Cooperation and Clearance: Victim Cooperation in Shooting Crimes

This thesis examined the factors affecting police clearance rates and citizen cooperation in investigations, particularly as they related to shooting crimes in Durham, North Carolina. Existing literature suggests that victim demographics and crime circumstances are limiting factors in police investigations and may influence the noncooperation of victims and witnesses. The study further explored these relationships through the use of statistical regression analyses of predictive factors for police clearance and victim cooperation in an examination of investigative case data and a qualitative analysis of police interview data. A secondary goal of the analysis was to provide insight and recommendations for reducing noncooperation in police investigations. Based on an examination of administrative data from the Durham Police Department records of shooting crimes in 2015, a multivariate logistic regression revealed that crime circumstances were highly associated with crime clearance. In addition, respondents who were male, racial and ethnic minorities, or between the ages of 20 and 30 were more likely to be uncooperative in police investigations. An analysis of semi-structured interviews with the Durham police department investigators assigned to the cases helped provide potential explanations for the noncooperation, including the presence of a pervasive culture of fear and the general mistrust in the police. I consequently proposed potential recommendations for improving citizen cooperation, such as through the use of community policing, providing credible relocation services for victims, and expanding staffing and resource availability.