Homework Question on Culture of Collection
- Analyze and explain what you believe a “Culture of Collection” is in the context of a law enforcement agency involved in the Intelligence Process or Cycle.
Homework Answer on Culture of Collection
The law enforcement agencies endeavor to maintain reserved and structured organizational environment, which enhance constancy, competence, and order. They usually achieve this through the Intelligence Cycle. Intelligence Cycle involves developing raw data into polished knowledge to be utilized by the policymakers in making decisions. Collection is the art of gathering raw information to generate finished intelligence, which is processed through the Intelligence Cycle.
Thus, the culture of collection focuses on accumulation of intelligence, which is utilized by the law enforcement. The law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies are two different cultures. While the law enforcement collect information for prosecution, the intelligence agencies gather political, as well as military intelligence to be used by policy makers.
Activities that constitute the collection of intelligence include interviews, searches, physical examination, linkages, and human source operation. Such activities are linked to the law enforcement agencies through organizational culture. The culture of the law enforcement advocates for collection of information about suspect to build cases upon which suspects can be found guilty. The theory of Intelligence Cycle asserts that the collection and systematic functions are chronological, and that the systematic functions can begin once the collection function is complete (Phythian 27).