Oklahoma City police have not found the killers of 88 homicide victims since 1998, says the Oklahoman. More than 70 percent of the dead in the unsolved cases were minorities. The police department doesn't solve homicides with minority victims as often as those with white victims – a trend the department hasn't previously studied. “I can't tell you why,” Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty said. “You take pride in solving a case no matter what or who is involved.” Citty said police will conduct an analysis of their own in an attempt to find the meaning behind the numbers.
The percentage of homicides solved citywide has been declining for decades, despite advances in law enforcement investigation technology. “The reality of homicides is not 'CSI,'.” Citty said. “The reality of most homicides is somebody is going to tell you who did it.” Problem is, people aren't talking to police as much as they used to. Fewer people are being murdered by acquaintances, leaving police without dots to connect. City gang members, who are mostly black and Hispanic, often distrust police and follow codes of silence. Hispanic immigrants have brought more Spanish-speaking residents to the city. Criminologists and city officials said the combination of those factors could help explain the department's problems solving minority murders as effectively as white murders.