Profs on Cops

Author: Bill Gormley

Interviews with social scientists and criminologists who are doing cutting-edge research on police practices and behavior and how they affect the community.
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en

Genres: Science, Social Sciences

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

Clearance Rates for Violent Crimes
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026

Homicide clearance rates, at 61 percent nationwide, are disappointing, and clearance rates for nonfatal gun shootings are even lower. Phillip Cook, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Economics at Duke University, offers explanations for relatively low clearance rates, including changes in arrest requirements and the mix of cases being investigated. For example, as drug and gang cases have proliferated, clearance rates have declined. On the positive side, Cook discusses promising efforts by Denver, Indianapolis, and other cities to boost clearance rates.