Policy
He sighed as he stared at the long line of cars ahead of them. The light changed, four cars went through the intersection and he slowed the car to a stop. He recounted how many cars there were between them and the traffic lights then looked over at her. He saw she was staring out the window, lost in her own little world.
"You okay?" He asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah." She murmured, not taking her eyes from the window.
"It's going to be fine." He reassured her and she finally turned to look at him.
"I know." She smiled then glanced down at the car's clock.
"We've got plenty of time." He told her and turned his attention back to the traffic. The light changed and three more cars made it through the intersection. He stopped the car again now only two cars back from the lights.
"I think." He added. Forty minutes later they pulled into the visitor carpark of One Police Plaza, he quickly pulled the car into an empty space and they hurried across the carpark to the elevators. They were thankful when they only had to wait a few moments for the elevator to arrive. They stepped in and she pressed the button for the top floor, as the doors closed he heard her take a deep breath and slipped his hand into hers, when she felt it she turned to him and gave him a smile. Several seconds later they heard a soft ding and the elevator doors opened. They stepped out onto the top floor, spotted a reception desk and walked over to it.
"Hi, we have an appointment with Commissioner Reagan at eight thirty." She informed the blonde detective sitting behind the desk.
"Officer Walsh and Officer Walsh?" Baker asked as she checked Frank's calendar.
"Yes Ma'am." He confirmed with a polite smile.
"Right, please take a seat the commissioner will be with you shortly." She smiled and gestured to a row of chairs against the far wall.
"Thanks." They turned and headed over to the chairs, they each took a seat and pulled out their phones. The minutes passed quickly as they sat quietly glued to their phone screens, her reading an online article, him playing a game.
"Officers?" They both looked up to see Baker smiling warmly at them.
"The Commissioner is ready for you now." She told them and nodded to his now open office door. They stood and made their way over to the door once they had reached it they paused, looked inside and saw Commissioner Frank Reagan sitting as his desk.
"Please come in." He instructed them. He stood as they approached his desk then joined them in taking a seat.
"Officer Mason Walsh and Officer Alison Walsh. So, what can I do for you?" He inquired. They both noticed him glance down at two open folders on his desk and realised he had gone over their files in preparation for this meeting. Allie swallowed nervously, she wasn't the least bit surprised that Commissioner Reagan was a man who did his homework.
"As you probably know Commissioner, cops love to gossip. Nothing in a precinct stays secret very long." She began nervously.
"I'm aware." Frank gave her a tight smile.
"Everyone knows that Officer Reagan and Officer Janko are engaged." Mason jumped in.
"Yet they're still partners. I saw them go out on patrol yesterday, I work at the same precinct." Allie elaborated and saw Franks brow furrow.
"When Mason and I were partnered together five years ago we had an instant connection. We became really close and pretty soon we fell in love. We resisted it at first because we loved being partners and didn't want to give that up. Eventually, after two years we decided we wanted to be together so we put in for new partners." She explained.
"I had to give up a fantastic partner. It's not right that Reagan and Janko get to stay partners." Mason added beginning to get worked up. Allie placed her hand on his in a effort to calm him. He felt her gesture, looked down at her hand and made himself take a deep breath. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they shared a quick look.
"We don't feel it's fair Officers Reagan and Janko get to be romantically involved and remain partners when Mason and I, and many others, did not." Allie restated Mason's objection.
"You want to be partners again?" Frank guessed.
"Actually no." Allie answered and Frank's eyes widened slightly.
"No?" He repeated, surprised.
"Sure, if you had asked us four and a half years ago about the fraternisation policy we would have told you that we hate the rule that says partners can't date, it's a dumb rule." She admitted.
"But now?" Frank pressed her.
"Now, having thought about it a lot and talked about it a lot, we understand why the rule exists. In fact, we think it's a very important and necessary rule." Allie told him.
"This is the woman I'm going to spend my life with, I want to raise a family with her and grow old with her. If I told you I could go into a potentially life threatening situation with her and that my decision making wouldn't be affected by her presence I'd be lying." Mason admitted staring at Allie, she looked at him and they shared a smile.
"I understand you got married recently." Frank mentioned.
"Seven weeks ago." Allie confirmed.
"Congratulations." Frank smiled warmly.
"Thanks." They smiled at him.
"We can also tell you that being married would make us no less compromised." Mason added, not so subtly referencing the loophole Jamie and Eddie were using to stay partners.
"Commissioner, we didn't come here wanting Reagan and Janko to be split up, they have a great partnership but we believe that the rule is in place for a reason. It will compromise their safety to remain partners now that they are a couple. We also feel it's very unjust for them to be allowed to stay partners when we and many other couples could not. Not to mention those who made the choice to stay partners and never become romantically involved." She reiterated.
"It's just not a good idea." Mason agreed. Having said their piece Mason and Allie fell quiet, Frank studied the couple for a moment.
"I appreciate you coming here today and voicing your feelings on this matter. I will take what you have said under advisement and review the situation." Frank told them diplomatically.
"Thank you for your time Commissioner." Allie smiled as she and Mason both stood.
"Thanks." Mason said as Frank walked them to the door of the office.
"You're welcome." He replied as he opened the door. He watched the couple make their way to the elevators before turning to Baker.
"Ok Baker, what's next?"
The house was quiet when Frank arrived home late that evening. Once inside, he placed his briefcase on the floor beside the stairs, slipped off his coat and hung it over the bannister.
"Pop?" He called out.
"In here Francis." Came the reply from two rooms away. Frank made his way through the house and found his father in the living room doing a crossword. Henry looked up and smiled as Frank entered the room, Frank walked over to his favourite chair and took a seat.
"I put your dinner in the oven to keep warm." Henry informed him as filled in an answer in his crossword.
"Thanks." Frank replied quietly as he stared off into space. Henry looked up from his puzzle and over at Frank, he could practically see his mind working.
"Something on your mind?" He inquired.
"I have a decision to make." Frank told him as he came out of his thoughts.
"Oh?" Henry prodded as he put down his crossword.
"A pair of officers came to see me today. They were partnered together five years ago, they fell in love and chose to give up being partners so they could be together. One them works at Jamie's precinct and heard about Jamie and Eddie's engagement then saw them heading out tour together." Frank explained as he leaned back in his chair.
"They came to you to complain." Henry assumed.
"No, well yes, they did point out the blatant unfairness of the situation but it wasn't really so much about them. They've made their choice and they are at peace with their decision. They care more about other cops who have been in their position and were forced to make the same choice. They were also concerned about Jamie and Eddie's safety being engaged and remaining partners." Frank recalled.
"Sounds like they made some good points." Henry commented and Frank shifted in his chair. Henry frowned as he watched his son wrestle with the decision.
"Ok Francis, how about you look at it this way, imagine this was a different pair of officers, if some other officers got married and claimed they should be allowed to remain partners because of a loophole they found in the patrol guide rules what would you do?" Henry prodded him.
"Move one to another precinct, assign them both new partners and close the loophole." Frank answered easily and Henry nodded.
"Seems like you already know what you have to do." Henry pointed out and Frank nodded slowly.
"Jamie will understand." He added, Frank turned and looked at him surprised.
"Not at first, of course, he'll be angry and upset but in time he'll understand why you had to do it." Henry clarified his previous statement and Frank sighed heavily.
"I hope you're right."
"Are you sure about this boss?" Sid asked as he watched Frank sign an amendment to the patrol guide. Frank put down his pen, lifted his head and looked between Sid and Garrett.
"Do you disagree with my decision?" He asked the two men standing on the other side of the desk, Sid and Garrett glanced at each other.
"No boss, you're the commissioner, if you find a loophole in the rules you gotta close it. Partners being romantically involved is a bad idea." Sid confirmed his agreement.
"But, you're not just the commissioner, you're also Jamie's dad." Garrett gently reminded him.
"So because he's my son I should allow him to use a loophole to get around a rule he doesn't like?" Frank questioned him.
"No, of course not." He replied quickly to avoid going down a dead end.
"It's just..." Garrett started.
"I know. A decision I'm making as commissioner is going to have an impact on my home life but I have to do what is right for the thirty eight thousand officers under my command not for two officers who don't like a particular rule. Even if one of them happens to be my son." The room fell silent as Sid and Garrett realised Frank could not be swayed.
"Baker." Frank called out. Moments later she appeared in the doorway of his office.
"Please see that HR gets this and can you also see that a memo is sent to all precincts informing them of the change." He instructed her as he held out the amendment.
"Yes Sir." She replied then walked in between Sid and Garrett, took the piece of paper then headed back to her desk.
"Are you at least going to give Jamie a heads up before the memo goes out?" Garrett asked once Baker had left.
"Would I give any other officer get a heads up?" Frank answered him with a question.
"No." Garrett sighed and wondered why he bothered.
Sergeant Renzulli waited as two detectives handed out copies of an identikit sketch to the officers assembled for roll call.
"This guy has committed three armed robberies in the last two weeks so as you can imagine the detectives are very keen to catch this guy. Please study the sketch and keep it with you and keep an eye out while you're on patrol. That's everything for today, stay safe out there. Oh can Officers Reagan, Janko, Miller and O'Connor please stay behind and see me. Dismissed." At his words all the officers dispersed leaving just the four officers he had asked to stay back.
"Come with me." He told them and proceeded to lead them to his office. Once there he took a seat at his desk and rummaged through a pile of papers until he found the one he was looking for.
"This morning all precincts received a memo outlining an update to the fraternisation policy in the patrol guide." He began and noticed Jamie's eyes widen.
"It basically says that partners cannot be in or enter into any kind of romantic relationship, up to and including engagement and marriage." Renzulli slightly paraphrased the memo.
"What?!" Jamie exclaimed angrily.
"Hey don't shoot the messenger, I'm just telling you what the top brass has told us. Now given this update and you and Janko being engaged, you two can no longer be partners. So I'm going to start the paperwork to get you both assigned new partners, in the meantime Reagan you'll be riding with Miller and Janko you're riding with O'Connor." He informed them. The four officers stared at Renzulli, surprise evident on their faces.
"That's it, off you go." He shooed them out of his office.
"He updated the rule." Eddie said stunned as the four officers made their way to the garage.
"I cannot believe him!" Jamie cried out angrily.
"That sucks dude." O'Connor commiserated.
"Yeah, that's rough. Hey, I may not as pretty as Janko but I eat less." Miller joked and was swiftly whacked on the arm by Eddie.
Frank had just turned the page on the report he was reading when the kitchen door flew open.
"You are unbelievable!" Jamie declared angrily as spotted his father sitting at the kitchen table.
"Jamie." Frank greeted him calmly.
"You changed the rule! I find a way to be with Eddie and stay partners and you go and change the rule!" Jamie ranted as he walked over to the table.
"I didn't have a choice." He replied closing the file he had been reading.
"Yes you did! You did have a choice, you could have just left things the way they were." Jamie argued.
"Let you and Eddie get around a rule that everyone else has to abide by?" He questioned his son.
"I have to make decisions based what's best for the everyone under my command. I can't make exceptions for anyone, not even someone I love." Frank reminded him.
"It's a stupid rule." Jamie asserted frustrated. Frank frowned saddened to see Jamie so upset and disheartened that he was so blinded by his own situation.
"I know you don't really think that. I know you love Eddie and love being partnered with her but if I had asked you a year ago if you thought I should let two cops who were getting married remain partners you would've have said no. You understand why the rule is in place and you know that being partners with someone you're romantically involved with compromises your ability to work together. I know you're upset right now but I know one day you'll see I did the right thing." Frank told him.
"Why couldn't you have just left it alone." Jamie sighed.
"Every other pair of partners who have fallen for each other have had to make a choice to stay partners and never enter into a romantic relationship or to give up being partners to be together. I can see no reason why you and Eddie shouldn't have to make that choice." Frank answered him. Jamie said nothing, Frank stared at him trying to gauge where his mind was at. He could see that Jamie was contemplating what he had said and wondered if he might be receptive to further discussion.
"You may want to think about why this choice is so difficult that you felt the need to try and get around a rule that you used to agree with." Frank suggested gently and Jamie's head shot up.
"What are you trying to say?" Jamie asked defensively.
"Nothing. Though, I do wonder if you love her enough to spend the rest of your life with her why do you find giving up being her partner such a hard sacrifice to make?" Frank thought aloud. Frank watched Jamie continue to work through everything he had said. Jamie, realising he was getting nowhere, decided he was done and turned to leave.
"Jamie, I'm sorry." Frank admitted as he watched Jamie walk to the door.
"Yeah." Jamie spoke softly not even bothering to look back. He opened the door and walked out, a moment later Henry entered the kitchen.
"Well, that went about as well as could be expected." He commented as he took a seat next to Frank at the table.
"You heard all of that?" Frank guessed, not surprised by his fathers eavesdropping.
"Yes and I think you handled it well." Henry complimented him.
"Really?"
"There was no way this could of gone that didn't involve Jamie getting hurt but deep down he knows you're right." Henry assured him. Frank squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Sometimes I really hate being right."