Intelligence Requirements and Threat Assessment.pdf

10 Intelligence Requirements and Threat Assessment C H A P T E R T E N 147 Information is needed to make decisions – the higher the quality and the more comprehensive the information, the more sound the decision. If an executive is going to make a decision about implementing a new program, he or she needs information on the costs, benefits, and risks of the program as well as the more difficult dimension of what benefits will be lost if a program is not implemented. Typically, the information sought is not conclusive, but based on probability, the experience of others, experimentation, logic or, sometimes, an educated guess. Not having sufficient reliable information makes the decision process more difficult (and risky). Intelligence Requirements and Threat Assessment 148 Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies The same phenomenon applies to the operational world of criminal intelligence. To adequately assess the threats from a terrorist group or criminal enterprise, information is needed for a comprehensive analysis. Oftentimes during the course of the analytic process, critical information is missing that prevents a complete and accurate assessment of the issue. This is a gap, an unanswered question related to a criminal or terrorist threat. An intelligence requirement is identified and information needs to aid in answering questions related to criminal or terrorist threats.177 Filling Gaps/Fulfilling Requirements The information collection process needs to be focused so that specific information needs are fulfilled. This increases efficiency of the process and ensures that the right information needs are being targeted. Too often in the past a “dragnet” approach was used for collecting information, and analysts and investigators would examine the information in hopes of discovering the “pearls” that may emerge. As illustrated in Figure 10-1, there are a number of differences between the traditional app