A closer look at crime data in San Jose, California, reveals an extraordinary accomplishment: every single homicide reported in the past three years has been solved.
In an era where most American cities struggle to crack even half of their murder cases, this blue-state city has defied all odds.
For comparison, the national homicide clearance rate stands at just 57.8 percent, according to Statistica.
Yet between 2022 and 2024, San Jose maintained a 100 percent solve rate, even pushing beyond with successful resolutions of long-dormant cold cases — a feat that places the city in a league of its own.
One such cold case involved Jeanette Ralston, a young mother murdered in 1977. The trail had long gone cold, but a modern re-scan of old evidence unearthed a match, the Washington Examiner reports.
A fingerprint on a cigarette pack led investigators to a 69-year-old man in Ohio nearly five decades later.
It was a last-ditch effort — what one prosecutor called a “Hail Mary” — that paid off with a long-awaited arrest.
At the center of this transformation is Mayor Matt Mahan, a 42-year-old Democrat and former tech executive who left a lucrative career to take on the city’s biggest problems.
“Crime has consequences in San Jose,” Mahan told the outlet. “We’ve put the tools in the hands of the right people — and it’s working.”
A major driver of the city’s success is the Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC), which operates as a command hub for law enforcement.
From monitoring 500,000 cameras across the city to syncing data from drones, helicopters and license plate readers, the RTIC equips officers with real-time intelligence that accelerates arrests and improves case quality.
Police Chief Paul Joseph praised the system’s recent success in tracking a burglary suspect across the city.
“RTIC analysts gathered enough evidence for a warrant and arrest — all in real time,” he said.
The transformation doesn’t end with tech upgrades.
Mahan has zeroed in on staffing issues, actively recruiting “homegrown talent” by meeting students face-to-face at community colleges and highlighting the purpose-driven nature of public safety careers.
Mahan’s administration has also declared war on blight. The city has cleared nearly two million square feet of graffiti and removed over 10 million pounds of trash this year alone.
Prolific taggers are now being sentenced to community service beautifying public areas, while legal action is being taken against negligent property owners.
The mayor’s three-step blight strategy — education, eradication and enforcement — is delivering tangible results, according to the Washington Examiner.
“We’re not going to keep cleaning up after the same people. There has to be accountability,” he said.
San Jose’s embrace of surveillance technology has sparked concerns over privacy, but Mahan insists protections are in place.
“If footage isn’t used in an investigation, it’s deleted after 30 days,” he said, referencing data retention rules for highway cameras.
In his most recent address, Mahan struck an optimistic tone: “We’re not waiting for the future — we’re shaping it. San Jose is leading by example.”
San Jose’s recent record in solving homicides highlights the impact of combining technology, policing strategies and city management practices.
While other cities continue to face challenges with crime resolution and public maintenance, San Jose presents a model that may draw attention from policymakers and urban planners nationwide.
Whether its approach proves replicable elsewhere remains to be seen.
