Analyst Talk - Jeff Asher - The Crime Index Analyst

Episode: 00296 Released on December 8, 2025 Description: Jeff Asher joins Analyst Talk with Jason Elder to unpack what crime trends really tell us and why the public so often gets the story wrong. He shares his journey from CIA analyst to New Orleans crime analyst and consultant, and explains how learning to write clearly and communicate with decision makers shaped his entire career. Jason and Jeff dig into focused deterrence in New Orleans, the response time crisis that left serious victims waiting hours for help, and the data driven changes that followed. They explore how crime trends are framed in the media, why short lived spikes can dominate headlines while long declines are ignored, and what it takes to talk about crime in a way that is honest, specific, and grounded in evidence. Jeff also breaks down the real time crime index, a national level look at crime that helps explain what is happening across the country much faster than traditional reporting. He shares insights from his own show, Jeff-alytics, where he continues conversations about data, crime trends, and the gap between perception and reality. The episode closes with practical advice for analysts on writing, presenting, and getting leadership to actually use their work.

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Josh Todd (https://www.leapodcasts.com/e/atwje-josh-todd-the-adirondack-analyst/)
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Related Links:
https://www.ahdatalytics.com/
https://jasher.substack.com/
https://realtimecrimeindex.com/
https://nola.gov/next/nopd/about/police-bureaus/investigation-support-bureau/
Association(s) Mentioned:
Vendor(s) Mentioned:
Contact:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-asher-b039a766/
Transcript:  https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/i2w3axjbssht5q8q/JeffAsher_transcript.pdf
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00:00:17 – Introducing Jeff
00:01:10 – Jeff’s early path into intelligence and CIA experience
00:07:00 – Learning to write and communicate as an analyst
00:12:00 – Transitioning to New Orleans PD
00:17:00 – Focused deterrence explained
00:23:00 – Launching his consulting career
00:25:30 – ABS:  Response time crisis in New Orleans
00:34:13 – Break:  Todd & Stallo
00:38:00 – Public perception vs. reality of crime trends
00:48:00 – Creating the Real-Time Crime Index
00:59:00 – Advice for analysts today
01:08:23 – Personal Interest:  Father of Four
01:10:27 – Words to the World