Washington is sitting on more than 49,000 unsolved violent crimes since 2022 — murders, rapes, robberies, assaults — all still open, all still waiting for answers.
Despite violent crime trending downward from pandemic highs, the state’s ability to actually solve these cases is falling behind. Last year, Washington police cleared only 44% of all violent crimes, according to Marshall Clement from the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center. Break that down, and the picture gets even worse:
- 62% of homicides solved
- 51% of aggravated assaults
- 31% of robberies
- Only 25% of rapes
Clement didn’t mince words: if clearance rates keep dropping, the entire justice system risks becoming pointless. Without solved cases, he said, you can’t talk about rehabilitation, deterrence, or anything else.
Before the pandemic, Washington actually performed slightly better than the national average. But like the rest of the country, clearance rates crashed during COVID and have only crawled upward since. Even with that small rebound, tens of thousands of cases remain open — including 400+ homicides, nearly 29,000 assaults, and almost 7,000 unsolved rapes.
Cities like Seattle, Tacoma, Kent, and Auburn stand out for particularly low solve rates.
Washington isn’t alone. Half the states have slipped since 2019, and nationally, solve rates have been declining for over 50 years.
Crime Is Dropping — but Still High
There is some good news. Murders dropped nearly 19% last year, though the total is still over 50% higher than in 2019. Robberies are down 16% and getting closer to pre-pandemic levels. Assaults, however, are still stubbornly high, despite slowing slightly.
Early 2025 numbers show the downward trend continuing.
A Cycle of Distrust
When violent crimes routinely go unsolved, trust in law enforcement collapses. People stop cooperating. Witnesses don’t come forward. And offenders feel confident they won’t get caught. Clement says breaking this cycle will require statewide leadership — not just local police departments acting alone.
The Hiring Problem
Washington’s police staffing is among the lowest in the nation. That means slower response times, less investigative capacity, and ultimately, fewer solved cases.
Crime analyst Jeff Asher told lawmakers that departments need to rethink how they use their resources — like New Orleans, which sends civilian contractors to non-injury car crashes so officers can focus on real crime.
“This isn’t the 1990s,” Asher said. “Hiring officers in 2025 is a different game.”
The state approved a new $100 million grant program to help cities hire more officers — but the funds can also go to things like crisis teams, behavioral health staff, and peer support, depending on local needs.
Some lawmakers want more of that money aimed directly at investigations to boost clearance rates. But how much of that will actually happen is still unclear.
To access the grants, cities must adopt a 0.1% public safety sales tax and follow state policies, including reporting use-of-force data. Not a dollar of the $100 million has been spent yet.