Open investigation

An open investigation is a case that remains under investigation or otherwise open under an agency's case-status rules. The label indicates a records-management state, not a finding of guilt or a promise that charges will follow. It may not show how recently work occurred, whether an investigator is currently assigned, or which questions remain unresolved.

Open does not describe every kind of activity

Agencies use status labels to organize responsibility and follow-up. Some separate open-active from open-inactive cases; others use pending, suspended, or additional categories. The codebook is needed to establish the relationship among those terms.

Portland's case-management policy describes assigned cases using several records-system statuses until the disposition changes. It also identifies ongoing monitoring and documentation as part of case management. This is a local workflow, not a definition of every agency's “open” field. Portland case-management policy

A published status can also be a snapshot. It shows the value at extraction or publication, unless the source supplies a later update. It should not automatically be presented as the case's status today.

Example

Hypothetical example: An agency records a property-damage case as open while an investigator reviews video and seeks information about a vehicle. A public download taken on June 1 shows the open status. A supplemental entry on June 15 documents a later development.

The June 1 extract cannot establish what happened after that date. It also cannot show whether the investigator worked on the case every day. The record supports the stated status at that stage, while the later supplement belongs to a subsequent part of the history.

Common confusion

An open dispatch call is an operational event that has not been closed in the communications system. An open investigation concerns a case in the reporting or investigative process. A call can close after responders leave while the investigation continues.

Inactive can mean work is paused because leads are unavailable, rather than that the case is resolved. Closed also requires local interpretation; it does not necessarily establish a conviction or a national statistical clearance.

Reading progress and disclosure

Look for the status definition, last update, assigned unit, and any available follow-up description. The label alone cannot identify a suspect or explain why records are withheld. For a workload total, define whether it counts all cases still open at a date or cases newly opened during a period. Those measures answer different questions and should not be compared as though they were the same.

Related terms

• Inactive case
• Closed case
• Supplemental report
• Suspect

Sources

• Portland Police Bureau — 0640.18 Case Management: assigned-case statuses, monitoring, and records-system workflow.
• Louisville Metro Police — SOP 8.35, Investigative Case Files: active and open-but-inactive file distinctions, supporting the need for local status definitions.