The effectiveness of standardized investigative tactics in clearing non-fatal shooting investigations
| Author | Scott W Phillips,Greg M Drake,Irshad Altheimer |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14613557221074986 |
| Published date | 01 September 2022 |
| Date | 01 September 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
The effectiveness of standardized
investigative tactics in clearing non-fatal
shooting investigations
Scott W Phillips
SUNY Buffalo State, USA
Greg M Drake
Saint John Fisher College, USA
Irshad Altheimer
Rochester Institute of Technology, Center for Public Safety Initiatives, USA
Abstract
Much research explores the correlates of clearing fatal shooting incidents. It is suggested that common investigative
resources and tactics, such as the number of detectives and witness interviews, may be associated with clearing both
fatal and non-fatal shooting cases. This study examines the effect of a standardized list of investigative tools in the clearing
of non-fatal shooting incidents. For this study, detectives from the Buffalo Police Department’s Gun Violence Unit com-
pleted an “Investigative Checklist”for non-fatal shootings that occurred between November 2019 and December 2020
(N=234 usable cases). Bivariate correlation analysis shows a strong association between uncooperative victims and a
detective conducting multiple canvases as part of the investigation. Logistic regression shows that examining a suspect’s
social media information, and detectives accessing patrol car reports, contributed to successfully clearing a non-fatal
shooting case. An uncooperative victim was negatively associated with clearing a case. Police practitioners should be
aware, based on the findings of this and other research, that a small number of investigative techniques contribute to
non-fatal shooting case clearance rates. It may be necessary for police agencies to construct detective units, and focus
on a narrow set of investigative tactics, in a way that improved clearance rates in non-fatal shootings.
Keywords
Non-fatal shootings, clearance rates, investigations, gun violence, detectives
Submitted 13 Aug 2021, accepted 13 Dec 2021
Introduction
Information from the Centers for Disease Control shows
that there were more than 14,000 firearm homicides and
over 75,000 non-fatal shootings in the United States in
2019 (White et al., 2021). Unfortunately, gun violence is
not a new phenomenon; it increased substantially during
the 1980s and continued into the mid-1990s (Braga et al.,
2008, 2010). By the end of the 1990s, homicides decreased
and stayed relatively low until the past five years (Hipple
and Magee, 2017). The only fact that can be considered
remotely positive is that most shooting incidents are non-
fatal (Hipple et al., 2019a). Research in Indianapolis, for
example, reported that non-fatal shootings occurred
almost four times as frequently as shooting deaths (Hipple
and Magee, 2017; Huebner and Hipple, 2018). Regardless
Corresponding author:
Scott W Phillips, Criminal Justice Department, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300
Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222, USA.
Email: phillisw@buffalostate.edu
Original Research Article
International Journal of
Police Science & Management
2022, Vol. 24(3) 239–249
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/14613557221074986
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