NCJ Number
171208
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 66 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1997) Pages: 1-6
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
In Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the FBI joined forces to clear the glut of unsolved homicides ("cold cases") in the city by establishing a squad to work exclusively on unsolved murders.
Abstract
Despite a recent decline in homicide numbers, the tremendous increase in violence over the last decade has been particularly overwhelming for Washington, D.C., and several other major urban centers. As the number of murders in Washington, D.C., continued to increase, homicide detective solved fewer and fewer cases. The homicide clearance rate for the city and the Nation plummeted. In an attempt to address this problem, the MPD formed the Cold Case Homicide Squad (CCS). The squad began with six veteran homicide detectives and one veteran detective sergeant. The squad was not assigned to shift rotations and did not respond to fresh homicide scenes. In the summer of 1992, at MPD's request, the FBI assigned agents to the CCS who were experienced in violent crime investigations. This marked the first time that the FBI contributed case agents to such an effort. Currently, the CCS includes six homicide detectives, one detective sergeant, one detective lieutenant, eight FBI agents, and one FBI supervisor; they are all assigned full-time to the investigation of unsolved murders. The selection of effective investigators and supervisors has proven to be a key component of the squad's success. All of the cases investigated are at least 1 year old and could not be addressed by the original homicide squad because of workload, time constraints, or the lack of viable leads. The CCS team investigates all remaining viable leads and, in most situations, identifies new leads and additional witnesses. The success of the CCS concept in Washington is clear. Since 1992 the CCS has closed 157 previously unsolved homicide cases, as well as several high- profile attempted murder cases. The investigations have produced the prosecution of some of the most violent and notorious repeat offenders in the city. This article describes a typical case handled by the CCS. 7 notes