“unfounded” in rape cases is supposed to be used when officers find a case is false or baseless. This label is often applied before an investigation commences at all and makes law enforcement’s “solve rates” artificially higher than they actually are.19 In 2019 the city of Pittsburgh deemed almost a third of its rape cases unfounded.20 In both Scottsdale, Arizona, and Oxnard, California, almost half of rapes reported between 2009 and 2014 were classified as unfounded.21 Additionally concerning is that victims risk being charged with a false report if their case is dismissed in such a way—yet
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