CIAC Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CIAC facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which structured analytical technique is specifically designed to counter confirmation bias in strategic assessments? → Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH)
2. How does spatial analysis contribute to crime pattern recognition? → Identifies high-risk locations
3. Which metric best identifies the most influential 'broker' in a criminal network? → Betweenness centrality
4. The 'likelihood' component in a risk formula most commonly represents: → The probability that a specific threat will successfully exploit a vulnerability
5. Which act requires agencies to limit data collection to what is legally necessary? → Fair Information Practice Principles
6. Which software platform is most widely used by US law enforcement for link analysis and criminal network visualization? → IBM i2 Analyst's Notebook
7. What is the significance of data triangulation in crime analysis? → Cross-verifies results by combining data sources
8. A criminal network's 'key node' is best identified by its: → High degree of centrality and influence over information or resource flow
9. What is the primary purpose of 'choropleth mapping' in crime analysis? → To display crime rates or densities across defined geographic units using color gradients
10. The 'journey to crime' concept in geographic profiling refers to: → The distance and route an offender typically travels from their home base to commit crimes
11. What federal law protects the privacy of individuals’ information used in intelligence analysis? → Privacy Act of 1974
12. Which emerging technology is increasingly applied to analyze large volumes of video surveillance footage for crime intelligence purposes? → Computer vision and AI-powered video analytics
13. When conducting temporal network analysis of a criminal enterprise, analysts examine: → How the network's structure and relationships change over time
14. The 'anchor point theory' in geographic profiling suggests that an offender's crimes cluster around: → Significant activity nodes such as home, workplace, or social hangouts
15. What is a crime hot spot? → Location with high concentration of criminal activity
16. What are the ethical considerations in data collection for crime analysis? → Ensuring privacy, confidentiality, and avoiding bias
17. What is the primary purpose of a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system in law enforcement? → To manage and coordinate real-time emergency response and patrol unit deployment
18. Which GIS layer would be most useful when analyzing outdoor drug market locations in an urban environment? → Street network, lighting infrastructure, and transit stop locations
19. Which of the following is NOT typically considered an OSINT source? → Encrypted private messages obtained via wiretap
20. What is the significance of primary data in crime analysis? → Direct information gathered from original sources
21. What is the purpose of a 'criticality assessment' in law enforcement threat analysis? → To identify and rank assets based on how important they are to operations or safety
22. Why is informed consent important in crime intelligence practices? → It ensures respect for individual rights.
23. What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play in modern crime intelligence analysis? → AI assists analysts by automating pattern recognition and processing large datasets
24. What is the role of GIS in crime analysis? → Helps map and analyze crime data by location
25. In crime intelligence, 'threat capability' refers to: → The resources and skills a threat actor possesses to carry out an attack
26. What is a 'crime hotspot' in geospatial crime analysis? → A geographic area with a statistically significant concentration of criminal activity
27. Predictive policing technology is primarily designed to accomplish which of the following? → Forecast where and when crimes are likely to occur based on historical data analysis
28. What is the role of intelligence sharing in crime pattern recognition? → Helps identify region-wide crime patterns
29. The DHS National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) issues which two types of advisories? → Elevated and Imminent Threat Alerts
30. How can pattern analysis improve policing strategies? → Allocates resources efficiently and targets interventions