By Nikki Pressley, Ross Jackson

Since the FBI began tracking clearance rates in the 1960s, law enforcement has been solving fewer crimes each year, despite declining crime trends since the 1990s.

KEY POINTS

• Following national trends, violent crime and property crime rates have significantly declined in Texas since the early 1990s when crime in the United States peaked.

• Law enforcement has been solving fewer crimes each year, despite the decline in crime rates.

• In 2023, only 53% of homicides were solved in Texas.

• Potential causes of declining clearance rates include law enforcement staffing challenges, technology challenges, funding gaps, overcriminalization, and a lack of prioritization of cases.

• To increase clearance rates, law enforcement departments need additional resources for crime staff and training, new policies and procedures that target crime ridden areas, increased transparency and accountability mechanisms, and a renewed focus on restoring victims and their families.

Austin, TX: Right On Crime, 2025. 28p.