When a prosecutor declines a case, the officer who made the arrest often never hears why.
I'm researching how police officers learn what happened to the cases they refer, and whether hearing the outcome and the reason in plain words would help them collect what a case needs while they are still at the scene.
What the public numbers show
38.4%
of the adult felony cases police referred to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office in Minnesota from 2018 to 2024 were declined, counting the cases decided by September 2025. That is 13,749 cases, and 80.4% of them were declined for insufficient evidence. Ramsey County report
1,211
of those declines, 8.8% of the total, happened because further investigation was required. For these cases, the report itself proposes a loop back to the police:
“For cases that were declined because further investigation was required, there is an opportunity for RCAO and law enforcement to develop a communication loop to ensure that further investigation efforts are made and completed investigations are resubmitted.”
Analysis of cases declined in Ramsey County, MN, Justice Innovation Lab for the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, April 2026, page 9
45%
of the police referrals the Seattle City Attorney's Office made a filing decision on in the second quarter of 2025 were declined, not counting drug use and possession charges. Seattle City Attorney's Office, Criminal Division Q2 2025 report, page 5
None of these numbers says officers did something wrong. Many declines have reasons outside an officer's control, from the law to a victim's own choice. The question is how many could have gone differently with one more photo or one more question at the scene, and whether the officer ever finds out.
The idea I'm testing
Close the loop between the courthouse and the street, so that each decision teaches something before the next call.
- 1At the scene. The officer gathers what the case needs. Before leaving, a short check of the things prosecutors here most often find missing.
- 2To the prosecutor. The report and evidence go in for a charging decision.
- 3A decision with a reason. Charged, declined or sent back, with the reason recorded the way it already is today.
- 4Back to the officer. The outcome and the reason, in plain words, within days.
- So the next call goes better.
What I'm trying to find out is whether this would actually help officers, and whether prosecutors could share it without extra work.
Who I am
Dorian Hranov, a student in Zurich, Switzerland. I start Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich in autumn 2027. This is an independent project.
What I'm asking for
Ten-minute conversations with prosecutors, police officers and researchers about how decline reasons are recorded today, who sees them, and which of them could have been prevented at the scene.
I'm not selling anything. Everyone who helps gets a short summary of what I learn from the other conversations.
What I don't collect
I don't ask for case files, reports or any information about victims, witnesses or suspects. I'm interested in how the process works, not in individual cases.
Further reading
Adam M. Gershowitz, Prosecutorial Dismissals as Teachable Moments (and Databases) for the Police, George Washington Law Review, 2018. A law review essay arguing that prosecutors should use dismissals to teach the officers involved, and noting that they often don't tell officers why a case was dropped.
Analysis of cases declined in Ramsey County, MN, Justice Innovation Lab for the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, April 2026.
Criminal Division Quarter II, 2025 Report, Seattle City Attorney's Office.