Social Network Analysis and Solving Crime
Social network analysis has proven to be especially helpful for the FBI and law enforcement in solving criminal cases. Through integrating networks into their investigations, connections between people, criminals, organizations, and incidents could be found. Each person considered a node is ranked based on centrality, which reflects their influence in the overall network. Nodes that are more central are considered more influential and should be observed more closely, while nodes with not many connections are not as prominent within the incident.
One example of SNA being used is within a string of store robberies, where a social network diagram aided investigators in drawing connections between a person of interest and another member of the network. Through the diagram and the two nodes, the investigators were able to link together multiple robberies and networks and eventually identify their suspect. In another investigation of a homicide case, the suspect’s close ties, such as their family and close friends, were identified and noted as key nodes. The police then notified those key nodes to contact the police in case they were in contact with the suspect. Due to this pressure, the suspect turned himself in.
https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/social-network-analysis-a-systematic-approach-for-investigating