NCJ Number
207854
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 82,84,86,88,89
Editor(s)
Ed Sanow
Date Published
October 2004
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the use of knowledge management in law enforcement as a means of storing and maintaining the intellectual capital from seasoned and experienced criminal investigators.
Abstract
When a criminal investigator retires, he/she turns in their law books, their procedural manual, and computer, but he/she will take with him/her the most valuable asset, his/her experiences. Law enforcement must develop the supportive structure to capture those experiences before they are lost forever. One way of doing this is through knowledge management. There are three concepts to knowledge management: (1) define what knowledge is relevant to an individual versus an organizational context; (2) enterprise knowledge management builds on all internal and external sources of knowledge; and (3) ascribe to the belief and practice that knowledge management is people as a mantra is the key. A criminal investigator’s critical skills consist of developing a strategy for case investigation, interviewing victims, testifying competently in a court setting, and most importantly interrogating a suspect. These critical skills most often do not get documented anywhere other than in the investigator’s mind. These facets of the investigative process can become a treasure chest for a knowledge management endeavor. Avenues in which to capture and diffuse the tacit knowledge can include: the Internet, expert directories, white papers and in-house journals, training bulletins, mentoring, rotational assignments, and chief knowledge officers.