amount of phone records that have been subpoenaed by law enforcement. Who analyzes this information? Do you have the software to do the analyzing or trained personnel?
- You have a case that involves a large amount of financial data. Who analyzes this information? An accountant can put this information into an understandable format and get it all organized but some do not know how to review it like a forensic financial analyst can.
I understand that there are businesses out there that can make graphical displays and charts for trial. Ruggeri Case Intelligence Analysis is mainly focused on the analysis of the data but is fully capable of creating the graphical presentations. Case intelligence analysis involves the steps between getting the raw data to the graphical presentation.
I put this in my brochure. Data that is not analyzed is just data. Data that is analyzed is knowledge. Without analysis, there is only data and stacks of paper. Analysis is a journey into understanding and presenting a case/investigation.
Each and every case that has the potential of going to trial can benefit from case analysis and this is what Ruggeri Case Intelligence Analysis specialized in. Call and talk to the founder Lisa Ruggeri for more information, Website.
Lisa Ruggeri 