Are NYPD homicide clearance rates headed back up? According to an August 28th article in The Telematics Journal, which I am not familiar with, “Informatica Corporation today announced that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has successfully implemented enterprise data integration technology from Informatica to help power its highly successful Real Time Crime Center. Credited with helping detectives solve 74 percent of New York City’s homicides in 2005, the Real Time Crime Center delivers up-to-the-minute information regarding emerging crime patterns, potential suspects, and a real-time view of police resources and their availability throughout the city.”

That’s a huge improvement, if true. If they are really disseminating a lot more information to a lot more people and they’re doing it quickly, it’s completely plausible that clearance rates would improve. But that’s a pretty big leap. If it’s true, the NYPD and those who helped them deserve a big, big, big congratulations, but I’m going to try to get confirmation. Don’t mean to be all doubtful, but I would like to be sure and that statement came from Informatica and not the police department. Usually by this time the NYPD would have about half the homicides for 2005 solved, then more would be solved over the next year or two.