The Chicago Police Department must completely overhaul the way it investigates homicides, from finding better detectives to keeping better track of cases, if it hopes to improve its dismal clearance rate and reduce violent crime, a leading police research agency has concluded after an exhaustive review.
In a 116-page report, the Police Executive Research Forum found some detectives do not even know how many cases they were assigned in the past year. It also found that the department offers nothing to witnesses who feel threatened, does not pay enough attention to shootings that are not fatal and must wait up to a year for crucial DNA test results.