If a person commits a violent crime in the state of Utah, statistics tell them that they have a “coin-flip” chance of getting away with it.
Since the 1960s, law enforcement has been solving fewer crimes, not just in Utah but nationwide, Jason Olin, senior government affairs manager for criminal justice at the Niskanen Center, said at Utah’s state Capitol on Tuesday.
“While Utah is one of the safer states in the country, data indicates that many violent crimes in this state still go unsolved,” Olin said during a press conference regarding violent crime. “Since 2019, the violent crime clearance rate in Utah has hovered right around 53%,” meaning “there are families and friends of victims who are denied the justice that should be theirs by right. It also means that roughly half of the violent crimes that are committed in the state do not lead to any punishment.”
How HB137 seeks to deter violent crime
There are multiple factors that play into the complications of this statistic, but one way the Legislature is trying to increase the violent crime clearance rate in the state of Utah is to give law enforcement the financial resources they need to solve crimes, bring justice to victims and make society as a whole feel safer.
Headed by Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, HB137 seeks to address the capacity problem law enforcement in Utah faces; it doesn’t change criminal law or policing authority.
The bill, which is backed with bipartisan support, creates a “Violent Crime Clearance Rate Fund” financed by allocations from the Legislature, private donations and interest earned on the fund. The money would then be purposed for a number of options: hiring, training, upgrading technology, supporting witnesses, etc.
“Violent crime fluctuates, and history has shown us that when agencies lose ground on investigative capacity, it is very difficult and very expensive to regain it," Ogden Police Chief Jacob Sube said during the press conference. He explained that violent crimes are uniquely different from other crimes, “involve hundreds of investigative hours, numerous detectives, forensic testing, evidence analysis, coordination with prosecution and long-term witness engagement.”
Clancy, who is also a detective for the Provo Police Department, said that when statistics show a higher violent crime clearance rate, meaning more perpetrators are apprehended, a person is more likely to be deterred from committing a crime.
“They’ve got to understand that when they pull the trigger, it’s not a maybe, it’s not a coin flip, it’s a guarantee that their life is going to be impacted and changed forever because of the investigative tools involved,” which would be funded by HB137, he said.
Finding answers for victims
Each speaker during Tuesday’s press conference emphasized that behind every violent crime case — solved or not — is a family trying to find lasting peace after tragedy.
“Far too many families in the state of Utah memorialize the birthdays of loved ones not knowing what happened to their loved one, how they were hurt and where their body is,” said Carl Hollan, a member of the Utah Statewide Association of Prosecutors & Public Attorneys. “These families have to wait agonizing months or years before ultimately learning what has happened to their family members and wondering whether or not they will ever be able to put those family members to proper rest.”
Through his experience as a prosecutor, Hollan said HB137 would be an investment in Utah victims by ensuring “that our families, our loved ones, can be safe,” and that those who prey on and “who would harm others, will be held accountable and brought to justice.”
As a police officer, “you’re kind of on the front lines, and you see the human toll that violence takes,” Clancy told the Deseret News. He said that after helping victims of violent crimes through the system and then seeing them later on, “my heart breaks every time I see that person. ... But I don’t think I’m unique in that. If you talk to enough people, you’ll find that everyone’s been touched. Everyone has a loved one who’s been impacted in this way.”
“There’s nothing worse,” he said. “We’re going after the worst things in our society. And I think that’s an important place to start.”