Hamilton County, TN – The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce that Crime and Intelligence Analyst Jessica Elsmore has received the prestigious Certified Law Enforcement Analyst (CLEA) certification from the International Association of Crime Analysts.

The International Association of Crime Analyst (IACA) was founded in 1990 to help crime analysts around the world improve their skills and make valuable contacts and to help law enforcement agencies make the best use of their crime analysts. The IACA also advocates for standards of performance and techniques within the crime analyst profession. There are currently over 4,000 members of the IACA worldwide and of those, only approximately 100 have passed the difficult and prestigious certification exam.

Prior to sitting for the CLEA exam, analysts must demonstrate that they meet three prerequisites. They must have at least three years of full‐time experience as an analyst in the field of law enforcement, intelligence, corrections, or related fields, must be current members of the IACA, and must satisfy specific criteria chosen to assess the candidate’s combined work and educational experience.

Once the candidate meets the requirements, the exam takes approximately four hours to complete and covers a wide variety of topics (i.e. advanced statistical concepts, criminal behavior, temporal analysis, etc.).

“Sheriff Hammond and I are proud of Crime and Intelligence Analyst Elsmore for taking it upon herself to study and sit for this difficult and highly coveted certification in the crime analyst profession. This is a major personal and professional accomplishment that will greatly benefit the HCSO as we are committed to incorporating technology and statistical analysis in addressing crime in Hamilton County,” stated Chief Deputy Austin Garrett.

HCSO Crime and Intelligence Analyst Elsmore is officially the 100th analyst to be certified nationally and is the first to be certified in the state of Tennessee. Mrs. Elsmore holds a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice & Forensic Science and a Master’s in Criminal Justice & Homeland Security.

“On behalf of the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) Executive Board, I would like to congratulate Crime and Intelligence Analyst Jessica Elsmore, of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, on successfully passing the Certified Law Enforcement Analyst (CLEA) Exam. She is the 100th IACA member to successfully pass the CLEA exam and has joined the elite few of the 2% of the IACA membership who proudly wear the CLEA badge! Only pre-qualified, experienced analysts are allowed to sit for the exam and most who take it are dedicated analysts who are working, presenting, and instructing in the field for a minimum of 3 years,” stated Mary Bertuccelli, President of the International Association of Crime Analysts.

“The process for certification is quite arduous as is the exam itself. There are 19 different skill sets that are tested in the certification exam including crime/intelligence foundational concepts, qualitative and statistical analysis, and spatial analysis and forecasting just to name a few. The dedication and effort to qualify, prepare and study, and finally to pass this exam are monumental and should be celebrated. Jessica is also the first IACA member from the state of Tennessee - hopefully other Tennessee analysts will soon follow her lead,” President Bertuccelli further noted.

Please join with us as we recognize and congratulate Jessica on her prestigious accomplishment and service to the HCSO and the citizens of Hamilton County.