Taking up a law enforcement-focused bill first introduced by U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a companion to the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act this week.
Backed by both police groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police and nonprofits like Everytown for Gun Safety, the legislation is meant to improve the ability of law enforcement to solve gun crimes and homicides, bolstering what is known as the murder clearance rate – the percentage of murder cases solved by law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“Real life is quite different from what you may see on television. I saw as a detective, detective sergeant, and chief of police that gun crimes are oftentimes difficult to investigate and solve,” said Demings, a 27-year veteran of law enforcement and the first female Chief of Police in Orlando, Fla. “Simply put, many agencies lack the resources they need to bring justice to these cases and closure for families. Half of gun murders in the United States go unsolved, and victims are often left with no justice and little support. This legislation would inject critical new funding into America’s law enforcement agencies to hire and train detectives and specialists specifically committed to investigate unsolved crimes, comfort victims, and bring the guilty to justice.”
The VICTIM Act would push this through a new Department of Justice grant program to hire, train and retain detectives and victim services personnel, investigate shootings, and support victims and their families. State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies could benefit from this. However, any recipients would have to report to the DOJ how that money was spent and how it affected clearance rates for both homicides and non-fatal shootings. Period efficiency evaluations of these efforts from the National Institute of Justice would follow.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a surge in homicidal crimes throughout our country,” Booker said.
In 2020, the United States reached its largest rise in murder since national record-keeping began in 1960, with 21,570 killed. An estimated 77 percent of these were caused by firearms, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Due to the lack of federal resources, many agencies, especially in underserved communities from urban to rural, lack the proper resources to solve such heinous crimes,” Booker added. “This legislation is crucial in our work to ensure that our law enforcement agencies have the appropriate training and resources to help increase clearance rates for homicides and non-fatal shootings.”
In addition to the companion introduction in the Senate, the House Judiciary Committee also considered Demings’ version of the bill this week.