Differences Between High and Low Performing Police Agencies in Clearing Robberies, Aggravated Assaults, and Burglaries: Findings From an Eight-Agency Case Study

• Published date: 01 June 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10986111231182728
• Author: Cynthia Lum,Charles Wellford,Thomas Scott,Heather Vovak,Jacqueline A. Scherer,Michael Goodier
• Date: 01 June 2024

Article

Police Quarterly

2024, Vol. 27(2) 135–157

© The Author(s) 2023

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/10986111231182728

journals.sagepub.com/home/pqx

Differences Between High and

Low Performing Police

Agencies in Clearing

Robberies, Aggravated

Assaults, and Burglaries:

Findings From an

Eight-Agency Case Study

Cynthia Lum

1

, Charles Wellford

2

, Thomas Scott

3

,

Heather Vovak

4

, Jacqueline A. Scherer

1,5

, and

Michael Goodier

1

Abstract

This eight-agency case study analyzes the characteristics of four high-and four low-

performing police agencies, as measured by their long-term crime clearance rates. High

and low performers were identif‌ied through a systematic assessment of 30 years of

clearance rates of robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and homicides for the

largest 100 police departments in the United States. Researchers then conducted in-

depth case studies of eight of these agencies—four of the highest and four of the lowest

ranking in terms of their investigative practices. Comparisons of high-and low-

performing agencies reveal differences in organizational structure; leadership and

1

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

2

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

3

RTI Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

4

Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC, USA

5

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’National Crime Gun Intelligence Center of

Excellence, Washington, DC, USA

Corresponding Author:

Cynthia Lum, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy,

George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 6D12, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.

Email: clum@gmu.edu

resources; selection, training, and performance review for investigators; case as-

signment and investigative processes; and community interactions. These f‌indings

provide direct guidance to agencies seeking to strengthen their investigative organi-

zation and practices.

Keywords

investigations, clearance rates, evidence-based policing, detective

The State of Investigations in the United States

Fans of television shows like Law and Order,Homicide: Life on the Street,Dragnet,

CSI,orPerry Mason, or followers of the indelible sleuthing of Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes may believe that detective work is the elite occupation of a

select group of individuals within police agencies. Film and television mythologies also

feed into the public’s beliefs that the best available technologies and strategies are used

to solve crimes. Indeed, in the last half-century, American police agencies have seen

much advancement and innovation in criminal investigations. These advances include

the standardization and computer automation of case documentation and processing,

improvements in forensic science and investigative technologies to identify suspects

more accurately and quickly, and the employment of crime analysts to help solve crimes

and identify repeat offenders. In recent years, the use of closed-circuit television

(CCTV) videos, cell phone and computer device data, and body-worn cameras has also

increased exponentially in criminal investigations. Alongside these technological

advances, police agencies devote signif‌icant resources to investigations, especially for

homicides and shootings. Before the COVID pandemic, for example, the Law En-

forcement and Administrative Management Statistics (LEMAS) survey (United States

Department of Justice, Off‌ice of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016)

found that in agencies with 100 or more off‌icers, approximately 27% of sworn per-

sonnel were specif‌ically assigned to investigative functions.

1

While f‌ictional portrayals of detective work are loosely based on reality, actual

police investigations are much more varied in importance, scope, processes, and

outcomes. At least in the United States, many (if not the majority of) serious crimes do

not result in an arrest or resolution, including homicide and aggravated assaults, despite

the investigative advances noted above. We recognize that there are different def‌initions

of what might constitute a case “clearance”or “resolution”(Baughman, 2020;

Bottomley & Pease, 1986;Greene, 2007;United States Department of Justice, Federal

Bureau of Investigation, 2017) and there are inconsistencies in how agencies classify

“cleared”crimes (Spohn & Tellis, 2010). However, even if we use the inclusive

def‌inition of crime clearance employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system (which includes those crimes resulting in

arrest or exceptional clearance

2

), clearance rates for various offenses have remained

136 Police Quarterly 27(2)