A Chicago police car. (Photo Credit: MIRA OBERMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
CHICAGO (CBS) — Murders in Chicago were down last year, but it’s a different story when it comes to the number of murders actually solved.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports, the murder clearance rate – the number of homicides that were solved the same year – has slipped.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports
“Forensic evidence may need processing time… so it stands to reason that an investigation may extend beyond a calendar year,” a police spokeswoman said.
But in 1991, for example, the murder clearance rate was 80 percent in Chicago – 927 murders committed, 741 solved.
In the early 1990s as a whole, the rate was 72 to 73 percent.
By 2005, it had slipped to 42 percent.
Last year, it was 30 percent, meaning fewer than a third of the murders committed in 2011 were solved last year.
If there’s any good news, the 2011 figure is slightly up from 28 percent in 2010.
38 Comments
Yeah well what do you expect from a place that is nothing more than Americas safe haven for criminals? Criminals are in danger from armed citizens in all of the other states so yeah they flock to Chicago. It’s 49 other states fault Chicago has all the criminals LMAO
January 25, 2012 at 10:53 am
I think we should Wall Off those Murder area in Chicago , Detroit , Cleveland , Cinn, Baltimore ,Phily ., New Orleans ,Houston , Miami , LA And let Eric Holder DOJ Chief
(Fast and Furious ) Fame .
Drop off 2,500 Military Weapons in each city alone with 500,000 Rounds of Military Ammo .
And leave them un policed for a Year .
Look at the Billions that would save on Welfare and entitlements are far left Voters .
January 25, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Obama is trying remake America in the image of Chicago. Look at how many (corrupt and inept) Chicagoans he has in the Administration.
January 25, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Another reason to vote him out in November…
January 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm
The reason the cops aren’t serving the murders is because most of the victims are black.
Race extermination by the police. Happening right now.
Obama 2012
January 25, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Fuk the he ll off you silly liberal pr ic k !!!!!
Typical negro sympathizer playing the race card!!!
NObama !!!!!!!!!
January 25, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Clearance rates are going to continue to go down due to the ever popular “No Snitching” policy of most inner cities.
No snitching prevents anyone from talking to the police and assisting in the solving of the crime. The police get lucky when they actually solve a murder without any cooperation from the community, and No Snitching has stopped that cooperation.
Clearance Rates will continue to fall.
January 25, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Chicago needs a Crime Stopper progam that is alive and well in Houston. Money talks when it comes to solving crimes. There is no loyalty when there is money involved. Familly,neighbors and freiends will cooperate if they know that their tip is anonimoous and they can get a cash rewqrd. Chicago PD needs to call on Houston PD and see how sucessful their clearance rate is through Crime Stoppers.
January 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm
And 40% of the perps turned themselves in…
January 25, 2012 at 2:14 pm
In other news…. 4000% more parking tickets issued in 2011!
January 25, 2012 at 2:15 pm
This is why there no CSI: Chicago. Our police can’t solve a crime in a year let alone in a one hour tv program.
January 25, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Chicago needs guns in the hands of law abiding citizens.
January 25, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Home, sweet home…
January 25, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Heh. Can’t tell the truth about the CPD or your post will be deleted. But then what else would one expect from CBS?
January 25, 2012 at 2:26 pm
It’s hard to pick them out. All dimorats look alike.
January 25, 2012 at 2:43 pm
What?!? Only 30% are solved?!? But, I thought Chicago had all those Closed Circuit cameras that let the cops keep an ever-vigilant eye on things, and allows them to solve crimes quickly.
And, how difficult could it be to track down the killers who use guns? Under Chicago gun laws, there can’t possibly be more than 2 or 3 people with guns in the city. Just go get those 2 or 3 people with registered handguns in Chicago, and those must be your culprits, because surely people who would murder other people will at least respect a municipality’s gun laws.
Right?
January 25, 2012 at 3:04 pm
It’s Bush’s fault!!!!!
January 25, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Maybe the Mob pays them off.
January 25, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Let me get this straight . . . in Chicago . . . you can’t carry a gun to keep yourself alive, and if you get dead, there is a 70% chance that your murderer will not be apprehended . . .
I can’t see anything wrong with this . . .
January 25, 2012 at 3:22 pm
I seem to recall many stories recently about how the chicago pd was being infiltrated by gangs. it would appear this is having an effect. better belong to the right gangs!
January 25, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Pingback: ONLY 30 PERCENT OF LAST YEAR’S MURDERS SOLVED | Emiel Fisher's Security & Investigation Blog
The police may have lost heart. They make arrests, risk their lives and the weak knee judges release the perps on low bail or probation so as to continue committing more crime. After a while you get the feeling you are sholveling water.
January 25, 2012 at 4:02 pm
70% are obama voters, so keep up the good work.
January 25, 2012 at 4:07 pm
THIS IS OBAMA’S PARADISE THAT HE CAME FROM?
And he want’s this for the rest of the Country too!
January 25, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Diversity, ain’t it grand
January 25, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Only a madman, a complete fool, or an individual with a death wish would voluntarily live in Chicago today. Under the monster Obama and his demon stooge, the present mayor of Chicago, the city has become a nightmare.
January 25, 2012 at 4:24 pm
and dats the way we be likin it.
S.O.S.
January 25, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Cue the police unions whining about how if they all got raises and could retire at 45 instead of 50, they’d be motivated to work harder.
January 25, 2012 at 4:37 pm
good…let those savages thin themselves out…the sooner, the better
January 25, 2012 at 4:57 pm
That’s how we achieve N.M.N.
January 25, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Chicago is a violent zoo and Illinois is bleeding over 10,000 jobs per month since the Democrat tax iincreae.
This is what you get at the end of the Progressive road. Failure every time.
January 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Really? A 30% clearance rate for murder? I think that’s 10% more than the US national average, now the question is. Is that due to deals being worked out with the prosecutor.
January 25, 2012 at 5:29 pm
DEMOCRATS KILLING DEMOCRATS Oh My next they will be upset about MUSLIMS KILLING MUSLIMS?
January 25, 2012 at 5:29 pm
That’s cool. After all, we’re talking about blacks-killig-blacks. Gang-bangers, all.
If the killers get caught, they will end up in the “catch and release” program. This way, if they are still free to kill gang-bangers, attrition will take care of the rest.
Gang-bangers killing gang-bangers is not a problem, but rather, a solution!
January 25, 2012 at 5:31 pm
amen freecheese, amen
January 25, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Ya gota ask y0urself did the cops really give a rats about some of these dead Low lifes?
And if it is a gang member they take care of there own business as they don’t call no Cops! Even if a cops drives up and they are standing next to a body they will say they did not see anything or what dead body?
January 25, 2012 at 5:36 pm
If we are talking South Side I say good.
January 25, 2012 at 6:25 pm
The reason the rate is down is because the cops are spending soo much time NOT solving known murders. They probably don’t even know a lot of this year’s murders have happened until next year.
January 25, 2012 at 5:42 pm