In a city long plagued by crime, dedicated police officers have unveiled the reasons behind a rapid increase in murder case resolutions.

According to a recent report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Police Department is currently solving homicides and apprehending suspects at a rate reminiscent of the levels seen nearly 40 years ago.

This year, the department’s homicide clearance rates have fluctuated between 86 and 91 percent, marking the highest levels since 1984, when a remarkable 95 percent was achieved.

Despite Philadelphia’s reputation for crime, numerous factors have contributed to this impressive uptick, according to senior officials within the department.

Advancements in technology, including improved detection devices and sophisticated recognition software, have significantly expedited police work.

Additionally, a recent decline in violent crime has allowed officers to allocate more resources to both new investigations and revisiting unsolved cases.

The overall dynamic of the department has also helped with the shift, as several officials told the outlet morale has been at an all-time high.  

These aspects have all played a role in the drastic increase, especially when compared to where they stood years ago.  

The Philadelphia Police Department are solving so many homicides this year that clearance rates have hovered between 86 and 91 percent

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore (pictured) credited the solved cases to the technological advancements his department now uses on a regular basis 

From 2015 to 2022 only 50 percent or less of homicide cases were solved, per police department data reviewed by the outlet.

In 2021 alone, the number dropped further to 41.8 percent during a huge spike in shootings. That remains as the lowest rate on record. 

Technological advancements, including license plate readers and high-definition surveillance cameras have assisted the department greatly. 

The tools, along with social media and cell phone location analysis, not only provide more evidence for cases, but also make the crimes get solved faster than ever before. 

In just one year, the police department has more than doubled the number of its ‘real-time crime’ cameras, which capture 360-degree views of its surroundings. 

In 2024 the city reported 3,625 cameras, but as of this year there are 7,309. That number does not include the thousands of recording devices that are located on SEPTA buses, businesses and private properties. 

The advancements have not gone unnoticed as Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore expressed how impressive it has all been. 

‘The video, it’s unbelievable. We have the officers wearing cameras. We’ve got cameras in the cars. We have thousands of cameras on the streets that we put up … that really catch everything,’ he told the Inquirer. 

Violent crimes rates have also dropped in recent times, making more time for police officers to investigate new and old murder cases. (Pictured: Philadelphia Police officer at a mass shooting scene in July) 

In August, Philadelphia officers arrested a suspect within just a week in about 31 percent of its cases. That number is up from 15 percent three years prior. 

A drop in violent crimes across the city has also contributed to allowing police officers more time to focus on other, unsolved cases. 

Homicide rates surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, including in 2021 when the city saw 50 or more homicides over the span of six months. 

During that time detectives never made more than 29 arrests in any one month, data showed. 

But with more time on their hands, police were able to arrest people associated with previous cases. 

In the month of August just under a third of the total 129 homicide arrests were for cases that happened before 2025, the analysis found. 

Cherisse Pearson, a mother who lost her 17-year-old son Theodore ‘Tre’ Crawford in April 2022 after he was shot during a gun sale, knows first hand how much better the department is doing. 

Her son’s case was one of those solved this past year after nearly three years of no answers about who took his life. 

‘My son was murdered. I am his mother. I am not accepting silence as an answer. That will not happen until the death of me,’ she said. 

Pearson stayed in constant contact with the department about his case and frequently got little to no response, but last fall that all changed. 

A new detective, Joseph Cremen, took over Crawford’s case and used all the resources available to finally catch who killed him. 

Theodore ‘Tre’ Crawford’s case had gone unsolved since he died in a shooting in 2022. But after a new officer got assigned to it and used advanced technology, his alleged killers were arrested 

‘And in less than a year my son’s case was solved,’ Pearson said. 

Not only did Cremen comb through thousands of Instagram records and messages, but he kept Pearson updated throughout the whole process. 

In April three men were charged with her son’s murder and are now awaiting trial. 

With the rise of technology comes the advancements in social media – something officers also have to keep up to assist in solving cases. 

The Gun Violence Task Force, led by Assistant District Attorney Bill Fritze, knows first hand how valuable information from online can be to help move cases forward.

The task force only had three cell phone extraction devices before 2023, but a $20 million grant allowed his team to buy 14 more devices. 

With them, the department can immediately dig through victim’s and suspect’s cell phones instead of sending them out and waiting for crucial information. 

Several detectives admitted that the new upbeat morale has also assisted in helping officers solve more murder cases 

‘It gets better every day,’ Vanore said about technology in the force. ‘Everything gets updated. Everything gets better, and we’re getting better at deciphering that technology.’ 

Several detectives admitted that the new upbeat morale has also assisted in helping officers solve more murder cases. 

Speaking anonymously to the outlet, officers said that when shootings surged during the pandemic, there was a lot of hostility in the workplace.

‘It was chaos,’ Vanore admitted. 

The department also endured several scandals, including officers and top detectives getting locked up for their own crimes.

Phillip Cook, a professor at Duke University who studies the effects of gun violence at the  University of Chicago Crime Lab, said the rise in solved murders in Philadelphia is something to be extremely proud of.

‘Anything like 90 percent is extraordinary. It’s an increase in safety that is being recorded today by this huge reduction in homicides.’