question about police report

[Sean4067]

What is the name of your state? California
at the end of a police report on a criminal matter where it says case status: it says "Cleared Exceptional" what exactly does that mean?

 

[acmb05]

What is the name of your state? California
at the end of a police report on a criminal matter where it says case status: it says "Cleared Exceptional" what exactly does that mean?

A clearance in which some element beyond law enforcement control prevents filing of formal charges against the offender.

 

[CdwJava]

What is the name of your state? California
at the end of a police report on a criminal matter where it says case status: it says "Cleared Exceptional" what exactly does that mean?

All reported crimes have a disposition acceptable to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting system.

From the UCR manual:

Cleared by Exceptional Means. In certain situations, law enforcement is not able to follow the three steps outlined under “Cleared by Arrest” to clear offenses known to them. Often they have exhausted all leads and have done everything possible in order to clear a case. If agencies can answer all of the following questions in the affirmative, they can clear the offense exceptionally for the purpose
of reporting to UCR.

• 1. Has the investigation definitely established the identity of the offender?
• 2. Is there enough information to support an arrest, charge, and turning over to the court for prosecution? 80 Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook, 2004
• 3. Is the exact location of the offender known so that the subject could be taken into custody now?
• 4. Is there some reason outside law enforcement control that precludes arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender?

Examples of Exceptional Clearances. Generally, an offense can be exceptionally cleared when it falls into one of the following categories. The list is not all-inclusive; there may be other circumstances in which a law enforcement agency is entitled to an exceptional clearance.

• 1. Suicide of the offender. (The person who committed the offense is dead.)
• 2. Double murder. (Two persons kill each other.)
• 3. Deathbed confession. (The person who committed the offense dies after making the confession.)
• 4. Offender killed by police or citizen.
• 5. Confession by an offender who is already in law enforcement custody or serving a sentence. (This is actually a variation of a true clearance by arrest—the offender would not be “apprehended” but in most situations would be prosecuted on the new charge.)
• 6. Offender is prosecuted by state or local authorities in another city for a different offense or is prosecuted in another city or state by the federal government for an offense which may be the same. (Law enforcement makes an attempt to return the offender for prosecution, but the other jurisdiction will not allow the release.)
• 7. Extradition denied.
• 8. Victim refuses to cooperate in the prosecution. (This action alone does not unfound the offense. The answer must also be yes to questions 1, 2, and 3 in the section Cleared by Exceptional Means.)
• 9. Warrant is outstanding for felon but before being arrested the offender dies. (The method of death is irrelevant.)
• 10. The handling of a juvenile offender either orally or by written notice to parents in instances involving minor offenses such as petty larceny. No referral is made to juvenile court as a matter of publicly accepted law enforcement policy.

- Carl