2024 Data Analytics for Law Enforcement Survey Report

2024 SURVEY

Data Analytics for Law Enforcement

Table of Contents

Introduction and Key Findings...............................................................................................................................................3 Introduction & Methodology...................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Key Findings................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Survey Report Findings.........................................................................................................................................................7 Types of Law Enforcement Investigations.................................................................................................................................................. 8 Data Analysis Solutions Used by Law Enforcement.................................................................................................................................... 9 Most Challenging Data Sources for Law Enforcement Investigations...................................................................................................... 10 Most Important Capabilities for Law Enforcement Investigations........................................................................................................... 11 Main Limitations of Existing Data Analytics Solutions for Law Enforcement........................................................................................... 12 Plans for Changing Existing Data Analytics Solution/s Within the Next 12 Months ................................................................................ 13 The Importance of AI For the Future of Law Enforcement Investigations............................................................................................... 14 The Benefits of Using AI For Analyzing Law Enforcement Data ............................................................................................................... 15 Most Important AI Capabilities for Law Enforcement During 2024 ......................................................................................................... 16 LEA Planned Investment in Data Analytics Solutions (2024-2026)........................................................................................................... 17 Demographics .....................................................................................................................................................................18 Region, Organization Type, Department Role, and Job Role ................................................................................................................... 19 About NEXYTE ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Introduction and Key Findings

Introduction & Methodology

Since our previous survey report on data analytics for chief investigators around 18 months ago, the world has changed dramatically due to geopolitical activity and the impact of AI on virtually every industry. As a result, we were keen to reevaluate the status of data analytics within LEAs (law enforcement agencies) such as police, FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units), border police, and others.

The aim of this survey was therefore to validate some of our working assumptions regarding the challenges faced by LEA stakeholders around data analytics, as well as to learn more about their current priorities and plans for dealing with them. These include both technical challenges due to the substantial increase in data diversity and volume, as well as challenges related to analytical capabilities that are either already in use or lacking from existing data analytics solutions for law enforcement.

This report should be of particular interest to decision-makers in law enforcement, because leveraging investigative analytics has a direct impact on the ability of LEAs to resolve cases. The report offers insights on industry trends, allowing readers to either validate their current data analytics strategies or inspire them to take action to improve their capabilities. The report is also relevant to hands-on LEA professionals such as analysts, investigators and detectives, as well as senior technical/IT stakeholders in law enforcement who source, implement and integrate investigative analytics tools, while ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

Methodology

To get more insight into current trends shaping data analytics in law enforcement, we commissioned a survey of 200 decision makers – primarily from large law enforcement organizations and agencies, such as federal police, state and local police, financial intelligence units (FIUs), border police and maritime police – to shed light on their most pressing challenges and priorities.

This report was administered online by Global Surveyz Research, an independent global research firm. The survey is based on responses from senior law enforcement stakeholders, including Heads of Investigation, Heads of Research, Chief Investigators, Deputy Chiefs of Police, Assistant Chiefs of Police, Commanders, CIOs, Data Analysts, Data Scientists and Heads of Innovation.

Respondents hailed from organizations in the Americas (30%), Europe (50%) and APAC (20%). The respondents were recruited through a global B2B research panel and invited via email to complete the survey, with all responses collected during February 2024.The answers to most of the non-numerical questions were randomized to prevent order bias in the answers.

Key Findings

1. Most LEAs are still using multiple solutions to analyze their data

Only 25.5% of LEAs use one central solution for analyzing their investigation data (Figure 2). Most organizations use multiple solutions, making it harder for them to connect the dots between disparate data sources and generate crucial insights for resolving cases.

69% of FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units) use three or more separate solutions to analyze their data (Figure 3). This is likely due to a combination of challenging data formats and limited tools for investigating them. Again, this increases the odds of important data falling through the cracks, resulting in missing or inaccurate information that could impede the ability of FIUs to resolve cases effectively.

2. Unstructured data is one of the top challenges for LEA investigations

A whopping 97% of LEAs admit their current solutions for data analytics have limitations (Figure 6), with 50% claiming that the lack of support for unstructured data is one of the top limitations. This is concerning, given that the data sources LEAs find most challenging to analyze in their intelligence operations and investigations are primarily unstructured (Figure 4), and include financial records (34%), external databases and cyber data (33% each), and digital forensics and crypto data (31% each).

3. Most LEAs plan to expand, upgrade or replace their existing data analytics solution

Existing data analytics solutions for law enforcement organizations are often limited and outdated, making it difficult for analysts to keep up with changes in data formats and volumes. It's therefore no surprise that 75% of law enforcement organizations indicated they are planning, subject to budget approvals, to expand, upgrade or replace their existing data analytics solutions within the next 12 months (Figure 8).

Our findings also show there is a correlation between the number of existing data analytics solutions within LEAs and the plans to change them: the more solutions used by the organization, the more inclined it is to expand or replace them (Figure 9) in an effort to streamline and optimize their solutions, in order to reduce the potential risk of data errors hindering their investigations, and improve their performance.

4. AI is becoming crucial for LEA investigations

99% of respondents consider AI to be beneficial for law enforcement data analysis (Figure 11) and 85% believe that AI is either critical or very important to the future of law enforcement investigations (Figure 10), demonstrating a clear industry consensus. The most important AI-powered capabilities for 2024 (Figure 12) include pattern recognition (54%), image analysis (53%), and risk assessment (49%).

5. The average LEA investment in data analytics is expected to grow substantially over time

Over 90% of LEAs are planning to invest in data analytics solutions over the next three years, with data analytics representing a long-term investment priority (Figure 13). Evolving data needs and insufficient analytical capabilities are likely to be the main drivers for this trend.

Survey Report Findings

Types of Law Enforcement Investigations

Law enforcement investigative use cases tend to vary depending on the type of law enforcement organization and differing regional needs.

When asked which three main types of law enforcement investigations their organization focuses on, the top investigation types mentioned by the survey's respondents were cybercrime (53%), fraud (45%), and narcotics investigations (36%).

*Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%


Data Analysis Solutions Used by Law Enforcement

Only 25.5% of LEAs use one central solution for analyzing their investigation data (Figure 2). Most organizations use multiple solutions, making it harder for them to connect the dots between disparate data sources, and increasing the chance of overlooking crucial investigative insights and hidden patterns.

When looking more closely specifically at FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units), 69% use 3 or more separate solutions to analyze their data (Figure 3). This is likely due to a combination of challenges, including a wide range of various data formats that need to be analyzed, and the limitations of the tools currently being used to interpret them. Again, this increases the odds of important data falling through the cracks, resulting either in missing or inaccurate information that could impede the ability of FIUs to resolve cases effectively.



Most Challenging Data Sources for Law Enforcement Investigations

Given that data diversity and complexity tend to impede law enforcement investigations, we asked respondents which data sources they find most challenging to analyze in their intelligence operations and investigations. Their responses confirmed that the most challenging data sources to analyze are primarily unstructured, and include financial records (34%), external databases and cyber data (33% each), and digital forensics and crypto data (31% each).

Notably, the fact that all the data source options provided for the respondents to select were mentioned by at least a quarter and in some cases a third of them, suggests that they are all challenging for law enforcement analysts at least on some level, especially if they have to be analyzed manually.

*Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%


Most Important Capabilities for Law Enforcement Investigations

We asked respondents which features they consider to be most important for their organization in a data analytics solution. Their responses reflect the fact that law enforcement investigations often rely on dynamic and diverse data sources, which is why the capabilities they regard most highly include advanced search and filtering (46%), easy integration of new data sources (43%), and automated workflows (37%).


Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%

Main Limitations of Existing Data Analytics Solutions for Law Enforcement

A whopping 97% of LEAs admit their current law enforcement solutions for data analytics have limitations. Given that so many of the existing tools for law enforcement data analysis fall short of the capabilities needed to resolve cases in a timely manner, we asked respondents to identify the main limitations of their organization's existing solutions for data analytics (Figure 6). The top responses include a lack of support for unstructured data (50%), difficulty in meeting technical proficiency requirements (41%), and high recurring costs (41%).

When looking at the solution limitations identified specifically by those of the respondents who are in IT (Figure 7), it appears they are most concerned with a heavy reliance on external vendors (58%) and the lack of support for unstructured data (55%).



Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%

Plans for Changing Existing Data Analytics Solution/s Within the Next 12 Months

Existing data analytics solutions for LEAs are often limited and outdated, making it difficult for analysts to keep up with changes in data formats and volumes. It's therefore no surprise that when asked whether their organization is planning any changes to their current solution/s for the purpose of investigation and intelligence analysis – 75% indicated they are planning to expand, upgrade or replace their existing data analytics solutions within the next 12 months (Figure 8).

Our findings also show there is a correlation between the number of existing data analytics systems and the plans to change them: the more systems are used within the organization, the more inclined it is to expand or replace them (Figure 9). This makes sense, because the more disparate systems are used, the clumsier they are to deal with, and the more difficult it is to access data in a streamlined way that provides an accurate snapshot of all the relevant information at once. This hinders the work of law enforcement, which is why replacing multiple systems with a unified, AI-powered solution that fuses and enriches all data sources in a central hub, allows analysts to extract the critical insights they need to resolve cases more efficiently.



The Importance of AI For the Future of Law Enforcement Investigations

When asked how critical AI is to the future of law enforcement investigations, 85% of respondents indicated that it is either critical (18%) or very important (67%). Only 2% believe there is no need to incorporate AI in law enforcement investigations at all, demonstrating a clear consensus within the industry around the importance and need for AI.


The Benefits of Using AI For Analyzing Law Enforcement Data

99% of respondents consider AI to be beneficial for law enforcement data analysis.

When asked what specific benefits they expect from incorporating AI in data analytics, the top responses included better identification of suspicious patterns and hidden connections (54%), enhanced data processing speed and efficiency (49%), and increased scalability for handling larger datasets (49%).


Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%

Most Important AI Capabilities for Law Enforcement During 2024

We asked respondents which areas of AI will be the most important for LEAs to implement during 2024. The top responses included pattern recognition (54%), image analysis (53%), and risk assessment (49%), suggesting that these are the capabilities that are most needed and likely missing from AI-powered analytics in law enforcement, and therefore the top priorities.

Virtually all respondents (98%) indicated that incorporating AI in their analytics will be a priority for law enforcement in the coming year, with a significant portion of them (41-54%) selecting all of the AI capabilities listed as areas of importance.


Question allowed more than one answer and as a result, percentages will add up to more than 100%

LEA Planned Investment in Data Analytics Solutions (2024-2026)

Over 90% of LEAs are planning to invest in data analytics solutions over the next three years, representing a long-term investment priority. Evolving data needs and insufficient analytical capabilities are likely to be the main drivers for this trend.


Demographics

Region, Organization Type, Department Role, and Job Role

   

About NEXYTE

NEXYTE, Cognyte's decision intelligence platform, allows law enforcement analysts to see the full intelligence picture by fusing text, images, audio, and video files into a unified investigative workspace.

NEXYTE leverages a modular suite of advanced analytics and AI enrichment to help analysts accelerate their investigations, reveal hidden insights, and resolve cases faster.

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