April 15, 2008

CMPD's Homicide Cold Case Unit has been selected from more than 1000 applicants as a Top 50 semi-finalist in the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards competition.  Click the following link to see the announcement.

http://content.knowledgeplex.org/streams/ksg/AshInstitute/04.15.08_Top50_FINAL.pdf

Established in 1985 at Harvard Kennedy School by the Ford Foundation, the Innovations in American Government Awards Program is designed to improve government practice by honoring effective government initiatives and encouraging the dissemination of such best practices across the country.

CMPD's Homicide Cold Case Unit was formed in April of 2003. The Unit consists of two full-time homicide detectives, one full time F.B.I. agent and a five person civilian volunteer review team, who possess criminal justice backgrounds. The civilian review team's primary responsibility is to organize and review the open case files and provide the cold case squad with a detailed summary of the case.The cold case squad then utilizes the review and summary to assist them in their on-going homicide investigation once the case is re-opened.

Since its inception, the Unit has reviewed more than 100 cases and has cleared 25 cold homicide cases resulting in the arrests of 18 suspects. A number of those cases have been cleared as the result of DNA analysis of relevant evidence. 

Of the 18 suspects arrested, five have been through the court process.  All five of those cases were strong enough that the suspects entered guilty pleas, sparing the District Attorney from using limited prosecutorial resources on trial for these defendants. One especially satisfying outcome of the 25 case clearances has been bringing a sense of closure to the families of these victims who, in some cases, have waited 20 or more years for answers regarding the death of their loved one. 

For additional information, click Cold Case - Homicide.