NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Ellie Rushing, crime reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, about how falling violent crime rates and new technology are leading to high homicide clearance rates.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It's been harder to get away with murder in Philadelphia this year. Violent crime rates have dropped sharply, as in many other cities, and Philadelphia police are now solving murders at the highest rate since 1984. Ellie Rushing reports crime for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and she's dug into the story and joins us now. Welcome.
ELLIE RUSHING: Thank you so much for having me. I'm very glad to be here.
CHANG: Oh, glad you're here. So let me ask you this. Philadelphia's homicide clearance rate has fluctuated between 86 and 91 percent month to month this year. That's the percentage of murders solved, right? – which sounds impressive. Like, how does this compare to previous years?
RUSHING: Yes. This is a welcome improvement over the significant challenges the police department faced in solving homicides, especially between 2015 and 2022. Over those seven years, the homicide clearance rate hovered around 50% or less. And in 2021, when the city was experiencing its worst gun violence crisis, it fell to an all-time low of 41.8%.
CHANG: Wow.
RUSHING: So just…
CHANG: Less than half of the murders have been solved.
RUSHING: Right. Less than half of the city's murders were solved.
CHANG: And let's talk about what are the consequences of lower homicide clearance rates? What are the ripple effects?
RUSHING: Well, when shootings and especially violent crimes and homicides go unaddressed, it can seriously strain a police department's relationship with the community. In Philadelphia, the majority of people affected by gun violence are Black and brown residents, especially young men. And so their families may feel that their murders do not matter and that the police are not doing enough to solve these crimes. And then, you understand, they will not be helped in these matters. Experts also said that, in effect, arresting the shooters prevents them from committing more violence and becoming victims of retaliatory shootings. And it can actually deter others from committing more crimes by sending a message of responsibility.
CHANG: Could one of the big factors contributing to improved crime-solving rates be that police in general have to deal with fewer murders, so they just have more time to solve murder cases?
RUSHING: Definitely. Philadelphia is now on track to record its fewest homicides since the 1960s. Thus, this gave detectives significantly more time to investigate the cases before them. I mean, during the pandemic, detectives were investigating 10 to 15 cases a year, which is more than twice the amount of work recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice. And this year it’s twice as much. And some of this also comes down to simple math. I want to make sure this is clear, right? When we have significantly fewer homicides this year, even fewer overall arrests could improve crime clearance rates overall.
CHANG: Totally. Well, your article also goes deeply into technological improvements in the police department, such as better cameras, forensic equipment. By the way, how good are these cameras?
URGENT: These cameras are incredible. I mean, they can zoom in on the name of a candy bar wrapper lying on the ground, or the fine lines of someone's…
CHANG: Wow.
URGENT: …Tattoos on the arms or neck. So in 2024, the police said there were about 3,600…
CHANG: Wow.
URGENT: …All over the city. This year there are 7,300 of them, and that's not even counting…
CHANG: Wow.
URGENT: …All tens of thousands of other cameras in public transport, private enterprises, their own residents, for example, Ring cameras. And so, more often than not, the police now film these shootings.
CHANG: Wow. So, these technological innovations are definitely helping the police in solving cases.
RUSHING: Definitely. The Police Department has also installed hundreds of license plate readers throughout the city. This way, if the police are looking for a getaway car, they can trace the path of that car and then find it faster and get the really important clues.
CHANG: Well, despite the positive trend in solving murders, it's not that the number of murders has now dropped to zero. It's not about poverty, gang activity, illegal weapons, drug dealing – not that none of this already exists. So I'm wondering if Philadelphians are experiencing this improvement in their clearance rates, at least the people you talked to? Do they feel safer?
RUSHING: It's hard to say. Because when we looked at this data, it showed that between 2021 and 2023 there were about 800 murders that still did not result in an arrest. So, hundreds of families, thousands of people throughout the city, you know, remained in this purgatory…
CHANG: Yes.
URGENT: …Grief yearning for answers and responsibility. And, you know, I think the families that have been arrested this year, obviously, you know, their relationship with the detectives and the police department has improved. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
CHANG: Indeed. Reporter Ellie Rushing of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Thank you so much for a truly fascinating report.
RUSHING: Thank you so much for having me.
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