What I Have Come To Realize

I do not like being in the homicide unit. However, I think I used the deputy chief position to run from it. My supervisor thinks that I am not working hard enough, and truth be told, he is right. I couldn't disagree. I see where I am not working to half of my potential; let alone full potential. So I had to ask myself why. Why am I not happy in the unit and why am I so nonchalant. Answer----(1) its depressing. There is nothing worst than opening a file looking at photographs of people brains splattered on the ground or on a wall. Blood coming from every conceivable part of a person's body. Photographs of people being stabbed to death with knife blades still stuck in their chest, piercing their hearts, eyes still open with a look of shock on their faces as they released their last breath. Photographs of people standing around a crime scene as if they are watching a parade float go by. Its extremely depressing. (2) Witnesses are too scared to testify which leads to murderers being released. There is nothing more frustrating in this job than watching a defendant in court as he is smiling because he knows the prosecution doesn't have witnesses who are willing to testify against his ass, thus leading to his release. Either a case is dismissed, refused, or plea bargained for a significantly small amount of time because we can not prosecute. And what happens after that? Everybody wants to get on the news and complain that we are not doing enough to prosecute cases. Everybody wants to call every prosecutor in the city incompetent. The police want to blame us for not having a strong case when they are the ones who bring us garbage cases. Everybody wants to call for the District Attorney's resignation. The main problem is people don't understand that the justice system component part is being tried by a jury of their peers, and in this city most of those peers can relate to the defendant. People don't understand that the defendant has a right to confront his accuser and cross examine witnesses against him, and if we can't present those people, how can we effectively prosecute a case. Just because there is an arrest doesn't mean there is a conviction. The justice system perpetuate itself by having effective police work, effective prosecution, and most importantly willing witnesses who will help put the icing on the cake and tell the jury what happened and who did it. Once the defendant sees that he doesn't stand a chance in front of a jury in this city, I guarantee that defendant will be begging to serve fifty years in prison as opposed to a life sentence or the death penalty. Defendants see our system as a joke and they don't fear it. (3) As a result of the aforementioned reasons I do not feel effective in the unit; therefore, I don't put my all into it. There are some other reasons effecting my performance, but I will save that for another blog post.