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Cleveland "Clearance Rate" For Homicide Higher Than Columbus

On Monday NPR reported on the odds of getting away with murder.  Using statistics compiled by the FBI, they found a lot depends on where you live.  NPR also created an online toolyou can use to make comparisons among cities.  Here's what ideastream Reporter David Molpus found in Ohio. 

 The FBI data is a record of crime "clearance rates."  That is, the percentage of cases that the police consider solved. The national "clearance rate" for homicide is 64%.  Cleveland's most recent 3-year average is only 39%.  Columbus's is even lower:  a 26% clearance rate

Akron did much better, clearing 75% of its homicides.  Akron is smaller, of course, and has only about a third the number of homicides as the other cities.

A couple of caveats to keep in mind - crime stats, including the FBI's, can be uneven or incomplete.  And "clearance rate" means police arrested a suspect but it doesn't necessarily mean there was a conviction.