Proactive Prevention Doesn’t Stop at the Data

Evidence-based and problem-oriented approaches to crime prevention are often framed as police-centric — but the reality is that these mindsets apply across the entire public-safety and criminal-justice system.

From patrol officers and correctional staff, to probation and parole, analysts, prosecutors, service providers, and policy makers, proactive prevention only works when each role understands how problems develop, why they repeat, and how their actions influence risk for everyone else.

When it comes to proactive crime prevention, few roles are as critical — and as underutilized — as crime analysts.

Analysts are often viewed as report generators or data technicians. But in reality, they are the ones who help the system see patterns before harm becomes inevitable.

If proactive prevention is about seeing sooner, analysts help everyone see clearer.

Crime, violence, and disorder are rarely random. They cluster around specific people, places, times, and conditions. Analysts are uniquely positioned to identify those patterns, connect disparate data sources, and translate information into insight that supports smarter decisions across the system.

That’s exactly where evidence-based and problem-oriented thinking comes to life.

In many agencies, analysts are brought in after problems have already escalated — asked to explain what happened rather than help prevent what’s coming next. When that happens, a powerful prevention resource is reduced to a reactive function.

Problem-oriented thinking doesn’t ask analysts to simply count incidents. It asks them to help answer deeper questions, such as:

• Why does this problem keep occurring here?

• What conditions appear before incidents escalate?

• Which people, places, or routines are driving repeat harm?

• What has changed — or hasn’t — despite past responses?

Those questions matter far beyond policing.

Analysts help inform:

• Patrol strategies and resource deployment,

• Correctional trends and institutional risk,

• Probation and parole supervision priorities,

• Prosecutorial charging and diversion decisions,

• Service provider engagement and intervention,

• Policy decisions that shape long-term outcomes.

When analyst insights remain siloed, each part of the system is left reacting to only the piece it can see.

What About Agencies Without a Crime Analyst?

Many smaller or rural agencies don’t have a dedicated crime analyst — and some may not even know where to find one.

That doesn’t mean analysis isn’t available.

In many regions, analytical support already exists through:

• Real-Time Crime Centers (RTCCs)

• Regional Crime Analysis Centers

• Fusion Centers

• State or regional intelligence units

• Larger neighboring agencies

These entities often have analysts who are capable — and frequently willing — to support smaller agencies with problem identification, pattern analysis, and prevention-focused insights.

At the same time, proactive prevention requires initiative.

Smaller agencies benefit when they:

• Ask for analytical support

• Share their problems and data

• Communicate what they are seeing on the ground

• Seek help identifying patterns they don’t have the capacity to see alone

And regional analytical centers, RTCCs, and fusion centers play a critical role when they:

• Clearly communicate what support they offer

• Make themselves accessible to smaller agencies

• Translate analytical products into actionable insight

• Build relationships before crises occur

Prevention works best when analysis is treated as a shared regional capability, not a luxury reserved for large departments.

From a proactive prevention perspective, analysts aren’t just supporting operations — they’re supporting decision-making.

Their work helps identify:

• Repeat locations, individuals, and patterns

• Emerging problems before they become crises

• Whether strategies are actually reducing harm

• Where attention and resources are being wasted

• What’s working — and what isn’t

Equally important, analysts help challenge assumptions.

They provide the evidence that turns intuition into understanding, and understanding into action. In doing so, they protect agencies from chasing anecdotes instead of addressing root causes.

Proactive prevention doesn’t require analysts to dictate tactics or policy. It requires their insights to be heard, shared, and integrated into how decisions are made.

When analysts are treated as strategic partners — rather than downstream support — the entire system benefits.

EBP and POP don’t stop at the report, the map, or the dashboard.

They begin there.

Because proactive prevention isn’t just about responding faster.

It’s about understanding problems well enough to prevent them.

And proactive prevention doesn’t stop at the data.