NCJ Number
209221
Date Published
May 2003
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study examined the use of "solvability factors" (information that contributes significantly to the likelihood that a case will be solved) to predict investigative outcomes for cases managed by the Dublin Division of Police (Ohio).
Abstract
The study analyzed a random sample of 155 cases investigated by Dublin detectives in 2002. A case was recorded as "solved" when it was cleared by arrest or "unfounded" (allegation of a crime was false or not a criminal event). A case was recorded as "unsolved" when there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime and/or no further leads warranted a continued investigation. The following solvability factors were weighted and scored: presence of a witness to the crime, naming of a suspect, location of a suspect, identification of a suspect, identification of the suspect's vehicle, the ability to trace any stolen property, the presence of a significant method for committing the crime, and the presence of significant physical evidence. The study concluded that the higher the number of solvability factors or the higher the solvability score, the more likely a case was to be solved. A named suspect was the most significant solvability factor and the most likely to predict a case outcome. In the random sample of cases, the named suspect solvability factor was present in 75 percent of all solved cases. The author advises that the results of this study are limited due to the short period of time over which the random sample of cases was drawn. 6 tables and a 30-item bibliography