By Susan C. Hammen (Smith)
On behalf of the IACA, I would like to start by expressing our appreciation to the Police Foundation for including a column from the IACA President in the Crime Analysis & Mapping News newsletter. We are grateful to have been included in this very important endeavor and affirm the full support of the IACA for the Police Foundation moving forward with developing a timely and useful publication for those interested in this field. I recall the original publication from the Police Foundation back in the day and eagerly receiving and reading each and every issue. I stored them all in a file folder in my desk (the good ol’ days!) and remember lending them out (and praying I’d get them back!) to colleagues who had an interest in a particular topic, article or just wanted to read a copy of the current issue. The newsletters were well written, practical and always on timely topics! I remember a couple of “special issues” and being so excited to hear for the first time about geographic profiling, regional crime analysis and other “breaking” topics. Fast forward to today – readers will be treated with timely topics that are well written and practical for application – perhaps even written by some of you reading this column!
For those of you receiving the newsletter, but not familiar with the IACA, I encourage you to visit our website (www.iaca.net) and to consider joining the professional association. Dues are a low $25 annually and with the membership, you also have access to the membership roster (over 2,500 members from over 50 countries!) and to the IACA’s discussion list. You also receive discounts and/or waivers to conferences, training, webinars and other IACA services. The IACA IS the professional association for crime analysts and its mission includes furthering the profession of crime analysis, providing quality training and resources for analysts, supporting analysts and aspiring analysts worldwide, educating law enforcement and citizens on our capabilities, standardizing crime analysis approaches and techniques and leveraging our networking capabilities to strengthen our profession. The IACA Board, elected by the members to represent them in 3-year terms, ensures that the efforts, finances and direction of the IACA supports the mission at all times. If you have any questions about the IACA, please email board@iaca.net and all board members will receive your inquiry and respond in a timely manner.
I would once again like to commend the Police Foundation for re-vitalizing this important publication and publically provide full support on behalf of the IACA for the Police Foundation’s efforts in providing timely, relevant and practical information to the field. I encourage recipients to spread the word about the newsletter, leverage the information and resources provided and to consider contributing to its content. Together, we continue to build and grow the foundations of our field.
Sincerely,
Susan C. Hammen (Smith)
IACA President
