March 2025 Webinar - IADLEST Before You Analyze: Mind-Blowing Data Prep

Brief Course Summary:

This webinar is intended to help analysts prepare various types of data for analysis. CRIS crash data will be utilized for demonstration purposes during the webinar because it is clean and easily accessible to all Texas analysts, but the formulas, functions and processes can be applied to crash data, crime data, calls for service data and any other type of commonly used data. We will focus on Excel as a tool for data preparation and the use of pivot tables as well as preparing data for spatial analysis in ArcGIS Pro and other tools.

Debra J. Piehl, DDACTS Analytical Director

International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST)

Debra J. Piehl is a highly experienced crime analyst and consultant specializing in crime analysis, data-driven policing, and CompStat implementation. She most recently served as the senior crime analyst for the NYPD’s Office of Crime Control Strategies, where she led the hiring, training, and supervision of over 90 civilian crime analysts to support precinct operations and crime reduction efforts.

Throughout her career, Debra has held key roles in criminal justice research, policy analysis, and law enforcement operations, including positions with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Washington, D.C., the Massachusetts State Police, and the Newton Police Department. At Newton PD, she served as Director of Planning & Research, where she implemented CompStat and acted as the CALEA Accreditation Manager, ensuring compliance with national standards, maintaining policies, and overseeing grant administration. She successfully led the department through two CALEA re-accreditations and was invited to present at CALEA national conferences.

She has also been instrumental in supporting data-driven policing initiatives such as Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) and has worked nationally and internationally to advance crime analysis and CompStat strategies.

Recognized for her contributions to the field, she has received multiple prestigious awards, including the 2019 Bryan Hill IACA Memorial Scholarship and three International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) President’s Awards.