James C. Harris

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James C. Harris is the fictional Deputy Commissioner of Operations of the Baltimore Police Department on Homicide: Life on the Street, He was played by Al Freeman Jr.^[1]

[edit] Biography

Harris first joined the department in 1956 and by 1968 was one of the department's most tenured African American officers. In the 1960s, he was partnered with Marvin Lee Robinson (later known as Burundi Robinson), and the two had established a reputation as narcotics officers in the West Baltimore Housing projects. In 1972, Robinson and Harris were involved in a narcotics scandal involving missing heroin which Harris had sold back to a West Baltimore drug dealer. On the decision of a coin flip, Robinson resigned taking the full blame for the missing heroin as Harris remained in the department. Harris eventually rose to become the department's deputy commissioner of operations until his scandal was made apparent to Homicide Shift Lieutenant Al Giardello via Robinson. Giardello's discovery of Harris' involvement led to a federal investigation which forced Harris' resignation.^[1]

[edit] Relationship With Lieutenant Giardello

Harris was an early mentor to officer Al Giardello who had joined the force in 1968. As a veteran officer, Harris was able to mediate a situation with Giardello's White partner Mickey Shea, a racist Irish officer who had forced a young Giardello to ride in the back of the patrol car. Shea had also called Giardello a "Nigger" in the hopes of provoking him to assault a veteran officer and be subject to an early dismissal of the force. Giardello had found Harris to be an early ally on the force in resolving the situation between the two.

Over the next 30 years, Harris was promoted to Deputy Commissioner and Giardello had eventually became a Lieutenant commanding the homicide unit of the department's criminal investigations division. Harris had an extreme dislike for Gee's renegade behavior in terms of valuing the department's objectives and chain of command. Gee had a tendency to alert the media early of departmental problems and was in command of Frank Pembleton whose Harris-requested investigation of a congressman yielded several problems. Pembleton's investigation of congressman Jeremy Wade for a false claim of kidnapping led to Pembleton offering Wade a deal to avoid further action (it was clealry implied that Wade made up the claim to cover up being gay and in the closet) and when the deal was exposed to the media by Wade's enemies, Harris sold out Pembleton's offer--which he had approved--and Pembleton was so angry that he resigned. Pembleton later swallowed his pride, allowed the trial against Wade to collapse on its own, returned to the force and made it clear Harris was dead to him. Wade later lost a re-election bid, and as Wade was an ally of the department who was no longer present, Harris sought retaliation against Giardello for the entire affair. Harris responded promoting the incompetent, bigoted, and less tenured Roger Gaffney to an open captain's position of the Homicide Unit that Gee had rightfully earned. Harris later explained that since Wade had lost the election, Gee had been passed over as Gaffney was a "fat Irish ass" very similar to Gee's first partner Mickey Shea. Harris also made it clear to Gee, who had come to him seeking help over the witch hunt against Det. Mike Kellerman, that no help was forthcoming in that regard (Kellerman was later cleared by the State's Attorney of any wrongdoing).

Harris' relationship with Giardello had deteriorated completely but Gee eventually got the last word on his nemesis. After a shootout involving the department's QRT team and the African Revival Movement ran by Harris' ex-partner Marvin Lee Robinson aka Burundi Robinson, Gee learned an ugly truth about Harris' career. Through Robinson, Gee learned that Harris remained on the force only after Robinson had taken the blame for a large amount of stolen heroin that Harris was responsible for. After the A.R.M. commits mass suicide, Gee angrily reported Harris' misdeeds to Baltimore's mayor. A federal investigation then took place which led to Harris' dismissal from the force.^[1]

[edit] References