Just a thought on some recent attempts by some to misrepresent crime statistics to the press: The TBI statistical category labeled Cleared does not specifically mean that a case has been Solved. This stat refers to how a report is handled, not necessarily the disposition of the crime itself. This statistic is easily manipulated and easily misrepresented. For example, many agencies request Exeptional Clearance for numerous reasons, such as when victims refuse to prosecute, death of the offender, if a suspect is already in custody, or if the suspect was a juvenile. The McMinn Sheriffs Office rarely requests Exeptional Clearances, and rather allows cases to remain open so that further efforts can be made to solve a case, locate stolen property, or make an arrest at a later date. Cold cases remain important to the victim, as well as to our investigators, and therfore are not cleared out. Finally, the TBI, on the front page of its crime website, specifically cautions against comparing crime rates with other agencies and jurisdictions, due to the face that different agencies clear reports in different ways. The statistic is very useful, however, in comparing trends within the same agency. A closer look at specific crimes reported in the same agency reveals this to be true. For example, in the McMinn Sheriffs Office, a higher percentage of burglaries were cleared in 2011 than had been in the previous 4 years. It is also of note that overall reported crimes in McMinn County are down an average of 1000 less crimes per year since 2010. Less reported crimes mean less crimes requiring clearance. Joe Guy, McMinn Co Sheriff
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:48:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015