Raytown Police Analyst Receives Top Honor

On Wednesday, October 12, the International Association for Crime Analysts posted an announcement on their website listing the winners of their 2011 IACA Bulletin and Analytical Product Contest.  Each year, the IACA holds a contest for members to submit their analytical products for review and judgment.  These are products that the members prepared in the course of the year which were distributed within their respective agencies to assist in, or in support of, an investigation.  They are judged in five categories:  Charting, Intelligence, Statistical, Mapping and Tactical. 

The official announcements of this year’s winners were first made during the annual training conference which was held this year in Hyannis, MA in September.  This year, the first place winner in the Statistical Category was Mr. Kyle Stoker, the Crime Analyst for the Raytown Police Department.  Mr. Stoker, a former police officer from another metropolitan agency, joined the Raytown Police Department in June of 2010.  He assumed responsibility for building the Crime Analysis program here, which is part of the improvements brought about by the 2009 Public Safety Sales tax initiative. 

“We are proud of Mr. Stoker’s contributions,” said Police Chief Jim Lynch.  “We look forward to the improvements that his efforts will bring to the future of Raytown law enforcement.”  Mr. Stoker is responsible for such public products as the crime map published on the internet (http://www.raidsonline.com/?address=Raytown,MO) and most of the crime prevention articles on one of the two Department blog sites.  (http://raytownpolice.blogspot.com/)  According to Captain Ted Bowman, Mr. Stoker is critical to the efforts to modernize the Department’s communications with the public.  He is working with a handful of other volunteer members to try to centralize all of the Department’s public technology products into a new central website that will better serve the citizens. 

Mr. Stoker’s recognition comes from the only world-wide association of crime analysts:  “The International Association of Crime Analysts was formed in 1990 to help crime analysts around the world improve their skills and make valuable contacts, to help law enforcement agencies make the best use of crime analysis, and to advocate for standards of performance and technique within the profession itself.”