Developing Law Enforcement and Public Safety Knowledge and Skills

for the 21st Century:

What it Means to Me

LEPSL 599 Integrative Capstone

Jennifer Estrada

October 15, 2018

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 Developing law enforcement and public safety knowledge and skills for the 21st century

is paramount to working in a contemporary police agency. My second course in the Law

Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership program was Community Assessment: Crime and

Criminal Justice. The course consisted of a comprehensive overview of modern intelligence-led

policing strategies that contemporary police agencies utilize. Participants were required to

evaluate four major sources of crime data and taught how to interpret the methodologies applied

to each source. The course prompted students to evaluate their departments current intelligence-

led policing strategies and evaluate its effectiveness.

Of all the courses I have completed during this program, this class was the most

interesting and I truly learned how to interpret crime data with a skeptical eye. In my first paper,

Crime Data Manipulation and Misrepresentation, I discuss how the Los Angeles Police

Department (LAPD) deliberately misclassified crimes to make it appear as though their crime

rates were lower than they actually were. In my third paper, Researching Crime in Your

Community, I identify significant criminal activity in the community and provide statistical

information to validate crime trends. My seventh and final paper, Intelligence Led Policing

Strategies for the Santa Monica Police Department, articulated how intelligence-led policing

could be applied to crime related issues within my community.

My first paper, Crime Data Manipulation and Misrepresentation, I discuss the

Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) method of collecting crime statistics from 18,000 agencies

as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCRP). The vital information is gathered to

assess the nature and type of crime affecting the Nation. My research articulated how the LAPD,

a main contributor to the UCRP, deliberately misclassified approximately 1,200 violent or high-

level crimes to lower-level crimes from the previous year. The manipulation of crime statistics

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allowed the LAPD the ability to omit reporting certain high-level crimes to the FBI and to city

officials who use the data to gauge the police department’s performance. Essentially, what

appeared to be crime reduction was in fact a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and the

Federal Government. In closing, I discussed how deliberate manipulation of crime statistics

creates distrust within the community and compromises the integrity of the agency as a whole.

My third paper, Researching Crime in Your Community, I identify significant criminal

activity in Santa Monica and utilize FBI and UCRP statistical information to validate crime

trends. I discuss how California law enforcement agencies have been challenged by several

voter-approved initiatives that have essentially decriminalized street drugs, lessened penalties,

reduced previous felonies to misdemeanors, and released hardened prison inmates to the county

level who are eventually released into the community. I articulate how these factors influence

the uptick in crime rates.

My seventh and final project was a collaboration of two previous module assignments

that articulated how intelligence-led policing could be applied to crime related issues within my

community. I examine the multitude of intelligence –led policing strategies and equipment my

agency currently utilizes and its effectiveness on crime rates. Conversely, I also identify

additional forms of intelligence-led policing strategies where my department is deficient and

make suggestions of improvement.

The Community Assessment: Crime and Criminal Justice curriculum was thought

provoking and expanded my knowledge base on researching crime. The biggest takeaway was

to be skeptical of information and examine how statistical information is gathered.