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Homicides up, case clearance rate down in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Though the number of homicides in Albuquerque has increased, the number of cases solved by police has gone down. KOAT-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2jcSz6U ) that Albuquerque Police saw 61 homicides in 2016, the most on record in 20 years, but the department's homicide clearance rate dropped to 65 percent. APD spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says the department's homicide clearance rate had previously been around 80 percent for several years. Espinoza says the department is close to closing multiple homicide cases from 2016. Albuquerque Police Officers Association President Shaun Willoughby says the drop in case clearance is in part because of an ongoing officer shortage within the department. Right now, only 846 officers are on the force when the department is budgeted for 1,000.