Fallout
Chapter 20
The Journal of John Nolan
Bradford wasn't kidding about the complications campaigning politicians would cause. But it's more of a problem for me than for the other cops. Policing is always news, but this year it's a front-page banner headline. And the issue at the top of the list is using civilians to intervene in mental health situations. I thought I was just going to be fighting Briggs. But candidates, both for and against, are coming to town. And at every speech they give, there are at least one or two protest groups. It's a mess, and Briggs is trying to get as many cops as possible blaming me for it.
I do have some fervent supporters, with Lucy and Angela leading the pack. After his relationship with Rachel, I think Bradford's on my side of the fence, too, although he tries to appear impartial. Harper's also with me, and Aaron said he'd try to get something on the subject into his reality show. If he can, that would be quite a coup.
Bailey's been called out on more overdoses than she can count, so she'd love to see more intervention than just administering Narcan. And Henry and Abigail have jumped on the bandwagon. I think Abigail is even more enthusiastic than Henry. She's shown up at a couple of demonstrations supporting more mental health professionals working with police. Some psychological intervention might have helped her when she set fire to her ex-boyfriend's car.
But all of that is happening against the backdrop of Abril Rojas' increasing push into Southern California. We're already watching several gaming dens. I asked Councilwoman Gutierrez if the City Council could intervene to zone against them. But Rojas is brilliant, which is no doubt why La Fiera designated Abril as her successor. So far, all the dens appear to have legitimate ownership and all the required permits and inspections. They also bring business into neighborhoods that need it. So the City Council has no basis on which to act. We'll have to wait for Abril to make a slip. And we may be waiting a long time.
The LAPD will also have a new problem that's worked its way down from Canada. Actually, the blame doesn't fall entirely on Canada. Apparently, the funding for the movement is flowing northward from the good old U.S. of A. Truckers are forming convoys against what they consider excess regulation. The restrictions address preventing the spread of disease across borders. There have always been rules where agriculture is concerned. Both governments take precautions against various invading pests. But this is something new.
A variant of a respiratory infection broke out up there. It's been killing seniors and infants. For the most part, it doesn't do much harm to healthy adults, but they can carry it. As with many diseases, this one can be prevented with a shot. All the truckers have to do to cross the border is prove they've had one. That's not much different from having our kids get their shots before they go to school or the military getting them before going overseas. But for some reason, the jab has become an issue of freedom and personal choice for the truckers. They've been forming protest convoys. And one of them is due in LA.
Some of the truckers know the highways here inside out and backward. They may know them better than CHiPs do. They've announced that they plan to cause maximum disruptions, which will have a ripple effect throughout the city. Governor Newsome is contemplating calling out the National Guard. But the truckers have a lot of sympathy in this state, especially up North and in Orange County. Mobilizing the Guard may do more harm than good. Still, Bailey's on alert. If the Guard goes, Lt. Nune goes with them.
For the last few days, I've been in my shop solo. Aaron is making up for lost time with Harper, and Bradford needs all the help Lucy can give him. Of course, that's a lot, and she doesn't complain about overtime, at least not much. She did have to cancel one date with Chris Sanford, but apparently, he was understanding about the whole thing. And she has plans to make it up to him. Knowing Lucy, Chris will enjoy her apology.
Luna's been at the precinct a couple of times. Usually, that either means that Grey is in trouble or that she's worried about him. I believe that in this case, it's the latter. Tim's taken some of the pressure off Grey by handling as much of the supervisory duties on the street as he can. Still, if the demonstrations spread around the city - and signs point to them doing exactly that - Tim can't be in two places at once. Grey will have to be out there, and that still may not be enough. The supervision shortage will give even more strength for my push for a reorganization of how things work in the LAPD. Still, improvements in the future won't help now.
I have heard some talk about temporary field promotions, but all hell would have to break loose to justify those. If they did happen, I know who I'd move up – Harper and Lopez. Those women have demonstrated they can handle anything thrown at them and more. But I'm sure that's not the way it would work. The union rules concentrate on seniority, which I suppose in most situations would seem fair. But seniority and capability are hardly the same thing. If they were, Smitty would be one of the best cops in the precinct instead of the embarrassing goof-off that he is. There has to be room for merit points somewhere.
Grey scowls as he takes the podium. "Devon Montcrieff will be holding a rally at Griffith Park today. For those of you not keeping up with politics, Montcrieff is running for the congressional seat from the 28th district – that's here. As you are no doubt aware, the shooting by an LAPD officer of a teenager in a store dressing room has become a lightning rod for criticism thrown at the LAPD. The fact that there were four other shootings is only exacerbating the situation. From Montcrieff's campaign literature and his interviews with the press, he has every intention of throwing gasoline on the fire.
"What that will mean for us is that an unruly crowd could rapidly transform into a hostile mob. And that hostility will be directed at us. While the department is determined to keep you all as safe as possible, if you show up in riot gear, it could set off a violent reaction. And if you don't, you'll be vulnerable. So, Bradford and/or I will be on the scene in Griffith park and any other gatherings posing a danger of getting out of control. You will carry full riot control equipment in your shops, but wait for instructions to use it. We're going to be walking a tightrope here, people, and we'll have to try our best not to fall off.
"For those of you not assigned to crowd control, continue your surveillance of the gaming dens and other possible venues of illegal substance distribution. We're also seeing a rise in smash and grabs, possibly to raise money for drugs. So be prepared to do some running. All right, that's it. Get out there and keep the city and yourselves safe.