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GlossaryReports, outcomes, and case status

Inactive case

An inactive case has investigative work paused or classified as inactive under local rules. Learn why inactive does not necessarily mean solved, unfounded, or permanently closed.

An inactive case is a case in which investigative work is paused or recorded as inactive under the agency's rules. This can occur when available leads have been exhausted or further progress is not presently possible. The status does not necessarily mean the incident was unfounded, the case was solved, or future investigation is barred.

A status about further work

An agency can retain an unresolved case while directing current resources elsewhere. The status distinguishes the case's present investigative posture from the underlying event. A matter can remain unsolved even though no further action is scheduled.

VCU's investigations policy identifies inactive cases as those without further leads or suspects and states that investigation resumes if new leads are discovered. Louisville's investigative-files policy separately discusses open-but-inactive cases and leads exhausted. These are locally defined practices, not a universal waiting period. VCU policy, Louisville policy

“Inactive” can therefore describe a review decision rather than an outcome of the offense. The reason for the designation should come from the record, not from assumptions about the seriousness of the complaint or the reporting person's credibility.

Example

Hypothetical example: Investigators document a theft, review available footage, and find no usable identification information. The case is marked inactive under local policy. Months later, a new witness supplies information, and the case is returned for follow-up.

The inactive period did not mean that the theft was determined never to have happened. The later work also does not prove that the original review was improper. Each stage reflects the information and case-management decision recorded at that time.

Common confusion

Unfounded concerns a determination about the alleged offense under the relevant classification rules. Inactive concerns investigation status. A real but unresolved offense can have an inactive case.

Closed case is another administrative label whose meaning depends on the source. Cleared offense has separate criteria in crime reporting. Neither should be inferred solely from an inactive code. A court case's inactive docket status is also a different system and process.

Comparing case backlogs

Check whether the source includes inactive matters within its open-case total. Distinguish cases made inactive during a period from the number still inactive at a particular date. Review dates, reason codes, and reopening rules may explain the category more precisely. Without that information, the status alone cannot establish when work stopped, how much work was performed, or whether new information has since arrived.

Sources