Choosing Favorites? Examining the Multiple Factors that Influence the Prioritization of Cold Case Homicide Investigations
Abstract:
With each cold case homicide, a victim fails to receive justice and a perpetrator is likely at large. With the recent implementation of cold case homicide units across the country, these unsolved crimes are receiving a second chance for resolution. However, the caseload for these types of units is often daunting. Due to limited personnel dedicated to cold cases, detectives are often limited in the number of cases they can "actively" work at one time. Therefore, they must prioritize which cases to investigate. This paper examines the multiple factors that influence this critical decision. Hypothetically departments seek to work those cold cases that occurred most recently and that have the greatest amount of evidence. However, several other influences complicate this process. Resource allocation, political pressures, family interests, community impact, and other factors might be more likely to dictate to detectives which cold case homicides will be worked first....