The #MeToo movement is empowering victims of sexual assault to speak up like never before, but U.S. police departments are becoming less likely to close rape investigations successfully, the Associated Press reports. The clearance rate for rape cases fell last year to its lowest point since at least the 1960s, according to FBI data. That nadir may be driven, at least in part, by a greater willingness by police to classify rape cases correctly and leave them open even when there is little hope of solving them. Experts say it also reflects the fact that not enough resources are devoted to investigating sexual assault at a time when more victims are entrusting police with their harrowing experiences.
Police successfully closed just 32 percent of rape investigations nationwide in 2017, ranking it second only to robbery as the least-solved violent crime. That statistic is down from about 62 percent in 1964, despite advances such as DNA testing. The FBI provided The AP with a dataset of rape statistics back to the early 1960s, a table that includes more complete data than the bureau releases each fall. Some criminal justice experts attribute the falling clearance rate to an antiquated approach to investigation. “You’d figure with all the new technology — and the fact that the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault know their attacker — the clearance rates would be a lot higher,” said Joseph Giacalone, a former New York City police sergeant now teaching at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Sexual assault is one of the most confounding crimes police confront. Many investigations lack corroborating witnesses and physical evidence. Many complaints are reported months or years after the fact. Researchers believe only a third of rapes are reported at all. Historically, some detectives discouraged women from pursuing tough-to-prove charges against boyfriends, husbands or close acquaintances.