In 2023, Raymel Atkins was murdered in Louisville, Kentucky. His mother and sister still don’t know who did it over a year later, and the police haven’t made an arrest. This also applies to Tiffanie Floyd, who was murdered in 2021. Additionally, Michael David was murdered in 2017. And the 2014 murder of Cory Crowe.
In reality, in about half of murder instances, no one is arrested by the Louisville police. I had conversations with twelve victims’ relatives. They all had the same feeling: that they and their family had been abandoned by the police. According to David’s aunt Deondra Kimble, the police don’t really care. I’ve been shown it by them.
Approximately 300 policemen are understaffed, according to Louisville’s police force, which admits to having major issues. According to spokesperson Jennifer Keeney, the agency is working to resolve those problems. She posted a message for the relatives of murder victims: We recognize their agony, frustration, and grief. We want them to know that we care and that it’s frustrating for us too.
Louisville exemplifies a nationwide problem. Murder convictions in the US are frequently acquitted. In 2023, the most recent year for which FBI data is available, the clearance rate—the percentage of cases that lead to an arrest or are otherwise resolved—was 58%. Additionally, that number is exaggerated since it includes homicides from prior years that were solved by police in 2023.
Put another way, a murderer’s chances of being apprehended within a year are largely determined by a coin toss. Clearance rates are even lower for other offenses. Arrests are made in just 8% of auto thefts.
Clearance rates for different types of crimes in the United States, 2023
58% of cases were resolved.
Murder
Attack
46
28
The act of robbery
Sexual assault
27
Automobile
Theft
8.
58% of cases were resolved.
Murder
Attack
46
The act of robbery
28
Sexual assault
27
Automobile
Theft
8.
Source: F.B.I. Jeff Asher.
The New York Times
Gun homicide rates, 2023
The United
States
4.4 out of 100,000
Canada
0.7
Sweden
0.5
Spain
0.1
Australia
0.1
America
4.4 out of 100,000
Canada
0.7
Sweden
0.5
Spain
0.1
Australia
0.1
Source: Our Data-Driven World
The New York Times
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