What is an exceptional clearance?

• A. An arrest in the same case
• B. Case closed due to lack of evidence
• C. A case closed without arrest due to circumstances like suspect death or victim noncooperation
• D. Case reopened later.

Answer: (C)

Exceptional clearance is when a case is considered cleared even though no arrest was made, because the offender has been identified and there is credible evidence to support arrest and prosecution, but circumstances outside the agency’s control prevent actually arresting or charging. The classic situations are the suspect is dead, the victim or witnesses refuse to cooperate, or the offender is in custody elsewhere and cannot be prosecuted for this offense by the reporting agency. This is why a case can be marked as cleared without an arrest.

So, the best description is a case closed without arrest due to those kinds of circumstances, such as suspect death or victim noncooperation. It’s not about lack of evidence, which would keep the case not cleared, and it’s not about reopening a case later or achieving clearance through an arrest in the same case.