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A strong profession needs a shared understanding of what excellence looks like. NACA’s professional standards resources are designed to help define the knowledge, skills, expectations, and professional principles that support effective crime analysis. These resources provide a foundation for analysts at every stage of their careers while also helping agencies better understand, develop, and support the analytical function.
Together, these documents are intended to strengthen consistency across the profession without losing sight of the diversity of roles, agencies, and environments in which analysts work. They can be used to support professional development, identify areas for growth, inform agency practices, and help advance a broader conversation about what crime analysts need to succeed. Developing common competencies and standards has long been part of professionalizing the analytical field.
NACA believes that advancing the profession requires more than defining the technical skills and competencies of crime analysts. It also requires establishing a shared understanding of the resources, opportunities, organizational support, and professional environment analysts need to perform their work effectively. The Crime Analyst Bill of Rights outlines ten principles addressing areas such as access to data, professional development, appropriate technology, data quality, professional voice, clear expectations, ethical practice, recognition, innovation, and professional community. Together, these principles provide a framework for conversations between analysts, agency leaders, and other public safety stakeholders about what is necessary to build and sustain strong analytical programs.
NACA is also developing original research, white papers, and professional guidance that examine some of the larger issues affecting crime analysts and the future of the profession. Upcoming publications will include a national salary report providing greater insight into compensation across the field, a white paper on funding crime analysis examining the importance of sustained investment in analytical personnel and capabilities, and a white paper on artificial intelligence for crime analysts exploring the opportunities, considerations, and evolving role of AI in analytical work.
These publications are intended to go beyond identifying challenges by providing information that can support meaningful conversations and better decision-making. By combining research, practitioner perspectives, professional guidance, and practical recommendations, NACA aims to develop resources that are useful not only to individual analysts, but also to supervisors, agency leaders, policymakers, and others who influence how crime analysis is funded, supported, and integrated into public safety. As the profession continues to evolve, NACA will continue identifying issues where a stronger collective voice, additional research, or clearer professional guidance can help move the field forward. Additional publications are currently in development and will be released as they become available.