New Gods of North America.

Chapter 556 "Preventative Measures"

"...That's the basic situation. In general, the situation in the dock area is quite complicated. A considerable portion of the population consists of low-income groups who cannot afford the property taxes in other urban areas, as well as migrant workers who are temporarily staying due to the distribution of goods, temporary manual laborers who live there irregularly, and various speculators who have seen 'business opportunities' in the area, etc."

“Such an environment is a breeding ground for all kinds of crimes. Our police task is to maintain the overall security and stability of the port area as much as possible and ensure that trade can proceed normally, but many cases really cannot be investigated in detail, or even formally filed.”

Sheriff William's explanation was rather vague, but Wayne already had a basic understanding of the dock area and even the whole of Richmond, so he could understand it.

In essence, it's still the same situation—some people aren't local "residents," or belong to a group that's "not enthusiastic about elections," and their income isn't high.

They pay little tax, don't vote, and probably don't have much money. They may be "free," but when something goes wrong, nobody cares.

So they simply let it "grow" in the shadows. Unless the case involves a "real local resident" or a "respectable free person," it's easy for it to simply fade away and disappear into the shadows.

Conversely, this strategy also promoted the iteration of gangs in the dock area. Those who acted indiscriminately and those who had too much influence and were "unscrupulous" were easily crushed by the authorities and their peers, and their "business was ruined in an instant".

Wayne specifically mentioned James Damotic, whom he had recently met.
Sheriff William even knew him: "Some migrant workers in the dock area inevitably run into financial difficulties—some actually owe small gambling debts, but to them, it's a 'huge' amount—that guy seems to be in that business. It's not exactly legal, but it doesn't seem to have caused any cases."

This was different from what Wayne knew. Wayne pointed it out, "But I heard that his gang was involved in a murder case before? Apparently, the police had already started an investigation at that time."

According to Jimmy himself, the reason they were instructed to kill the reporter was because their gang members were being targeted, and the coercion and enticement from the mastermind behind the scenes led to the later wrongful conviction.

Sheriff William's gaze sharpened briefly before returning to normal, his expression turning puzzled.
"Is that so? I don't recall ever hearing of such a case. It's possible they were only briefly listed as suspects and were later cleared of suspicion."

Wayne nodded. "Indeed, that sounds quite reasonable."

That was pretty much it for Sheriff William's side. Wayne turned around and went back to find the "trio" from before, carrying the plate with him.
Just then, the "trio" split up. The finance officer took the "rookie" slave inspector to meet other veterans, while Quinn, the tax officer, was equally curious as to why his daughter had struck up a conversation with Wayne. The two hit it off and formed a new "group chat".

After briefly explaining the situation and finishing the food, Tax Officer Quinn, faced with Wayne's choice between "wanting to meet the police chief" or "wanting to invite Miss Harley to dance," proactively chose the former for Wayne and dragged him straight there.

The police chief was one of the big shots in the city hall who was qualified to "govern the affairs of the city," but the tax officer was not an insignificant position either. Soon the two of them joined his group of people, and their previous conversation partners quickly moved on to other things.

"So you're Wayne, the private detective who's recently become famous. I've heard about your exploits several times before, and I'm so glad to finally have the chance to meet you."

Although the police chief seemed slightly puzzled as to why it was Tax Officer Quinn who brought Wayne, the nearly fifty-year-old veteran didn't dwell on it and continued to treat the guests with the same enthusiasm.
Wayne, who had previously received a "red envelope" from the police station, was equally friendly this time. "Our detective agency received a lot of help from the police during the investigation of the assassination case, so we came here specifically to express our gratitude."

For police chiefs in major cities, the "local affairs officer" path is pretty much the way up. To advance, they either need to move to a higher-level government agency or transition to a political appointee, running for mayor or state legislator.
Compared to many pure politicians, these veteran administrative officers often have a clearer and more detailed understanding of the local situation, and are usually more shrewd in their dealings with people—after all, they've come from the ranks of those who "do the work." The police chief readily accepted Wayne's thanks, but he was clearly more interested in what Wayne wanted to discuss next.
Wayne quickly continued the conversation, saying that he had recently been investigating "Jimmy" in the dock area, and that he might be related to the previous case of the reporter's death.

This could also be seen as a preemptive "precautionary measure" for the police chief, hinting that the detective agency might reopen the case.

In the workplace, the worst thing you can do is launch a "surprise attack," and Wayne is quite sensible in this regard.

The police chief frowned slightly: "I've seen the case file. Although the perpetrator has never confessed, there are eyewitnesses and the jury unanimously found him guilty. I don't think reopening the investigation to determine the verdict is a good thing."

Sure enough, you'll probably get upset if I mention overturning the verdict.

Wayne did not back down and remained polite. "But I have already spoken directly with James Damody. Although I don't have direct evidence yet, he has already confessed."

"A gangster chooses to plead guilty without any evidence. Don't you understand what might be involved?"

Realizing that Wayne's investigation had gone quite far, the police chief changed his posture, gently patted Wayne's arm, and said in a somewhat earnest tone, "Wayne, you are a very talented young man. I think you should perhaps focus your energy on cases that are more worthy of investigation."

I haven't even mentioned that I sifted through the list given to me by the priest Tyrell today and found several "candidates"...

There are probably more cases behind this, and you'll likely have a lot to worry about later...

Wayne continued to escalate the "precautionary measures," adding, "But now that the investigation has begun, our detective agency has no reason to stop without cause. As members of civilized society, we may have an obligation to seek justice for the innocent."

The police chief changed the subject: "You came to me just to talk about this?"

"Of course not, I mainly wanted to come here specifically to thank you."

Since the precautions had already been taken, Wayne readily set aside the controversy for the time being and continued to probe in a different direction, "By the way, as an outsider, I'd also like to know about the situation in the dock area. Our detective agency has recently developed a meat product that combines the flavor of meat with the cheapness of starch products, and we'd like to try promoting it in the dock area, but we're worried about whether it might cause any 'bad trouble'."

The police chief softened his tone slightly. "Legitimate businesses are protected in Richmond, even in the dock area. But from what you're saying, you might be worried that the gangs there might be exerting influence behind the scenes?"

"So I'd also like to know about the gang situation in the dock area, and how well the police are maintaining order in that area..."

(End of this chapter)