![]() Scholarly research does not support that notion, according to Arizona State University criminologist Jesenia Pizarro. "If their check was tied to how many crimes they solve, more crimes would be solved," Jones said. Second, the churchgoers said, the detectives could just work harder. ![]() But the number of black detectives increased by just three. "It'll be a lot easier if it's a detective that identifies with my experience."ĬPD had a chance to change the racial makeup of its detective ranks when it expanded them by about 240 positions in the last few years under Superintendent Eddie Johnson. "It's important for detectives to meet the people where they are," Lilly said. These churchgoers said there are things CPD could do to solve more murders involving black victims.įirst, the department could hire more black detectives. "You have family members letting killers eat at their table." What police can do "A lot of times criminals are harbored by family members," Jones said. She said that the low clearance rate for murders with black victims reflects a lack of resources in general for African American communities.īut she said community residents deserve some of the blame. Sharon Jones, a 60-year-old retired truck driver, said a first cousin of hers was killed just blocks from the church a few years ago - a murder that was never solved. "If you're asking that same person that's been mistreated by the police, day in and day out, to help you solve crimes, it will not happen," Todd said. Jonathan Todd, a 51-year-old political consultant who attends the church, blamed the low murder clearance rate on a perception in some African American neighborhoods that the police are "an occupying force." What does that mean for me and my family?" "If a detective comes to my house and wants certain information, people know that here. "There's fear of not being protected," Lilly said. Lilly said he thinks it can be hard for police to solve murders in some African American neighborhoods because witnesses don't want to help police. "I think it's a testament to how disposable black bodies and black lives are in this country," said Bernard Lilly Jr., 23, a musician and school-based mentor who attributed Austin's high crime rates and low clearance rates to "systemic racism." John Bible Church, which sits in the middle of Austin, a neighborhood on Chicago's West Side that has a lot of violence. The racial disparity in the department's murder solve rate is not surprising to members of Greater St. When the victim was African American, it was less than 22%.Ĭommunity members, academics and police officials seem to agree on something: At the base of the department's failure to solve murders is a lack of trust. ![]() When the victim was white, 47% of the cases were solved during those same 19 months. The data, obtained by WBEZ under Illinois' open-records law, show the city had 849 murders between the beginning of 2018 and this past July. In recent years the police have been solving about 4 of every 10 murders in the city, but police data show the rate is even worse when the victim is African American. City data over 19 months show police solved 47% of murders with white victims and 22% with black victims.Īmong the nation's largest cities, Chicago stands out for both its high murder rate and for the number of its murders that go unsolved.
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