Solving Crime /menu
Minneapolis murders solved (54%, gray) vs. unsolved (red), 2014-2019 from Murder Accountability Project
Highlights
- 54% of murders solved 2014-2019
- 36% of violent crime solved 2011-213
- 1700 untested rape kits found in 2019
Do Minneapolis Police Solve Crimes?
According to one survey, the biggest expectation that the public has for police is the investigation of violent crime. But does policing actually deliver the results that we expect?
In short: no. Police use the term "clearance rate" to describe the percentage of crimes for which a charge is made against the alleged perpetrator. In other words: has the crime been potentially solved? ("Potentially," because thousands of convictions are wrongful, let alone charges).
Several investigations into violent crime in Minneapolis in the last ten years indicate that clearance rates are low for violent cimes.
Citations
- Shout out to Cody Hoerning's editorial in the MN Daily for links to crime clearance data.
- Murder Accountability project on murder clearance rates. Select State=Minnesota and Agency=Minneapolis to pull up local data.
- NPR violence crime analysis for violent crime clearance rates
- Star Tribune on untested rape kits, and its excellent Denied Justice: When rape is reported and nothing happens investigative series.