KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Ever wonder what’s happening in the community? The analytics are right at your fingertips.
“We have dashboards for our response times, we have dashboards for our clearance rate, we have dashboards for our jail data,” Undersheriff Chuck Dewitt, of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, says.
Both the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Rapids Police Department publish online dashboards with live data. Many other agencies release information in annual reports.
Updated regularly, these dashboards are one way agencies can be transparent with the public. The KCSO updates its dashboard monthly.
“It’s our responsibility to show to the public what it is that we’re doing with the resources that they pay through their taxes,” says Undersheriff DeWitt.
Police datasets can represent transparency and accountability for departments, showing the work that’s been done as well as the work that still needs to be done.
DeWitt says the Michigan Incident Crime Reporting (MICR) tool is just a data warehouses used by police agencies to send information to the state, which collects and publishes crime statistics for different agencies across Michigan.
Every year, MICR data is released in an annual report, giving a snapshot for crime in the state. While 2022’s numbers are expected to arrive this summer, real-time data is already available at the local level.
“It’s an initiative to be transparent with the public,” explains Undersheriff DeWitt, who also said the Kent County Sheriff’s Office posts current numbers on its website because it’s information residents are entitled to know.
The information goes back as far as 2018, breaking down crime statistics according to type, year and jurisdiction, among other metrics.
The Sheriff’s Office also posts about clearance rates.
Surveying the data year-to-year, starting in January of 2022 to this year, Kent County saw a nearly 31% clearance rate, which refers to the number of cases in which investigations result in arrests.
Undersheriff DeWitt says resources are key to improving clearance rates.
“Obviously, if we had more resources to be able to devote to the investigation of crimes, the greater the likelihood that we will be able to solve that case,” he says. “Technology plays a big factor in those teypes of investigations. We’ve seen recently some big improvements in the realms of DNA.”
Clearance rates differ drastically from case to case. Nearly half of all violent crimes like assaults, criminal sexual assaults and stalking end in arrest, with a 46% clearance rate.
However, with a 16% clearance rate, property crimes like shoplifting, vehicle theft and property damage are often left unsolved.
“At times, we don’t always get the level of cooperation that we would hope for, whether it be a victim or witnesses that aren’t willing to talk to the police. So there’s a number of different things that come into play that will have an impact on that clearance rate," explains the undersheriff.
However, the most alarming variable in clearance rates, Undersheriff Dewitt says, has to do with age.
“Juvenile crime right now is absolutely contributing to an increase in the number of total incidents that we’re investigating. And unfortunately, right now, we’re, we’re not as successful being able to apprehend them”
State numbers underscore a similar trend. The latest reports by Michigan State Police show that only 21% of property crimes were solved.
While those numbers may seem troubling, DeWitt says reporting a crime can make all the difference.
“Depending on the type of crime, there’s going to be a higher emphasis and devoting resources to that crime. And I will guarantee you, if it’s never reported, it will never be solved,” he said.
He adds that reporting one crime could give authorities a piece of a larger puzzle.
“My suggestion would be, always call if you’re a victim of a crime, report that case, because information in your case could absolutely close your case, but also lead to resolving some older crimes, if in fact, it’s a pattern crime.”
Those uncomfortable with disclosing their identity with police can submit information anonymously through Silent Observer.
In Grand Rapids, police have taken a collaborative approach with neighbors. Grand Rapids residents can register their security cameras, whether at a home or a business,and allow GRPD to access the footage when investigating a crime. GRPD notes that video cameras would not be actively monitored by the department, while also reminding people not to investigate crimes on their own.
Check out our list of community resources available to help in West Michigan.