Condemning Jussie Smollett on Thursday, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson noted that “Bogus police reports cause real harm.” That’s because they divert police resources from other investigations. But how much harm did Smollett cause?
Statistics can give us a pretty good idea. As I’ll explain, the number is more than 90 victims.
On Jan. 29, Smollett filed a police report that he was attacked in an area under authority of the 18th police district. On Feb. 20, the Chicago Police Department charged Smollett with filing a false report. In just the first 13 days, Jan. 29 to Feb. 11, that followed Smollett’s report, a total of 94 violent crimes were reported in the 18th district.
So, how many of those victims of crime received less investigative attention due to the high-priority, highly publicized investigation of Smollett’s claims?
After all, significant police resources would rightly have been prioritized on Smollett’s claim that he suffered such an attack as he had claimed. Chicago police have a responsibility to ensure that the city is regarded as a safe place for citizens and visitors, regardless of their racial or sexual identities. That perception would not survive well if high-profile incidents like Smollett’s were to go unpunished.
But the cost of his apparent lies must be weighed heavily. In the 13 days following his attack, police statistics record five reports of aggravated assault, seven of aggravated battery, five of criminal sexual assault, four of robbery, 21 of simple assault, and 52 of simple battery. The police map below shows these reports.
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Yet, it’s actually worse than this for two reasons.
First, because that map only reflects the 13 days following Smollett’s report, not the entire 22 days between his report and his being charged. And second, because while 18th district patrol officers were presumably involved in canvassing and other supports for the Smollett investigation, the primary responsibility laid with Chicago police’s central district bureau of detectives. Those detectives have responsibility for eight other districts as well as the 18th. How many victims of violent crime were there in those other districts in the first 13 days following Smollett’s report? We can safely assume that our estimate is conservative.
Smollett’s arrogant lies made others pay a heavy price.
