Bridging the Gap: Dr. Carter and Dr. Dorn Join Task Teams To Advance Law Enforcement Intelligence

August 8, 2023 - JJ Thomas

Dr. David Carter and Dr. Shelagh Dorn, faculty in the School of Criminal Justice, have been asked to serve on newly formed “task teams” in partnership with the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council to rapidly advance the current capabilities of law enforcement intelligence. Dr. Carter and Dr. Dorn are the only two academics who have been asked to serve on these teams.

Law Enforcement Intelligence is in a constant state of advancement. As new technologies emerge, new laws are passed, and new threats arise, the needs and demands of law enforcement intelligence also adjust.

Over the past decade, federal efforts to develop and facilitate law enforcement intelligence have stalled. This caused the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (a group created by the US Department of Justice that aids law enforcement agencies with criminal intelligence gathering) to sound the alarm that law enforcement was no longer equipped to handle the changes in extremist activity or successfully combat criminal enterprise.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (part of the US Department of Justice) has responded and committed funding to improve law enforcement intelligence, and MSU will be serving an integral role.

With the funding provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC) will be holding an Intelligence Summit that addresses the changing needs of law enforcement.

For the Summit, 7 “Task Teams” have been created to begin work on addressing the gap between current law enforcement intelligence capacity and law enforcement intelligence needs. Dr. Shelagh Dorn will serve as the co-chair of Task Team 4 which is specializing in Intelligence Training and Technical Assistance. Dr. David Carter is serving alongside Dr. Dorn on Task Team 4 and is also serving on Task Team 5: Intelligence Policy.

The Task Teams are moving rapidly, with all work expected to be completed by August 2024. Dr. David Carter describes the end product being “The cutting-edge application of law enforcement intelligence.”