Lies of Jussie Smollett wasted valuable time and resources
Retired Trenton Police Lieutenant For The Trentonian
The city of Chicago has a major crime problem. In 2018, the number of murders was 561, more than New York City and Los Angeles combined. While that number is 100 less than 2017, it still demonstrates how dangerous of a city it is. In addition, this does not take into account the number of shootings, robberies, rapes, assaults and level of gang activity which I am sure are high as well.
In my experience with homicides, I know the resources it takes to investigate one homicide. From the crime scene Detectives, to a team of investigating Detectives and including Prosecutors, the total number can run from five to ten individuals involved in one homicide. While the Chicago Police Department may seem like an army as it currently has close to 12,000 total officers, it protects a city of 2.716 million people.
With the high rate of crime, I am sure that Detectives in Chicago triage crime that comes in the best they can. Those with high solvability rates get handled immediately, and those crimes with low or no solvability factors being put aside. They may not have the time that it takes to truly engage themselves in every incident.
When Jessie Smollett came forward with his “account” of what had occurred to him, I am sure those Detectives looked at each other in amazement at what they were hearing. They probably walked out of that interview room and asked their boss, “can we just lock this lying ass up?”
From the outset, Mr. Smollett’s “account” was questionable at the least and unbelievable at the most. Officers know their cities. They know where things happen and know where things won’t. From all accounts, the area of Chicago where this incident occurred is a mixed, gay friendly area. The likelihood of this happening in this area was close to zero to none. But Mr. Smollett and his attorneys insisted that the incident occurred.
For the bosses, I am sure they looked at Mr. Smollett and said here is this actor making this big claim. A story that sure sounds like a political fantasy, that plays well in this current state of the country. The bosses knew this would be all over the media so they had to investigate the claim and give it due diligence. They probably told the Detectives, “by the book” and “no cut corners”. I am sure they agreed that If Mr. Smollett was lying, that the prosecutors would deal with it and present it to a grand jury. The Detectives would make sure that whatever the outcome, they would have an over abundance of evidence to make their case.
Reading the evidence that the Detectives acquired, these officers conducted an exemplary investigation, all in proving that one individual lied. The hours these
Detectives must have invested in this case, especially when it became a media spectacle with pundits across the country giving their own insights and support for this supposed “victim”. There had to be no question as to their outcome, whichever way it fell.
I remember my time as a Detective and dealing with individuals who would lie about incidents. It was easy to poke holes in their accounts. Threaten them with charges and they would quickly “remember” the truth. We did not waste time on bogus crimes because there were real crimes that needed investigating. These Chicago Detectives did not have that luxury in today’s perception of the police, especially with the type of crime Mr. Smollett was describing. Sadly, Mr. Smollett did nothing with his charade when it came to issues related to race and sexuality.
Ultimately, Mr. Smollet’s “account” tied up a number of Detectives, Supervisors, Prosecutors, and the court system. All to prove that he is a liar. The man hours invested could obviously have been put to better use in such a crime ridden city.
Possibly adding the cost of the investigation and court proceedings to whatever sentence Mr. Smollett receives from the judge, may keep other “victims” from coming forward to further their own personal agendas. Whatever the case, Mr. Smollett should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.