Expanding the Role of Digital Evidence in Homicide Investigations: A Multi-Method Case Study

• In Event: Solving Gun Crimes

Abstract

Technological innovations in police investigation have had a mixed record, in part because of organizational resistance to changing standard operating procedures. But that is not always the case. This study documents the successful implementation of the Chicago Police Department’s Area Technology Centers (ATCs), launched in 2019. Drawing on a mix of administrative data, in-depth interviews, surveys, and focus groups, we find that the ATCs have been successfully adopted by detectives and prosecutors, enhancing the volume, quality, and timeliness of digital evidence in investigations of homicides and non-fatal shooting cases. There is evidence that the State’s Attorney’s Office standard for accepting cases for prosecution has shifted, and now relies more than in the past on video compilations. A quantitative-impact evaluation of whether the ATCs have enhanced investigation outcomes produced indeterminate results, in part because the ultimate outcome of interest – rates of clearance by felony conviction – cannot be measured from available data. We conclude that the success in implementing the ATCs can be attributed in part to how they were designed and implemented within the department, and the positive response by prosecutors.

Authors

• Philip Cook, Duke University

• Kailey White, University of Chicago Crime Lab