Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Chicago's Vast Camera Network Helped Smollett Investigation
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 23, 2019

Share

CHICAGO — Police tapped into Chicago’s vast network of surveillance cameras — and even some homeowners’ doorbell cameras — to track down two brothers who later claimed they were paid by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to stage an attack on him, the latest example of the city’s high-tech approach to public safety.

“That was super useful in this investigation. The city came together to investigate and help the police with this crime.” — Police Commander Edward Wodnicki
Officers said they reviewed video from more than four dozen cameras to trace the brothers’ movements before and after the reported attack, determining where they lived and who they were before arresting them a little more than two weeks later.
Smollett reported being beaten up by two men who shouted racist and anti-gay slurs and threw bleach on him. But his story fell apart when Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — bodybuilders and aspiring actors whom Smollett knew from the “Empire” set and the gym — told police that Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.
Smollett was arrested Thursday and made his first court appearance. He was later released after posting the required 10 percent of the $100,000 bond.
Police Commander Edward Wodnicki, who heads the detective division that led the investigation, credited the camera network but also residents who shared information from their own cameras for helping to solve the case.
“That was super useful in this investigation,” he said of residents’ cooperation. “The city came together to investigate and help the police with this crime.”

Police Were Puzzled When They Could Not Find Footage

The search went beyond surveillance cameras to include other electronic records. Detectives also reviewed in-car taxi videos, telephone logs, ride-share records and credit card records, according to a summary of the case released by prosecutors.
At first, police were puzzled when they could not find footage of the attack, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 while he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop.
Chicago has the most extensive video surveillance network in the U.S., with access to more than 32,000 cameras mounted on buildings, poles, train tunnels and buses — and even in businesses and private residences whose owners agree to opt into the system full-time. What’s more, authorities can track someone by linking those cameras at a sophisticated emergency command center, police stations or even from tablets in officers’ squad cars.
Police say Smollett deliberately staged the attack in a spot where he believed it would be captured on video, but “that particular camera wasn’t pointed in that direction,” Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Thursday.
But police soon found footage of two men walking in the area of the attack and interviewed more than 100 people seeking witnesses.
Using 35 police cameras and more than 20 private-sector cameras, investigators were able to trace the men’s movements after the attack, including footage of them getting into a cab, Wodnicki said. Detectives interviewed the cab driver, got video from inside the vehicle and followed it along a trail of cameras to the city’s North Side, where the brothers got out and began walking.

Police Tracked the Men’s Movements

The private footage offered by residents included video from cameras embedded in doorbells that showed the men walking, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
After that, police tracked the men’s movements “backward to where they came from” before the attack, Wodnicki said — first walking, then to a cab and back to a ride-share car.

Police found out the men had flown to Nigeria the same day as the reported attack and would return on Feb. 13. In the meantime, police executed more than 50 search warrants and subpoenas, including for phone and social media records.
“That was the lead we needed to identify a person of interest,” Wodnicki said. “We were able to put a name to both individuals.”
Police found out the men had flown to Nigeria the same day as the reported attack and would return on Feb. 13. In the meantime, police executed more than 50 search warrants and subpoenas, including for phone and social media records.
The Osundairos were arrested when they got off the plane. Within two days, they were released without charges after detailing the alleged plot orchestrated by Smollett.
Although the camera network — which has raised privacy concerns among some civil liberties groups — was key, it was only one part of the investigation, Guglielmi said.
“Then they just did the police work,” he said. “It was a lot of digging.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Carl Raymond Lipsey

DON'T MISS

Team Penske Focused on Moving Forward After Shock Firings Following Indy 500 Cheating Scandal

DON'T MISS

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

DON'T MISS

At Least 60 People Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Israel Lets Minimal Aid In

DON'T MISS

French Open 2025 Guide: How to Watch, Betting Odds and More to Know About Roland-Garros

DON'T MISS

US and Iran Try to Bridge Chasm on Nuclear Enrichment

DON'T MISS

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

DON'T MISS

MVP Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 38 as Thunder Take 2-0 West Finals Lead

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Hand Out 53 Citations in Pedestrian, Bicycle Safety Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Harvard Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Enrollment of Foreign Students

UP NEXT

Team Penske Focused on Moving Forward After Shock Firings Following Indy 500 Cheating Scandal

UP NEXT

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

UP NEXT

At Least 60 People Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Israel Lets Minimal Aid In

UP NEXT

French Open 2025 Guide: How to Watch, Betting Odds and More to Know About Roland-Garros

UP NEXT

US and Iran Try to Bridge Chasm on Nuclear Enrichment

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

UP NEXT

MVP Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 38 as Thunder Take 2-0 West Finals Lead

UP NEXT

Visalia Police Hand Out 53 Citations in Pedestrian, Bicycle Safety Crackdown

UP NEXT

Harvard Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Enrollment of Foreign Students

UP NEXT

Gaza Health System at Breaking Point as Israeli Hostilities Intensify, WHO Says

At Least 60 People Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Israel Lets Minimal Aid In

18 minutes ago

French Open 2025 Guide: How to Watch, Betting Odds and More to Know About Roland-Garros

19 minutes ago

US and Iran Try to Bridge Chasm on Nuclear Enrichment

22 minutes ago

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

25 minutes ago

MVP Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 38 as Thunder Take 2-0 West Finals Lead

27 minutes ago

Visalia Police Hand Out 53 Citations in Pedestrian, Bicycle Safety Crackdown

35 minutes ago

Harvard Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Enrollment of Foreign Students

43 minutes ago

Gaza Health System at Breaking Point as Israeli Hostilities Intensify, WHO Says

1 hour ago

Trump Re-Escalates Trade Threats, Takes Aim at European Union, Apple

1 hour ago

US New Home Sales Unexpectedly Rise in April

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Carl Raymond Lipsey

May 23, 2025 Most Wanted Person of the Day Suspect Name: Carl Raymond Lipsey Suspects Date of Birth: June 5, 1983 Physical Description: Blac...

7 minutes ago

Carl Raymond Lipsey is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 23, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
7 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Carl Raymond Lipsey

11 minutes ago

Team Penske Focused on Moving Forward After Shock Firings Following Indy 500 Cheating Scandal

15 minutes ago

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war in the Gaza Strip in an area near the Israeli-Gaza border in Sderot, southern Israel, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
18 minutes ago

At Least 60 People Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Israel Lets Minimal Aid In

19 minutes ago

French Open 2025 Guide: How to Watch, Betting Odds and More to Know About Roland-Garros

Officials arrive at the Omani embassy, where the fifth round of U.S.-Iran talks takes place, in Rome, Italy, May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
22 minutes ago

US and Iran Try to Bridge Chasm on Nuclear Enrichment

Music executive Dave Shapiro poses for a portrait on Dec. 3, 2024, in Nashville. (Stephanie Siau/Sound Talent Group via AP)
25 minutes ago

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

27 minutes ago

MVP Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 38 as Thunder Take 2-0 West Finals Lead

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend