Intelligence Analysts
Protective Service
Gathers, checks, and compares information from law enforcement databases, surveillance, intelligence networks, geographic systems, field observation, confidential sources, and public records. Communications records such as telephone calls are reviewed to map activity and estimate the size and location of criminal groups. Patterns and trends in crime are identified, and suspects are linked to organizations or events to show how they connect. Findings become written reports, presentations, maps, or charts, shared with other government and intelligence organizations. A better match for people who like close reading of mixed sources, tracing how people and groups connect, and turning analysis into clear briefings.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$93'790
Median Wage Market Position
$93'790
What you might do
- Pull information from databases and field sources
- Match known intelligence against other sources
- Study phone records to map criminal networks
- Trace patterns and trends in criminal activity
- Produce written reports, maps, and charts
- Connect suspects to groups and related events
Skills that matter
- Cross-checking intelligence against other sources
- Gathering facts from law enforcement databases
- Plotting groups from telephone records
- Finding patterns in criminal activity
- Written reports, maps, and briefings
- Charting suspects' ties to organizations
AI & the future of this role
Much of the work is on-screen synthesis of reports, feeds, and open sources—tasks AI may accelerate or partially absorb. Vetting fragile sources, weighing competing threats, and owning high-stakes recommendations still need human judgment, but demand for pure collation roles could soften.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details