Lehigh County DA credits rapid investigations, task forces for drop in homicides and high clearance rates

Gavin Holly, the Lehigh County district attorney, told residents at an Emmaus community event that homicides in the county have declined over the past two years and that the office has recorded unusually high clearance rates.

"In 2024, in Lehigh County, the clearance rate was a 100%. In 2025, the clearance rate was 85%," Holly said, adding that the two years combined produced a 94% clearance rate. He said prompt arrests and concentrated investigative resources help reduce retaliation and future violence.

Holly laid out staffing and task-force capacity his office uses to pursue violent crime: 31 attorneys, roughly 33 detectives across specialty teams (including homicide, crash response and drug enforcement), a countywide municipal emergency response team, and a digital forensics lab serving the region. He said the office makes rapid arrests to take dangerous people off the street quickly and limit retaliation.

He offered a recent example: two people were arrested after a shooting, one within 12 hours and another within six days, which he said illustrates the effect of rapid investigation and arrest on community safety. "When we can arrest someone and arrest them quickly for a homicide, that first of all, if we do it right, it takes the person who committed the homicide off the street very quickly," Holly said.

Holly also described how the Lehigh County homicide task force works alongside municipal police and the Pennsylvania State Police on complex scenes and investigations. He said the task-force structure helps smaller departments that lack investigative depth, allowing experienced detectives from Allentown and Bethlehem to assist jurisdictions such as Catasauqua and Emmaus.

The DA framed rapid, early investigative work as a practical deterrent that matters more, he said, to people who commit violent crimes than long-term prison sentences. He emphasized that some decline in violent crime mirrors broader national trends but said Lehigh County's unusually high clearance rates contribute to that local improvement.

The presentation was followed by questions from residents about drug crime trends and municipal staffing. Holly acknowledged that while municipal police hiring remains a challenge, county task forces and experienced retired officers working for the DA's office help fill investigative gaps for smaller departments.

Holly did not provide the calendar date for the Emmaus event. The talk ended with a brief discussion of coroner procedures and offers to stay for additional questions.