One of the first decisions is to choose a crime analyst. The question confronting commanders is whether to use a commissioned officer or to hire a civilian. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages. Officers have the advantage of being able to gain the respect of their colleagues more quickly, whereas civilians are often educated specifically for conducting analysis and are much more likely to make crime analysis a career. A review of the core skill list developed by the International Association of Crime analysts also provides support for hiring civilians. The roles and responsibilities of an analysis differ according to the size of the agency. The agency should assign the crime analysis unit to the division that will benefit from the unit’s expertise. Experience suggests the desirability of assigning them to patrol or investigative divisions to provide strategic and tactical action support to their agencies. Placing the unit in an obscure location is a mistake. New analyst must network with analysts in other local and national agencies to determine which crimes to analyze first, what crimes to analyze, and other issues. The International Association of Crime analysts aims to enhance effectiveness and consistency in crime and intelligence analysis. List of additional resources