TOLEDO, Ohio — 70% of violent crimes in Toledo went unsolved in 2022, according to a recent report from a non-profit crime reporting organization. It's among statistics that rank Ohio third out of all 50 states for unsolved violent crimes.
The Council of State Governments Justice Center, which recently released the report, describes itself as a "national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization" dedicated to increasing public safety and strengthening communities. On its website, the organization says its goals include breaking the cycle of incarceration, advancing health, opportunity and equity; and using data to improve safety and justice.
How the data is calculated
The CSG's data is sourced from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. It defines unsolved crime rates as the "number of reported crimes not cleared by arrest or by exceptional means, divided by the number of reported crimes." A crime is considered "cleared," CSG said, if it meets the following conditions:
- Identified the suspect accused of committing the crime
- Gathered enough evidence to support an arrest, make a charge and turn over the person to court for prosecution
- Identified the suspect's exact location so that the person could be taken into custody immediately
- Encountered a circumstance outside the control of law enforcement that prohibits the agency from arresting, charging and prosecuting the person
CSG used this methodology to determine which U.S. states had the highest percentage of unsolved crimes, as well as providing the narrower scope of determining unsolved rates of various law enforcement agencies. CSG classifies violent crimes as homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and rape.
Ohio's record
At the state level, CSG reported Ohio third in 2022 for unsolved violent crimes, surpassed only by Florida (82% unsolved) and New Mexico (75% unsolved). The organization said that while Ohio's violent crime rate was 23% lower than the U.S. average, its unsolved rate was 8% higher than the national average.
Averaging all four categories, 71% of violent crimes in Ohio went unsolved in 2022, according to CSG. The state with the least number of unsolved crimes is Vermont, with a 27% unsolved rate.
According to CSG's data, unsolved crimes have remained relatively stagnant over a 10-year period. Between 2012 and 2022, unsolved violent crimes remained at approximately the 70% mark. Nationally, the average of unsolved crime rates remained below 60% until 2020.
Data also shows the most unsolved category of violent crimes in Ohio is rape at more than 75%. This is followed by robbery, aggravated assault and homicide. Averaged together, they equal the 71% unsolved rate.
Where does northwest Ohio stand?
Slightly lower than this rate is the unsolved crime rate of crimes investigated by the Toledo Police Department in 2022, which comes in at a 70% unsolved rate.
Toledo's unsolved crime rate, however, is lower than CGS's data for the Cleveland, Springfield (Clark Co.), Akron and East Cleveland police departments, whose unsolved rates exceed 80%.
But some police departments have disputed CGS's statistics. According to reporting by WTOL 11's sister station WKYC 3News in Cleveland, Akron's police department said the 87% unsolved rate did not appear correct. Akron police told 3News they would check their records.
Below is a list of some Lucas County law enforcement agencies and CSG's reported percentage of unsolved crimes:
- Toledo Police Department - 3,105 incidents, 70% unsolved
- Lucas County Sheriff's Office - 63 incidents, 57% unsolved
- Oregon Police Department - 33 incidents, 55% unsolved
- Sylvania Twp. Police - 34 incidents, 76% unsolved
A Toledo police spokesperson told WTOL 11 there were 22 unsolved homicides in 2022. WTOL 11 records show a total of 66 homicides in Toledo in 2022, meaning 33% of them were unsolved.
The spokesperson said Toledo police did not track the number of other categories of unsolved violent crimes.
The Lucas County Sheriff's Office also said the information was correct.
Sylvania Township police said the number of violent crimes appeared to be incorrect. According to a department spokesperson, the number of violent crimes was closer to 22, not 34, as CSG reported.
Additionally, the spokesperson said most of the incidents were robberies, in which all of one were described as involving the suspect physically pushing past and/or struggling with loss prevention officers and securities, which categorized the incidents as violent.
Sylvania Twp. police also said it appeared that the "vast majority" of these incidents were solved, contrary to CSG's unsolved rate. They added the department would look further into how crime reporting software in the township was being transferred to the FBI's data collection.
WTOL 11 has reached out to other law enforcement agencies to ask if their records corroborate CSG's data. When we hear back, we will update this story.
If you have information from an unsolved crime, police ask that you call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct a percentage.
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