Published alongside our report California Law Enforcement Agencies Are Spending More But Solving Fewer Crimes on our website is an interactive tool that one can use to view data in their own county or city, while also comparing it to the state average. We have been pleased to find that media outlets and partners throughout the state have used this tool to uplift local concerns. This tool has also been used to highlight the serious questions being posed in this report surrounding public safety dollars, and the most effective ways to spend monies intended for that purpose. Please see below for a few pieces of coverage from our report. If you have any questions, or for media inquiries, please contact us at cjcjmedia@cjcj.org
“…over the last 30 years, the number of reported crimes to police has plunged about 50%, so it’s not like police are underperforming because they’re getting swamped in crime reports. Yet, in San Francisco and Alameda County, home to some of the state’s loudest calls for more cops and more police funding, police clearance rates are abysmal.”
Regional Media Coverage
SF Chronicle, Bob Egelko Police in S.F., Alameda counties ‘clear’ cases less than elsewhere in urban California, report says
SF Chronicle, Justin Phillips Law-and-order folks need to see this sobering data about law enforcement in California
KCRA Video Coverage KCRA Video Coverage of Report and Release
Berkeleyside, Alex N. Gecan Berkeley police spending outstrips state average, but solve rates remain lower, study says
Kiowa County Press, Suzanne Potter Report California Police Are Agencies Spending More But Solving Fewer Crimes
Witness LA, Taylor Walker Police Solving Fewer Crimes Despite Increased Spending, Says New Report
“In Berkeley, per-capita spending hovered above the state average most years, from a low of $582 in 2004 to a high of $709 in 2020, compared with state averages of $545 and $669 the same years, according to the report.
The Berkeley Police Department’s clearance rate for violent offenses oscillated up and down, but also remained below the state average. Berkeley’s rate of property crimes remained well above the state average, and for several years BPD’s clearance rate on them was below the state average. In 2022, though, a combination of declining state clearance rates and improving rates in Berkeley meant the city reversed that trend.”
Contact Us
We will continue to post coverage of our reports on this page. We also welcome conversations around this report and law enforcement clearance rates in California. Please reach out to us with any questions at cjcjmedia@cjcj.org