Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Violent Crime Clearance Rate Percentages

County: Portage

Measurement Period: 2015

Why is this important?

Although each incident is different and no single measure can predict whether a crime will or will not be solved, clearance rates represent the ability of law enforcement to solve crime. Rates vary among different types of crime due to the nature of the offense. For instance, crimes like burglary and theft tend to lack witnesses. However, evidence often is present in violent crimes like aggravated assault. This leads to lower clearance rates for burglary and theft than for aggravated assault. Though each crime has distinct facts and evidence related to it, law enforcement must focus well trained investigators and appropriate technology to increase the chances of identifying the suspects and bring closure to the victims involved. The higher clearance rates in Portage County compared to Wisconsin’s overall clearance rate demonstrate the effectiveness of law enforcement in solving crimes in our community and impact the high percentage of residents who believe that Portage County is a safe place to live.

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