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Introduction
Gun violence remains a pervasive problem in America. In 2021, 20,966 people were killed in gun homicides and an additional 40,605 were wounded as a result of gun violence (Simon et al., 2022; Gun Violence Archive, 2021). Arresting perpetrators of gun violence remains a priority for police departments. Yet, in many jurisdictions, clearance rates for many types of gun violence are problematically low. Clearance rates for homicides have declined over recent decades and currently hover around 60% (Barao et al., 2021). Further, clearance rates of non-fatal shootings in some cities are below 20% (Barao et al., 2021). Low case clearance rates for gun violence affect communities in numerous ways; fueling cycles of retaliatory violence (Braga et al., 2008), deepening levels of legal cynicism (Abt, 2019), and increasing fear of crime (Cordner, 201) .
Recent research has sought to provide guidance on predictors of case outcomes. Most of this research has focused on clearance of homicides, but more recent work has extended to non-fatal shootings. Findings from this research have identified key solvability factors that impact whether a case will be cleared by arrest (e.g., see Braga et al., 2019; Barao et al., 2021; Puckett and Lundman, 2003). This research has focused on four core features of an investigation that influence case solvability: victim characteristics, event characteristics, material evidence, and testimonial evidence. Scholars have derived variables from those core features that drive case clearance outcomes. For example, Braga et al. (2019) utilized data from investigative case files and in-depth interviews with detectives to determine whether the criminal history of a victim, location of an incident, collection of material evidence, or witnesses interviewed impacted investigative outcomes.
The study of solvability factors has expanded knowledge on the predictors of case clearance and helped guide law enforcement efforts to increase clearance levels for gun violence. Less attention has been given, however, to the role that documentation of solvability factors in investigative reports plays in shaping case clearance outcomes. Investigative reports are social artifacts produced by members of complex social organizations. The content police investigators record in investigative files are likely shaped by departmental culture (Gagliardi, 2010). Thus, the presence of evidence alone may not be the driving force behind what is...