Working Towards Intelligence-Led Policing: The Phoenix Police Department Intelligence Officer Program

Abstract

Since October 2014, the Phoenix Police Department has been implementing an innovative program to integrate intelligence into patrol operations through the use of intelligence officers (IOs). The program involves the use of IOs trained to focus on information gathering and reporting to intelligence analysts as part of their daily patrol activities and working collaboratively to use intelligence to solve recurring problems. We provide an overview of the IO program and the literature on intelligence-led policing that guided its development and describe implementation efforts to date. We also discuss evaluation efforts to assess the impact of the program on intelligence gathered, officer activities, and crime, and provide initial results on effects of the program on officer attitudes from two waves of survey data, which suggest patrol officers are generally supportive of the program.