LPD’s crime analyst unit internationally recognized

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - To celebrate National Crime and Intelligence Appreciate Day, KCBD sat down with two internationally recognized crime analysts with the Lubbock Police Department.

KCBD got an inside look into what the job of a crime analyst entails and the project for which they were recognized.

“Many departments are realizing the necessity for data-driven policing and civilians can play a really impactful part in driving that,” LPD crime analyst Jessica Clements said.

Jessica Clements and T.J. Yoakum are two crime analysts at the Lubbock Police Department. Their job requires them to wear many different hats, from crime statistics to forensics to investigations.

“It looks different by the hour, just whatever is happening that day we will be involved some way, somehow,” Yoakum said.

Among crime analysts from all around the world, both Clements and Yoakum submitted their work to the international crime analyst conference, and brought home two awards for Lubbock. These behind-the-scenes jobs can sometimes go unnoticed, but many in the department refer to the unit as their ‘problem-solvers,’ and that is what their work showed.

“Were struggling with our response times in the south due to so much construction, how much the population has expanded there in the last couple years, and the size of the south division,” Clements said.

Clements’ award-winning solution was to completely restructure the south division to decrease the response time for emergency crews. Clements was in dispatch for seven years; she said she was tired of being there after the crime.

“Now I’m hoping that I can help stop it from happening, we’re trying to stop the crime, prevent it from happening so we don’t have to clean up after it,” Clements said.

Yoakum created a data dashboard that makes historic and recent data easily accessible to see where help is needed. Both projects allow the department to allocate their resources more efficiently to make the department run more effectively.

Those interested in crime analysis can apply for the open position at the Lubbock Police Department.

Copyright 2023 KCBD. All rights reserved.