How the Anne Arundel County Police Department connects real-time intelligence, data analysis, operational experience, and regional partnerships to turn information into coordinated action.
At the Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACOPD), no single team sees the full picture alone. Within the Operational Intelligence Division, the Data-Driven Strategies and Crime Analysis teams work alongside Real-Time Information Center (RTIC) personnel, investigators, patrol officers, command staff, and regional partners to turn complex information into actionable intelligence.
“The driving force is a collective effort across the department. Analysts may identify a pattern, but understanding what it means requires context from across the department and our regional partners. By bringing those perspectives together, we can understand emerging problems sooner, focus our resources, and share timely, useful information with the public. That collaboration ultimately allows us to respond more effectively and better serve our communities.” —Lieutenant Erin Brandt, Section Commander of AACOPD’s Operational Intelligence Division and Real-Time Information Section
Combating auto theft over the past several years shows this model in practice. Analysts identify how and where vehicles are being targeted and connect incidents that may appear unrelated. Investigators and patrol officers add case and field intelligence, turning those findings into investigative priorities and focused deployments. Those insights also inform prevention efforts, including steering-wheel-lock distribution and public service announcements. This coordinated exchange reveals what no single dataset, case, or unit can show.
That collaboration extends beyond AACOPD. With approximately 2,000 centerline road miles and overlapping law-enforcement jurisdictions in the over 550 square miles in the area of responsibility (land and water), the department coordinates with the Annapolis Police Department, Maryland State Police, neighboring agencies, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, and other local, state, and federal agencies. Analysts across those jurisdictions maintain strong working relationships and regularly coordinate with each other, allowing them to take a broader view of public safety than any one agency could develop alone. Together, they can determine whether incidents are isolated or part of an emerging regional pattern; anticipate how activity may move across jurisdictional lines; and coordinate investigative, operational, and prevention efforts sooner.
The foundation of this work is accurate and reliable data. “Garbage in is garbage out in the world of data analysis,” Brandt says. The Department therefore emphasizes helping personnel understand that the information they record is not simply “a report”: it directly shapes investigations, mapping, resource deployment, trend analysis, and public reporting.
That same focus on data quality supports AACOPD’s transparency efforts. Through online resources and Anne Arundel County’s OpenArundel public-safety portal, residents can access daily crime snapshots and annual reports, along with dashboards covering crime, reportable uses of force, complaint information, gun violence, hate-bias incidents, and other public-safety topics. Creating these resources requires more than publishing a data extract: staff must validate and structure records, protect sensitive information, establish repeatable processes for refreshing the data, and provide enough context to make the results meaningful. That work is helping AACOPD make public-safety information easier to update, access, and understand.
As analytical technology advances, AACOPD sees opportunities to uncover connections and surface emerging patterns in hours rather than through weeks of manual review. Human validation remains essential, but accelerating the initial review can help the department recognize trends sooner, focus investigative attention, and coordinate a more immediate response when action is needed. The Department’s experience demonstrates the power of collaborative analysis: when people across roles and jurisdictions connect the pieces, they can move beyond understanding what has happened to responding in a more timely, effective manner to deliver police services and achieve public safety objectives.
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