Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst (CICA) is the second tier of the IALEIA Professional Certification Program. An individual at the Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst tier has demonstrated professional achievement in the intelligence analysis field though establishing an experience base, participating in ongoing training and development activities, and demonstrating analytic competency. This tier is intended for individuals who have gained experience through practice in their professional analytic career, and possess the requisite combination of years of analytic experience and formal education as defined below.

  • The one-time, CICA application fee of $100 is non-refundable and payable to admin@ialeia.org.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure eligibility prior to making application
  • If the applicant is not eligible for CICA, the application fee will not be returned
  • Current Basic Analyst Classification holders will receive a $50 application discount
  • Current IALEIA membership for at least one year is required to apply for CICA
  • IALEIA membership must be maintained to retain the CICA certification
  • If the application is approved, the applicant must take and pass the CICA exam
  • The CICA exam fee is $100 and is non-refundable in the event of failure to pass
  • The CICA exam must be scheduled within 2 years of application approval
  • The CICA exam may be taken up to 3 times, but the $100 fee must be paid for each exam scheduled
  • Re-certification as a CICA must be accomplished every five (5) years and the fee is $75, payable to admin@ialeia.org.

Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst – Criteria
After a period of employment (as noted below in item 3) in a criminal intelligence or analysis position, a person may apply to become a Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst. The applicant is not required to have been previously engaged in the Professional Certification Program by obtaining the Basic Analyst Classification, but that status can help expedite the CICA process.

  • Current IALEIA [regular] member in good standing for a minimum of one year
  • Completion of 40-hour minimum basic intelligence analysis course or current status as a Basic Analyst Classification holder
  • Full-time employment in a criminal intelligence or analysis position in the government, criminal justice agency, military, or private sector
  • Cumulative years of qualifying employment and:
    • A 4-year (Bachelor’s) degree, or equivalent and three (3) years work experience
    • A 2-year (Associate’s) degree, or equivalent and five (5) years work experience
    • No college degree and seven (7) years work experience

College credit must be documented by official transcript(s) or diploma(s) and be reflective of the appropriate number of credit hours (generally 30) for each year of college credit claimed — the college credit must be attained at an accredited academic institution or military program

  • Assignment to a job function that involves the application of analytic and intelligence techniques and methods
  • Demonstration of training completion by provision of official training certificate, or current status as a Basic Analyst Classification holder
  • Documentation of analytic job function for required number of years by provision of official position description(s)
  • Adherence to IALEIA standards for ethics and professional conduct
  • Submission of Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst application and fee payment
  • Upon approval of the CICA application, the applicant must schedule an exam. The exam must be scheduled and completed within two years of the time of approval of the CICA application or the process must be repeated, including payment of another application fee. The CICA exam must be passed with a minimum composite score of 70%.
  • Once the applicant successfully passes the CICA exam, the CICA certification will be awarded.

If the applicant fails the exam, it may be attempted again, upon scheduling another exam and payment of another exam fee. The applicant may attempt to pass the exam a maximum of three (3) times, following which they will be required to wait for a period of two (2) years before starting the process over.

  • Successful applicants will be authorized to use the CICA designation on all professional correspondence for as long as their CICA status remains active

Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst Re-certification – Criteria
The Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst certification must be renewed every five years or it will expire.

  1. A CICA re-certification application must be submitted with the fee payment
  2. The CICA certification holder must demonstrate continued development of analytic skills and advancement of professional competency in order to renew the CICA status
  3. The applicant for re-certification must provide evidence of having completed specific qualifying activities in the period since his/her last certification or recertification including at least three of the following:
    • Published a 1,000 word or greater article in the field of intelligence or analysis, which may have been co-authored with no more than two other individuals
    • Developed a training segment of at least two hours on intelligence or analysis
    • Presented a training segment of at least two hours on intelligence or analysis which was developed by someone else
    • Participated in providing advanced training of sixteen (16) hours or more by a recognized provider or agency
    • Documentation or submission of an analytical technique to the IALEIA Journal of Intelligence or other academic, peer-reviewed publication
    • Nominated for, or awarded, an IALEIA professional award
    • Participated in a complex case or assessment which was done over at least three months and required the use of significant analytic skills and methodologies
    • (must be documented by a supervisor)
    • Completed a special project which may be recognized as significant by the Professional Certification or Awards committees (such a project might include regular contributions to an intelligence publication)
    • Served as an officer or committee chair in an intelligence organization
    • Participated as an active FIAT instructor in a regularly-scheduled FIAT class
  4. Continuous membership in IALEIA
  5. Documentation of a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education hours/credits earned per year
  6. Upon approval, a letter of congratulations will be sent to the analyst, along with a new certificate indicating the date of re-certification
  7. If disapproved, notification will be sent to the analyst providing the supporting rationale for disapproval.

Recommended Study Materials

To assist those seeking the IALEIA Criminal Intelligence Certified Analyst (CICA) designation, IALEIA provides the following recommended study materials. The majority of required information related to the examination can be found within the publications at the Study Materials webpage.

The CICA examination is specifically designed to evaluate an individual’s overall knowledge and competency to advance to the CICA tier, therefore a combination of training and experience is the best formula for success.

Two components form the basis of the CICA examination. 1) Multiple-choice questions will determine the applicant’s substantive knowledge; and 2) essay topics will gauge the applicant’s comprehension of intelligence concepts. The following topics comprise the main focus areas for the CICA exam.

 Analytic techniques and methods  Intelligence-led policing Creative and critical thinking
Intelligence product development  Crime indicators  Legal, privacy, ethics issues
 Crime pattern analysis  Logic  Inference development
 Recommendation development  Information management – classifications, collation  Information sharing
 Structured analytic techniques  Information sources  Strategic analysis
 Intelligence cycle/process  Tactical analysis

The examination is conducted at the annual IALEIA/LEIU conference, and regionally where we have proctors. Candidates will have four (4) hours to complete the examination and should plan to bring a laptop computer for writing the essay portions.

Certification – Frequently Asked Questions

  • I do not see my basic intelligence class listed on the IALEIA approved training list, what should I do?
    • If you do not see your course on the list of Basic Criminal Intelligence Analysis Training Courses, please review the Course Review Requirements document that is linked to the list on the IALEIA web site under the tab Certification. If you believe your course meets these requirements, please ask the training provider to submit the required documentation for review by the certification committee.
  • How many people have been certified by IALEIA?
    • Including the SCCA, which was the predecessor of the IALEIA certification process, there are approximately 600 people certified by IALEIA as of 2018.
  • How does the IALEIA CICA certification compare with other certifications?
    • Each professional designation should be reviewed based on its own merit. IALEIA is an independent professional organization with representation from the international law enforcement intelligence community. Our certification program was developed to meet the prevailing internationally-accepted professional standards for criminal intelligence practice. The IALEIA CICA designation is internationally recognized as a credential of professional achievement within the criminal intelligence analysis profession.
  • How do I arrange to take a certification exam?
    •  After your certification application has been approved, please contact our Certification Chairperson at certification@ialeia.org.
  • I haven’t heard anything about my application and paperwork. Who do I contact?
    • If you have not received a response within ten days, please contact the Certification Chairperson at certification@ialeia.org.

https://www.ialeia.org/cica_certification.php

CICA Certification