Chicago Police Release Investigative Files from Smollett Case
The 61-page police file — which was redacted to remove witness names and other personal information — lays out in detail the investigative steps taken by a team of detectives to unravel what happened to Smollett on the frigid January night in Streeterville when he claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

Screen capture of Jussie Smollett police report released by the Chicago Police Wednesday. (Photo: CWBChicago.com/Facebook)
Chicago police on Wednesday released the investigative file involving the alleged hate crime hoax by “Empire” star Jussie Smollett.
The release of the documents comes a day after Cook County prosecutors abruptly dropped a 16-count indictment against Smollett, saying they’d cut a deal with the actor to perform two days of community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city of Chicago.
The unusual move allowed Smollett’s attorneys to get his criminal case immediately sealed, caught Chicago police brass by surprise and brought swift condemnation from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who called it a "whitewash of justice."
The 61-page police file — which was redacted to remove witness names and other personal information — lays out in detail the investigative steps taken by a team of detectives to unravel what happened to Smollett on the frigid January night in Streeterville when he claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Chicago-based news website CWBChicago says it acquired the files via the Freedom of Information Act.
They can be viewed at CWBChicago's site.
More Investigations

Fugitive Wanted in 1988 $1.3 Million Vault Heist Identified by FBI Laboratory
The FBI Laboratory Latent Prints Unit positively identified a man, who died in December, as the suspect wanted in the theft of $1.3 million in cash from an armored car service in 1988. He had previously been featured on Unsolved Mysteries and America’s Most Wanted.
Read More →
Suspect Arrested in Charlie Kirk Assassination
Authorities arrested a 22-year-old Utah man for the killing of Charlie Kirk just 33 hours after the assassination in what FBI Director Kash Patel called a historic time period. “This is what happens when you let good cops be cops,” Patel said.
Read More →
More Than 7,000 Tips Provided to Kirk Assassination Investigation
More than 7,000 tips were provided to the investigation by the day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus on Wednesday. The FBI has not received that much help from the public since the Boston Marathon bombings.
Read More →
Idaho AG Will Not Pursue Charges Against 4 Officers Who Fatally Shot Nonverbal Autistic Teen Armed with a Knife
The Idaho Office of the Attorney General has concluded its investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting that killed a 17-year-old teen who was armed with a knife. Officers did not know the teen suffered from developmental delays, autism, and other conditions.
Read More →
The Role of Forensics in Disaster Victim Identification
Heidi Sievers, of Columbia Southern University, explains disaster victim identification and how scientific work bridges critical gaps when visual recognition, one of the least reliable methods of identification, is rendered impossible by the conditions of the disaster.
Read More →
Crimes Against Children Detective Named June 2025 Officer of the Month by NLEOMF
The case began in March and culminated with multiple search warrants and arrests on June 10, 2025. This case ran between Virginia and New York with multiple victims throughout the United States.
Read More →
2 Officers Injured in Attack at Texas Border Patrol Station
A McAllen Police officer was shot in the leg during the attack. A Border Patrol officer and a non-sworn employee were injured, according to a Department of Homeland Security.
Read More →Multi-State Law Enforcement Operation Rescues 70 Human Trafficking Victims
The operation involved the execution of 25 search warrants and disrupted business at 26 “illicit massage businesses,” the Human Trafficking Training Center reports.
Read More →
2 Ohio Officers Shot During Traffic Stop, Suspect at Large
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect has been charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault.
Read More →DOJ Rescues 115 Sexually Exploited Children, Arrests 205 Offenders
“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator...,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Read More →