Most violent Michigan crimes go unsolved. Lawmakers want to change that

Michigan law enforcement had a 48% solve rate for violent crimes like murder, rape and assaults in 2024, latest data shows
Bipartisan legislation would start grant program for police agencies looking to crack more cases
Supporters say boosting crime solving rates would give victims and their families closure, act as deterrent for would-be criminals

In Michigan last year, more than half of the state’s most violent crimes went unsolved — a statistic lawmakers, police and criminal justice advocates say prevents closure for victims and could embolden would-be criminals.

With a 48% solve rate in 2024, Michigan is in the middle of the pack among US states when it comes to making arrests for violent crimes like murder, assault, rape and robbery, according to a 50-state data review by the Council for State Governments Justice Center.

Michigan lags behind states like Vermont, Delaware, Idaho and New York — where law enforcement agencies solved between 60 and 76% of violent crimes in 2024 — though the review found the state’s clearance rate for violent crimes has slightly improved, up from 43% in 2019.

Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, and Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, believe the state can do better. They’re proposing bipartisan House and Senate bills that would create the Violent Crime Clearance Act, a grant program aimed at funneling more resources to local police.

Michigan state Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, stands next to law enforcement officers. — Michigan state Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, said low clearance rates for violent crime are in part because “our amazing first responders lack the support they need from Lansing.” (Courtesy Michigan House of Representatives)

Supported by the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police and advocacy groups like Arnold Ventures and the Niskanen Center, the legislation as proposed would support grants for local law enforcement to hire and train investigators, upgrade equipment for evidence collection and improve victim services for those directly impacted by violent crime.

(Editor’s note: Arnold Ventures, a Bridge Michigan funder, helped fund some research associated with the legislation. Arnold Ventures had no role in conceiving, writing or reporting this story.)

The proposed program’s cost hasn’t been finalized, though Chang said she’s advocating for $5 million to get it off the ground.

“I think it would go a long way in terms of bringing closure to victims, solving more crimes, and then rebuilding some of that trust in our system,” Chang said.

‘No more important effort’

Nationally, FBI statistics show clearance rates for violent crime have experienced a multi-decade decline. In the 1960s, more than 90% of US homicides were solved — by the early 2020s, roughly half of murders were reported unsolved.

A Michigan State Police report detailing statewide crime clearance rates as of March 1 showed that 31.7% of reported murders in 2024 were solved. Felonious assaults had a clearance rate of 65.1%, and about 25% of reported first-degree criminal sexual assaults were cleared.

Property crimes, including armed robberies, fraud and other theft charges, had an overall clearance rate of 29.9% in Michigan last year.

“Local law enforcement do incredible work, but they need our help,” Lightner said in a statement. She thinks part of the reason clearance rates are low is because “our amazing first responders lack the support they need from Lansing.”

Police forces in urban and rural communities alike are facing similar issues with solving violent crimes, much of which ultimately come down to a lack of staffing or funds for investigative units, said Jason Olin, senior government affairs manager for criminal justice at the Niskanen Center.

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“You have detectives having to work multiple cases at a time, and have more cases stacking up…you have agencies that have tremendous forensic backlog, so they’re waiting months to get evidence back,” Olin said. “This is definitely a resource problem.”

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard (Courtesy of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, a Republican who runs one of the state’s largest local law enforcement agencies, said fewer arrests for high-profile violent crimes emboldens prospective criminals, who may assume that their chances of getting caught are low.

“If you can change those odds…I think that that does, in fact, help stop premeditated kinds of acts,” Bouchard said.

“There is no more important effort for law enforcement than to solve crimes and give some measure of closure to both the victims and the families, and the community,” he continued.

Getting closure

Michigan isn’t the only state pursuing targeted funding for solving violent crimes. State lawmakers in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Utah and Pennsylvania have passed or are considering similar measures, Olin said.

Though programs in other states are also in the works or relatively new, Olin said a good indicator of success in Michigan would be a program that allows departments of all sizes a chance at the additional funding, with grants large enough to make a substantial impact on crime-solving operations.

In Michigan, the legislation is structured to be flexible, Chang said, allowing agencies to apply for funds that would help boost units most in need of assistance while also requiring additional data collection and reporting to track outcomes.

Michigan state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit. (Courtesy Michigan Senate)

Law enforcement officials said they’re encouraged by the bipartisan sponsorship across both chambers, noting that in addition to boosting arrests and clearance rates for crimes as they occur, the legislation could also help bring closure to victims or family members who have been waiting years without resolution.

Oakland County’s cold case unit is primarily made up of volunteers who research unsolved cases and work to uncover new leads in their spare time, Bouchard said. Those volunteers have had successes, but an influx of resources could help local agencies breathe new life into older, unsolved cases.

“Is there anything new, anything we can do differently, any changes in technology or capability?” Bouchard said. “Even though they’re super old cases, they’re still very important, not only to the victim and the victim’s family, but to us … You want justice to be served.”