Analyst Talk - Kristi Barletta - The Leading Without Authority Analyst

Episode: 00326 Released on July 6, 2026 Description:  Kristi Barletta has built a career around understanding the why behind crime, policing, and organizational decision-making. With 17 years in law enforcement and 12 years in law enforcement analysis, Kristi has progressed from intern to analyst, director, and member of police command staff. In this episode, Kristi shares how experiences in accreditation, dispatch, criminal investigations, and executive administration prepared her to build an analyst position from the ground up. She discusses leading without authority, earning credibility within a police department, and why analysts should have a voice in operational and strategic decisions.

Kristi also takes listeners inside her work addressing gun violence through social network analysis, focused deterrence, impact players, custom notifications, and cross-jurisdictional collaboration. She explains how strong data practices, relationships, and consistent processes helped reduce shootings and prevent retaliation. The conversation also explores implementing data-driven policing strategies, introducing change without overwhelming officers, reducing traffic crashes, the importance of professional staff in command-level discussions, and why analysts need to get out from behind their computers to better understand the communities represented in their data. 🎧 Listen, share, and keep talking! [Note:  Description produced by ChatGPT.]
Name Drops:  Deb Piehl (01:24:56), Robert Greene/David Simon/Thomas Abt (01:27:14), Brendon Burchard/Adam Grant (01:27:30)
Public Service Announcements:
Chris Mason (https://www.leapodcasts.com/e/analyst-talk-chris-mason-the-silver-lining-analyst/)
Abigail W. (https://www.leapodcasts.com/e/analyst-talk-abigail-w-%e2%80%93-the-storytelling-analyst/)
Related Links:
https://www.hatfield.org/departments/police/
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/data-driven-approaches-crime-and-traffic-safety-ddacts-operational
https://dvicphila.org/(X(1)S(gffd442h5nmxkthpa0o2q4eu))/default.aspx
https://www.arcadia.edu/
https://www.insideoutcenter.org/
Books:
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Mastery by Robert Greene
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon
Bleeding Out Thomas Abt
High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
Think Again by Adam Grant
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Association(s) Mentioned: IALEIA, LEIU, IACP
Vendor(s) Mentioned:
Contact:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-barletta-b05267378/
Transcript:  https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f5quy97zd28mrvyr/KristiBarletta_transcript.pdf
Podcast Writer:
Podcast Researcher:
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00:00:25 - Introducing Kristi
00:02:22 - Discovering the law enforcement analysis profession
00:15:16 - Nearly leaving law enforcement before becoming an analyst
00:20:11 - Learning to lead without authority
00:28:18 - Building a new analyst position and identifying gun violence as a priority
00:32:00 - Using data, social networks, and focused strategies to reduce shootings
00:44:16 - When a drug dealer asked police for help preventing retaliation
00:51:41 - Serving on command staff as a civilian analyst
01:04:26 - Leaving Norristown and building another analyst position at Hatfield
01:10:49 - Using data-driven strategies to reduce traffic crashes
01:16:16 - What works in policing and why strategy execution breaks down
01:23:06 - Member of IACP
01:26:44 - Personal Interests:  Reading & Painting
01:29:45 - Words to the World