Recovery

Chapter 13

The Journal of John Nolan

If looks could kill, the one I received from Smitty would have put me in the ground. I went to Tim Bradford about the gap in Smitty's bodycam footage. He must have taken it from there. I don't know what he said to Smitty, but I don't think Smitty will be inviting me out for a beer anytime soon. There's nothing I can do about that. If I hadn't gone to Bradford, Smitty could have ended up a lot worse. I'll never know.

What I do know is that I've rarely wanted anything as badly as to run to the hospital to Tamar, but I followed Harper's advice to wait. Of course, Luna had everything under control. But Tamar was glad to see me when I finally got there. Her eyes looked like she'd been on a two-week bender, and the skin of her face was sore, but the hospital seemed to think she was OK. On the other hand, Grace used to tell me that the E.R. "treats and streets." The hospital doesn't have the capacity to keep anyone around unless it's absolutely necessary.

I brought Tamar back here, so I could stay with her and still make work in the morning. She's in the guest room. The last time I checked, she was asleep, but I can hear her if she needs anything. I can take her home before I go to roll call. Luna said she'd check on her.

Grey will be in the hospital for another day. I wondered if I should go in and bring the best wishes from the division, but Luna said no. The sergeant doesn't want to look weak in front of a rookie. I guess that means he's coming back. I wonder what that's going to imply for Bradford. I guess when Lucy moves up, he'll get another rookie.

That's probably just as well. I think Lucy might be getting too attached to him. That's not jealousy. Even without sleeping with her, I feel closer to Tamar than I ever did to Lucy. Maybe at this stage of my life, a meeting of the minds is more important than other body parts. But if it would have been a career killer for Lucy to be with me, she'd really be branded by an affair with Bradford. And it would be even worse for him. Training officers aren't supposed to take advantage of their authority. Not only is it against regs, but there also couldn't be an easier problem in ethics. The whole idea is a hard and fast no way. And anyhow, after Isabel, Bradford's been very clear about what he thinks about cop-to-cop relationships. No way could he let Lucy in.

I hope Lucy gets past this, at least for now. She'll be concentrating hard on getting into undercover work. That will pull her even farther away from Bradford. Maybe things will change in a couple of years. God only knows.

I thought that after yesterday, Professor Ryan would be through at the division. Apparently not. She's finished with random body cams, but now she wants to see specific footage. The upside of that is she got wind of Stanton. She didn't hear it from me. I've referred to him as an unidentified example, but I never mentioned his name. She might have picked it up elsewhere. Anyway, tomorrow morning, she's going through his body cam footage. I'm not sure what she's looking for, but Jackson picked up on things in Stanton's behavior that told him the man is a racist, without any need for the n-word. I might not be as aware of those signals, but I'm guessing Professor Ryan is.


"You'll all be happy to know that Sergeant Grey is expected to return to duty Monday morning," Tim announces. "At this time, I have no further details, but if I get any, I'll pass them on. Now, as to today's duty assignments. Nolan, you will be continuing to assist Professor Ryan. Harper, you'll continue to put West through his paces. Chen, you'll still be with me.

"The protests are continuing, and we are also seeing an uptick in street crime unrelated to the demonstrations. You can assume that the bad guys know we're stretched thin and will be attempting to take advantage of the situation. To handle the overload, we'll have to streamline our procedures as much as possible within regulations—no friendly chats with suspects. We're not social workers trying to save them from themselves. You arrest, process, and get back out there to do it again. Also, keep your breaks as short as possible. If you need to use a restroom or grab a burger, get back on the street ASAP—no socializing between shops. There's no time to tell each other your troubles. Just get through your shift, finish your paperwork and get out of here ready to do it again tomorrow. Now, be alert, be aware, be smart, and be safe out there.


"This guy, Stanton, is a prize," Ryan comments as she views more bodycam footage.

"What are you seeing?" John asks.

"Here, I'm going to rewind it a little. Do you notice the way Stanton put his foot up on that man's step, John? He's deliberately invading his territory. That's a dominance move. And the way he's leaning over the witness is an implied threat, if not a stated one. How tall is Stanton?"

"About the same height I am, maybe a fraction of an inch taller," John estimates.

"But you don't loom over people like that."

"Usually not," John agrees. "I try my best to be non-threatening unless the situation calls for something otherwise."

"Do you think that one did?" Ryan inquires.

"I can't see how," John replies. "If anything, just the opposite. The man that Stanton's questioning is a victim, not a suspect."

Ryan nods. "Let's continue." She watches for another few minutes. "Check this out, John. Stanton is invading Officer West's space the way he did with the citizen he was questioning. From what I've seen so far, he's actively aggressive toward anyone of color, by body language, if not by anything he says outright. That's the hardest type of offense to prove because the defense can always claim it's open to interpretation."

Nolan leans his arms on the table, lowering his head. "Which is why we caught him in the act of physically attacking Emmett Lang. But the union is still blocking the department from firing him, and the D.A. won't bring any charges. What good does it do for us to practice the proper ethics if the system protects people like Stanton?"

"Why do you think, Officer Nolan?" Ryan presses.

"Because we have to start somewhere? Because the desire to act ethically is contagious and if enough officers feel that way, the behavior of the union will change?" Nolan guesses.

"Do you believe that's a Pollyanna attitude, Officer Nolan?" Ryan queries.

"Considering what happened when I tried to bring a bad cop down on my own – or at least with help from Harper, it doesn't matter. If I have to be a Pollyanna, I have to be a Pollyanna. But it would help to see Stanton get what's coming to him."

I might be able to do something about that," Ryan considers. "I have good contacts at the courthouse. If the politicians can't bring pressure to bear on the union, my colleagues can push the D.A.'s office to do the job it's paid to do. Let's finish going through all of this. I need as much evidence as I can get. I'll also need testimony both from Officer West and Firefighter Lang. Then I can push the case against Stanton where I believe I'll get some traction."

"This will take a while. Want some coffee?" John offers.

"I'd love some."