Enforcement Area Research reporting provides intelligence relating to a specific geographic area, which usually involves the Area of Operations and/or the Area of Concern. The Enforcement Area Research Intelligence Report includes historic material regarding criminal elements that reside and/or operate in the area. The report also provides intelligence on the environment within which the criminals conduct their activities. The Enforcement Area Research Intelligence Report is designed to serve as a reference document for mission managers and law enforcement mission planners at all levels of law enforcement. The following figure shows the Enforcement Area Research Intelligence Report is produced during the first phase of the mission.

To effectively develop the Enforcement Area Research Intelligence Report, the mission manager must identify both the Area of Operations and the Area of Concern, along with the goals and objectives of the law enforcement mission. The Area of Operations defines a specific geographic area where a law enforcement mission is occurring or is anticipated to take place.

The Area of Concern is also one or more specific geographic areas outside the Area of Operations. It is in the Area of Concern that the occurrence of criminal activities could affect the law enforcement mission that is occurring or planned to occur in the Area of Operations. The Area(s) of Concern may or may not be adjacent to the Area of Operations. In some cases, they may be in another county, state, or country. Identifying an Area of Operations provides an area where the intelligence unit can focus its collection resources. The how, when, and where an area is observed will be determined by the mission manager and the intelligence unit manager. Criminal activities that occur in the Area of Concern may or may not relate to the specific mission in the Area of Operations. Multiple Areas of Operation may be involved with the operation/investigation.

From the Enforcement Area Research Intelligence Report, the mission manager and his planners are provided with the following intelligence to enhance their knowledge:

• Identification of the criminal elements present
• Identification of the environment within which the criminal element operates
• A description of the effects of the environment on the Area of Operations and Area(s) of Concern
• Evaluation of the criminal threat level to law enforcement and the community in the geographic area
• Identification of courses of action available to the criminal element as they relate to the geographic area
• Prioritization of the likelihood of each of the criminal element's available courses of action

Enforcement Area Research begins as soon as the Area of Operations and the Area of Concern are identified for a mission. If additional Areas of Concern are identified as the mission develops, they are normally immediately acted upon. The intelligence relating to these two area types is updated as required while the mission is conducted.