An Open Letter to the Members
of the International Association of Crime Analysts 

For many years, the IACA was a respected voice for the profession of crime analysis. It helped shape standards, build networks, and elevate the role of analysts across the world. That legacy matters. But today, many members are asking a difficult question:

What has happened to our association?

Like any organization, the IACA has always had disagreements, personalities, and internal challenges. That’s normal. What is not normal is the growing pattern of weak leadership, lack of transparency, and a culture that discourages members from asking questions.

In recent years, dedicated volunteers who tried to improve the organization have been pushed out or sidelined. Leadership positions are now being filled by appointment rather than by demonstrating experience, vision, or a record of service to the membership. Meanwhile, members receive only fragments of information about how decisions are made, how money is spent, and how governance is actually functioning.

This should concern every member.

The IACA handles significant funds, influences the direction of our profession, and claims to represent crime analysts globally. Yet the checks and balances that healthy nonprofits rely on—transparency, open debate, and accountability—appear increasingly weakened. When criticism is discouraged and questions are treated as threats, the organization stops serving its members and begins protecting itself.

Let’s be clear: this letter does not accuse anyone of criminal wrongdoing. The concern is something different - and just as serious.

When members lack information, when policies are used to silence debate, when checks and balances are removed and when leadership operates behind closed doors, the conditions are created where problems could occur without members ever knowing.

That is unacceptable for any professional association.

For too long, many members have looked the other way. It is easier not to get involved. It is easier to assume someone else will fix it. But organizations do not collapse overnight—they collapse slowly, while members remain silent.

The IACA belongs to its members, not to a handful of board members, committees, or insiders.

So the call to action is simple:

• Pay attention to what is happening in your association.

• Ask direct questions about governance, finances, and decision-making.

• Demand transparency, not vague assurances.

• Encourage open discussion among members.

• Hold leadership accountable to the standards expected of any professional nonprofit.

Healthy organizations welcome scrutiny. Healthy leaders answer difficult questions. Healthy associations trust their members with the truth. The IACA does none of these.

If the IACA is to recover its credibility and fulfill its mission, that change will not come from silence. It will come from members who care enough about the profession to insist on better.

The future of the association depends on whether its members choose to pay attention - or continue looking the other way.