FBI Seal Crime in the United States, 2002 Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation

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Crime Index Offenses Cleared

 

Law enforcement agencies reporting offenses to the national UCR Program can clear these offenses in one of two ways:  by arrest or by exceptional means.  However, the administrative closing or "clearing" of a case by a local law enforcement agency does not necessarily mean that the agency can clear an offense according to UCR procedures.  To clear an offense within the Program's guidelines, the reporting agency must adhere to certain criteria.

Cleared by Arrest

In the UCR Program, a reporting law enforcement agency clears, or solves, an offense by arrest only when all of the following conditions are met.  At least one person must be:

  • Arrested.
  • Charged with the commission of an offense.
  • Turned over to the court for prosecution.

The UCR Program counts in the clearances the number of offenses and not the number of persons arrested.  The arrest of one person may clear several crimes.  Conversely, the arrest of many persons may clear only one offense.  In addition, the clearances that an agency recorded in a particular calendar year such as 2002 may include offenses that occurred in previous years.

Cleared by Exceptional Means

When elements beyond law enforcement's control prevent the agency from placing formal charges against the offender, the agency can clear the offense exceptionally.  According to UCR Program guidelines, an agency can clear an offense exceptionally if it adheres to all of the following criteria.  The agency must have: 

  • Identified the offender.
  • Gathered enough evidence to support an arrest, make a charge, and turn over the offender to the court for prosecution.
  • Identified the offender's exact location so that law enforcement can make an arrest.
  • Encountered a circumstance outside the control of law enforcement that prohibits the agency from arresting, charging, and prosecuting an offender.

Examples of exceptional clearances include, but are not limited to, the death of the offender (suicide, justifiably killed by police or private citizens, etc.); the victim's refusal to cooperate with the prosecution after having identified the offender; or the denial of extradition because the offender committed a crime in another jurisdiction and is being prosecuted.  In the UCR Program, the recovery of property does not clear an offense.

2002 National Clearances

Nationwide, law enforcement agencies in 2002 recorded a 20.0 percent Crime Index clearance rate in 2002.  (The Crime Index is an aggregate of murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny-theft.)  The Modified Crime Index (the Crime Index offenses plus arson) showed a 20.0 percent clearance rate for the year and included a 16.5 percent clearance rate for arson.

Violent crimes (murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) often undergo a more vigorous investigative effort than crimes against property.  Additionally, victims and/or witnesses often identify the perpetrators.  Consequently, violent crimes tend to have higher clearance rates than property crimes.  In 2002, that tendency continued with 46.8 percent of violent crimes cleared compared to 16.5 percent of property crimes cleared (excluding arson).  An examination of violent crime clearances showed that the clearance rate for murder was 64.0 percent; for aggravated assault, 56.5 percent; for forcible rape, 44.5 percent, and for robbery 25.7 percent.  A review of the clearances for property crimes indicated that the clearance rate for larceny-theft was 18.0 percent; for motor vehicle theft, 13.8 percent, and for burglary, 13.0 percent.  (See Table 25.)

2002 Regional Clearances

An examination of clearance rates by region showed that in 2002 law enforcement agencies in the Northeast recorded the highest Crime Index clearance rate among the regions in the Nation—24.9 percent.  The South had a 20.4 percent clearance rate, the Midwest had an 18.5 percent clearance rate, and the West cleared 18.4 percent of reported Crime Index offenses.  The Northeast had a 52.2 percent violent crime clearance rate, and the South cleared 47.2 percent of violent crimes, followed by the West at 46.0 percent and the Midwest at 42.9 percent.  For property crime, the Northeast and the South showed clearance rates of 21.1 percent and 16.7 percent, respectively.  The Midwest cleared 15.8 percent of property crimes and the West recorded a clearance rate of 14.7 percent.  (See Table 26.)

2002 Community Clearances

Among community types, cities collectively cleared 19.7 percent of Crime Index offenses, 44.5 percent of violent crimes, and 16.4 percent of property crimes.  Among city groupings, cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 had the highest clearance rate for offenses that make up the Crime Index—23.9 percent.  In 2002, these cities collectively also had the highest property crime clearance rate—21.1 percent.  The highest percentage of violent crimes cleared—58.9 percent—occurred in cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants.  Of the remaining community types, law enforcement in suburban counties cleared 20.8 percent of Crime Index offenses, 54.0 percent of violent crimes, and 16.4 percent of property crimes.  Rural county law enforcement agencies recorded a 23.2 percent clearance rate for Crime Index offenses.  Additionally, rural counties had a violent crime clearance rate of 61.4 percent and a property crime clearance rate of 18.3 percent.  (See Table 25.)

Clearances Involving Only Persons Under 18 Years of Age

When an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, even though a physical arrest may not have occurred, the UCR Program considers that incident as a clearance by arrest.  In addition, according to Program definitions, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances.  Therefore, because the juvenile clearance percentages in this publication include only the offenses in which there were no adults involved, these figures underestimate juvenile involvement in crime.

Of the Crime Index offenses law enforcement cleared, 18.0 percent involved only juveniles.  In addition, juvenile offenders accounted for 11.9 percent of violent crime clearances and 20.3 percent of property crime clearances.  Murder clearances showed the lowest percentage of juvenile involvement at 5.0 percent, and arson clearances showed the highest percentage of juvenile involvement at 43.0 percent.  (See Table 28.)

By region, the Midwest had the largest percentage of Crime Index offenses involving only juveniles, clearing 22.7 percent.  In the West, juveniles alone accounted for 20.0 percent of the clearances; in the Northeast, 16.2 percent; and in the South, 15.3 percent.