Turning research and AI into operational crime reduction.
I'm Andrew Friedman, Director of Strategic Planning & Analysis at the Port St. Lucie Police Department — now the lowest crime rate in the nation among cities over 250,000. I implement proactive, evidence-based crime reduction strategies, and I use AI to modernize how police agencies and their analysts work.
- Stratified PolicingAn organizational model to operationalize data-driven, evidence-based practices
- AI & AutomationReclaiming analyst hours from manual, legacy workflows
Gang violence· Homicide· Domestic violence· Motor vehicle theft· Auto burglary· Retail theft· Traffic fatalities
Turning research and AI into operational crime reduction
I serve as Director of the Strategic Planning, Analysis & Accountability Division for the Port St. Lucie Police Department, where I lead the Crime & Intelligence Analysis Unit and direct the agency's data-driven policing strategy.
My work centers on translating research into practice. I lead a team of analysts, direct the implementation of Stratified Policing, and deliver actionable intelligence to department leadership and city executives. The objective is consistent: operationalize evidence-based strategy in a way that strengthens accountability, transparency, and community safety.
Before joining Port St. Lucie, I served as Senior Crime & Investigative Analyst with the Albemarle County Police Department, where I led agency-wide data initiatives, supported major investigations, directed CompStat, and served as Intelligence and Investigations Section Chief during large-scale events. I built the dashboards and analytical systems that command staff and investigators relied on to make decisions, advanced cross-agency collaboration under Project Safe Neighborhoods, and was named the agency's Civilian Employee of the Year in 2022.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Radford University, both completed with honors, along with a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Crime Analysis. I studied Stratified Policing directly under Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos, and I now direct one of the fastest-growing implementations of the model in the field.
I am equally invested in where technology is taking the profession. As an AI hobbyist and practitioner, I build and ship applications in my own time, treating each one as a way to sharpen my command of data, design, and modern tooling, and to bring that fluency back into the work of public safety.
Initiatives & achievements
Stratified Policing Implementation
Leading the department's full implementation of Stratified Policing in direct partnership with Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos through a grant-funded engagement. The model, which I studied under its creators for several years, has been implemented in dozens of agencies internationally with measurable crime reductions wherever it has been fully operationalized. Port St. Lucie now holds the lowest crime rate in the nation among cities over 250,000 residents.
- Retrained every supervisory rank in the model's principles and accountability expectations
- Rebuilt the unit's analytical methods around the tools and technologies deployed to raise automation and analytical rigor
- Onboarded and trained new analysts in Stratified Policing and its principles from the ground up
- Rewrote the agency-wide policy governing the model
- Revitalized the COAR process (Collaboration, Operational Analysis & Response) connecting analysis to coordinated action
- Reworked the monthly PRO accountability meetings (Professionalism, Responsibility & Oversight) into a sharper, evidence-driven forum
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Led and implemented a focused-deterrence approach to youth gun violence across the Charlottesville-Albemarle region. Used data to identify the area's most prolific offenders, supplied intelligence to investigators to support criminal charges, and worked with community stakeholders and advocates to open pathways that redirect at-risk youth away from crime.
Domestic Violence Focused Deterrence
Even in a city with a remarkably low crime rate, domestic violence remains a persistent driver of violent crime, as it is in communities nationwide. After studying High Point, North Carolina's documented success reducing domestic violence through focused deterrence, I led the research and advocacy that brought the model to Port St. Lucie and am now operationalizing it agency-wide: zero tolerance toward incidents, proactive follow-up beginning with the first offense, and repeat offenders identified, prioritized, and tracked through assigned follow-up and internal accountability. My unit anchors the initiative, applying data-driven, evidence-based methods to identify, monitor, and evaluate offenders and measure the program's impact.
Modernizing Crime Analysis Workflows
Redesigning analytical workflows to eliminate redundancy, raise consistency, and free analysts for the work that demands higher-order thinking. I build sustainable automated pipelines through tools like Microsoft Access and Power BI that work around the limitations of legacy RMS and CAD systems, and I now develop complete AI-driven workflows that synthesize complex research, automate data cleaning, dissemination, and visualization, and turn analysis into sharper, more digestible insights. The result is greater accuracy and professionalism, with hundreds to thousands of hours of manual effort saved every year.
Serving the Autism Community
Not every initiative is aimed at reducing crime; some exist to serve the community better. I worked closely with city leaders to launch Port St. Lucie's first Autism Awareness & Community Resource Event, which brought dozens of vendors together to connect an under-served community with the services available to them. My team used data to understand this population's needs and how police can better meet them, partnering with AngelSense and Project Lifesaver on locative tools for individuals prone to wandering. We also built an automated pipeline to identify addresses with repeated law enforcement contact, allowing us to reach out proactively and connect those households with the services they need.
Education
Career timeline
Director, Strategic Planning & Analysis
I lead the department's data-driven policing strategy and the analysts who deliver it, translating evidence-based research into the day-to-day practice of public safety.
- Direct the Crime & Intelligence Section and a team of analysts producing the agency's intelligence and analytical products
- Own the department's strategic plan, evidence-based strategies, and performance measures, aligned to citywide goals
- Lead the Stratified Policing model and its accountability process across the agency
- Apply advanced analysis and statistical modeling to guide prevention, enforcement, and resource decisions
- Brief department leadership, the City Manager's Office, and external partners, and lead cross-agency intelligence sharing and academic research partnerships
Senior Crime & Investigative Analyst
Served as the agency's lead analyst, embedded with investigators to turn data into cases solved and crime prevented.
- Lead analyst across all agency data projects
- Embedded in the Criminal Investigations Division, surfacing leads and supporting major cases
- Led proactive, evidence-based strategies that reduced crime through opportunity and risk reduction
- Served as Intelligence and Investigations Section Chief during major events
Crime Analyst
Provided the full range of analytical support across the department and to regional partners, and built the CompStat process that put data in front of decision-makers.
- Delivered tactical, strategic, administrative, and criminal intelligence analysis department-wide
- Supported regional partners including Charlottesville, the University of Virginia, and the Virginia State Police
- Identified patterns and trends to inform command staff decisions
- Built and presented monthly CompStat briefings to police and county executives
Graduate Teaching Fellow & Assistant
Held competitive graduate teaching appointments reserved for the university's strongest students, advancing from Teaching Assistant to Professor of Record.
- As Teaching Fellow, served as Professor of Record for four 200-level courses totaling one hundred students
- As Teaching Assistant, co-instructed two undergraduate courses per semester alongside senior faculty
- Led instruction, discussion, and assessment across both roles
Applications I've designed and shipped
Independent projects built outside of work, where I put modern tools and AI to practical use. Each is live in production.
2026 NFL Season Predictor
A full-season prediction platform with complete schedule and spread data, a game-by-game simulator, a playoff bracket builder, and one-click export for sharing. Developed through repeated iteration into a polished, production-ready tool.
Poker Trainer
A poker training application with an integrated AI coaching panel that helps refine decision-making hand by hand. Mobile-friendly, continuously maintained, and deployed in production.
A living portfolio. Additional projects are added as they ship.
Let's connect
Whether the subject is data-driven policing, Stratified Policing, or what AI can do for public safety, I'm glad to talk.
