In late May 2023, Illinois passed the Homicide Data Transparency Act, a significant measure mandating law enforcement to track and publicly disclose detailed and standardized reports on homicides. This legislation has been welcomed by gun reform advocates in Chicago, a city grappling with a distrust of police among many shooting survivors.
This distrust has been exacerbated by the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) historically low clearance rates for gun crimes, which tend to be inflated in their self-reporting. The situation prompted the CPD, in 2018, to hire the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a non-profit organization specializing in police research and policy, to evaluate its homicide investigation processes.
As a part of this effort, CPD released an updated report detailing its responses to the 89 recommendations from PERF aimed at improving homicide case management. The CPD highlighted several improvements, including the creation of homicide-specific detective units, investment in new technology, and the addition of staff dedicated to assisting families affected by gun violence.
Despite a reported 20 percent decrease in fatal shootings from 2022 to 2024, CPD’s clearance rates, which tally arrests made within a year of a homicide, have not shown improvement, according to advocates such as Alicia Schemel of Live Free Illinois. She asserts that while the changes have been made, they have not significantly influenced clearance rates or rebuilt trust with the community.
“People are finally saying: ‘You know what? You guys are not doing your jobs and we’re tired of it,’” Schemel remarked, expressing a widespread frustration among community members.
Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain from Live Free Illinois believes that improvements should be visible. The lack of progress in resolving homicide cases, even with fewer incidents to investigate, is particularly concerning.
“We’re not expecting drastic drops, but we should be experiencing some level of improvement,” she stated, underscoring the belief that reduction in offending should lead to higher clearance rates.
In terms of operational changes, CPD has worked to restructure its homicide investigation units, breaking them into five areas based on geographical lines: West Side, Northwest Side, South Side, North Side, and Central. This realignment was part of fulfilling PERF’s recommendations, which also included a significant increase in detective staffing. Since 2020, 653 officers have been promoted to detective, with homicide detectives now handling an average of three cases each, down from four.
The department initiated the Homicide Team Pilot Program, where each detective is assigned one week of “on-call” responsibility, ensuring they can respond directly to every homicide in their designated area. These strategies aim to lessen the confusion among families by minimizing case transfers between detectives, allowing them to stay focused on the details of individual cases.
To bolster investigative procedures, CPD developed two comprehensive guides outlining the responsibilities of detectives during homicide investigations. They have also invested in training to help officers address sensitive matters, including biases and conversations with grieving families. A new training facility was opened in 2023.
While CPD has reported the changes made, advocates have pointed out the absence of a thorough evaluation regarding the effectiveness of these reforms. Bates-Chamberlain urged that with fewer cases to handle, a rise in clearance rates was expected.
In response to inquiries about PERF’s evaluations, a CPD spokesperson emphasized the intricate nature of homicide investigations. “While the improvements we have made to the homicide investigation process within the past few years have strengthened our response, homicide investigations remain complex cases. These cases can be extensive and lengthy based on the evidence available,” the spokesperson explained.
Technological advancements are another focus area for CPD, which has integrated new software for case tracking and established five technology centers. Within these centers, detectives and police personnel review footage from surveillance systems that may have captured criminal activity and analyze digital evidence to support investigations.
Anthony Berglund, associate director of project management at the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab, noted that before the introduction of technology centers, detectives faced challenges in managing video evidence due to outdated storage methods. With the new centers, evidence review and storage have improved significantly, allowing investigations to proceed with more efficiency.
“Technology could have been a hindrance to an investigation in the recent past,” said Berglund. “Now, technology can actually push an investigation forward.” Video evidence has proven crucial, especially when eyewitnesses are reluctant to come forward.
In 2024, CPD unveiled the Crime Gun Intelligence Center to tackle the backlog in evidence processing in their firearms lab. Additionally, a DNA Processing Unit was established, with the Forensic Services Division expanding to include 115 evidence technicians and the potential to add more staff members.
CPD also promoted 19 officers to serve as latent print examiners, dedicated to analyzing specific forms of evidence like fingerprints. A new center aimed at processing complex digital forensic cases is also slated to launch this year. By 2027, CPD aims to achieve accreditation for its forensic science lab, a status which can minimize the chances of evidence being contested during trials.
Overall, the changes sparked by PERF’s recommendations and the Homicide Data Transparency Act represent a concerted effort from CPD to enhance investigative practices. Chuck Wexler, PERF Executive Director, insisted that while clearance rates are important, the integrity of investigations holds just as much weight. “Clearance rates matter. But I think what’s also important is that you’re making good cases,” he stated.
However, community members in areas plagued by high gun violence have yet to see tangible benefits from these reforms. Bates-Chamberlain recounted that in discussions with residents from Chicago’s South and West sides, many expressed feeling overlooked in the investigative process, pointing out a lack of communication from detectives.
“One of the real challenges in certain communities is rebuilding trust,” Wexler acknowledged. “That can impact your ability to get information from the community. It can impact your clearance rates.”
CPD has emphasized that it is working to better engage with communities affected by gun violence. Initiatives include the establishment of the Family Liaison Office, participation in projects from the University of Illinois at Chicago that focus on centering victim experiences, and collaborations with various organizations dedicated to gun violence prevention.
For Schemel, these issues are deeply personal. A survivor of gun violence herself, Schemel’s father was killed in 1999. Lacking answers from CPD, she ultimately moved away, haunted by the uncertainty of whether those responsible for her father’s murder would come after her.
Schemel emphasized to the police that clearance rates symbolize far more than mere statistics; they are a reflection of the lives that have been cut short and the critical need for accountability. With the Homicide Data Transparency Act taking effect in July 2026, police departments will be required to report homicide clearance rates as separate categories, cutting through the ambiguity of figures that included cases resolved through “exceptional means,” such as the death of a suspect or case rejection by prosecutors.
“I can’t make detectives solve homicides,” said Schemel, emphasizing her commitment to transparency. “But I can get the information out there to let the public know where they’re falling short.”
image source from：https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/06/17/chicago-police-have-failed-to-solve-more-homicides-could-a-new-law-help/
