Since the FBI began tracking clearance rates in the 1960s, law enforcement has been solving fewer crimes each year, despite declining crime trends since the 1990s.

Key Points:

  • Following national trends, violent crime and property crime rates have significantly declined in Texas since the early 1990s when crime in the United States peaked.
  • Law enforcement has been solving fewer crimes each year, despite the decline in crime rates.
  • In 2023, only 53% of homicides were solved in Texas.
  • Potential causes of declining clearance rates include law enforcement staffing challenges, technology challenges, funding gaps, overcriminalization, and a lack of prioritization of cases.
  • To increase clearance rates, law enforcement departments need additional resources for crime staff and training, new policies and procedures that target crime ridden areas, increased transparency and accountability mechanisms, and a renewed focus on restoring victims and their families.