A CNN report said the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman due to substance abuse raises the question on authorities' conduct with regarding to probes related to heroin or other illegal substance deaths in the US. Pointing to the swift investigation of suspected dealers to drugs that caused Seymour Hoffman's untimely death, legal experts have questioned whether the probes launched in relation to the actor's death was spurred simply because there is a need to blame someone.
CNN legal analyst Mark O'Mara argued the thought and said, "There are laws in most states now that say if you give drugs to somebody who kill themselves, you are responsible for their death."
Retired NYPD homicide detective and intelligence officer Mordecai Dzikansky also said that the large police response to Seymour Hoffman's death was not a surprise. "...That's part of the beast. Something happens in Midtown versus something happens in a corner of Staten Island, I don't think the detectives on the case feel any differently. A victim is a victim," Dzikansky said.
The law enforcement's response could have been faulted to the increasing number of deaths related to heroin use. According to a report by the New York City Health Department released last year, heroin-related deaths jumped 84% from the years 2010 to 2012, From a sample of 100,000 people, 5.7% were said to have died due to a heroin-related death. This was more than one person a day, or 382 deaths in 2012.
However, Joseph Giacalone, another retired NYPD detective, said that the police response could have been influenced by Seymour Hoffman's status as a celebrity. "Family members of people who aren't famous will say, look at the police response because this guy was an actor, but that's not the case. The answer is that people were willing to cooperate and give out information to get this stuff. Usually family members are the last ones to know. And friends abandon them, too, because they're using heroin, too. It really comes down to the fact that in the very beginning of the investigation, they had people who were willing to help out the police. That rarely happens."
CNN said the police currently has four people who have been connected to the drugs that were found in the apartment of the late actor. When asked to comment on the progress of the investigation about Seymour Hoffman's death, the news outlet failed to obtain comments from the New York Police Department and the Manhattan district attorney's office.
