Imagine one of your loved ones is the victim of a violent crime. Now imagine weeks, months and years go by without anyone being brought to justice.
Without enough officers to investigate cases and too few crime analysts to process forensic evidence, cases stall and backlogs grow. This devastating scenario is a reality for far too many Texans.
Over the past five years, just 59% of the homicides in Texas were solved, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Law enforcement across the state last year cleared only four out of 10 violent crimes. And it’s getting worse. When it comes to violent crime, Texas’ clearance rate — the percentage of reported crimes solved by law enforcement — is lower today than it was 10 years ago.
When crime goes unpunished, victims and families longing for justice receive no closure, and individuals can commit more crimes and create more victims.
Earlier this year, Texas lawmakers took a bold, important step to address low clearance rates by passing Senate Bill 2177, which outlines additional resources for law enforcement to improve training, hire more staff and upgrade forensic and technological capacity. We commend the Legislature for creating a grant program to assist law enforcement agencies in solving violent and sexual offenses.
But that was only the first step. Now, we’re urging lawmakers to fund this crucial legislation. Providing the grants needed statewide would cost about $100 million over the two-year biennium. Lawmakers should provide this funding next session.
A primary function of government is ensuring public safety. Funding this bill would make communities safer by helping police arrest individuals who commit violent crimes. Improving clearance rates is also preventive: The likelihood of getting caught is a more effective crime deterrent than longer prison sentences. If people know there’s a high probability of arrest, they are less likely to engage in criminal activity.
When law enforcement solves fewer cases, those who commit crimes remain unidentified and free to reoffend, which puts future victims at risk. Unresolved grief and fear also create tension in the community and undermine the God-given value of human life.
In contrast, higher clearance rates build community trust and confidence in law enforcement, leading to better interactions with police and safer neighborhoods.
Law enforcement agencies often struggle to solve crimes because of staffing challenges. SB 2177 directly addresses those challenges by creating grants for agencies to hire, train and retain investigators and by providing the technology and equipment needed to process forensic evidence and reduce case backlogs. Providing the funding for those grants is the essential next step.
Financial accountability is baked into this bill. The grant requires annual reporting on clearance rates, average clearance times, the percentage of grant money used, and more.
This is not a partisan issue. The clearance rate bill received widespread support in the Legislature, passing unanimously in the Senate and with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House. Texas lawmakers widely showed they value giving law enforcement what they need to solve more crimes.
When it comes to addressing violent crime in Texas, lawmakers took a big step in the right direction by passing legislation that offers a promising solution to a serious problem. Now they must finish the job by funding SB 2177, so more crimes are solved and more families receive the justice and closure they deserve. Let’s make Texas a safer place.