Recovery
Chapter 33
The Journal of John Nolan
Grey called Lucy into his office after our shift today. I have no idea why, but I couldn't stick around to ask her.
I had to go through one of Bradford's exercises tonight. He used a series of life-sized cardboard cutouts. But it wasn't like the shoot or don't shoot test we took at the academy. Bradford's test was: drive or don't drive.
All the cutouts were supposed to be rookies. And they had little chips on them like you find in the kind of cards where you can record a message. I think maybe that's where Bradford got them. The lengths of the recordings were about right. Each one was supposed to be a rookie with a different personality type and skills.
I believe that I figured out who three of the flat rookies were, although their faces had no identifiable features. One was Angela Lopez. I heard Bradford call her "Boot" once. When I asked her about it, she said he'd been her training officer for two weeks. Apparently, that was long enough for her to make an impression. Her flat talked about wanting to make detective. So I decided to let her drive, if for no other reason than she reached her goal.
I guessed that one of the other flats was Lucy. The chip gave a speech about different learning styles being nothing to be ashamed of. What other cop could have said something like that? I didn't let her drive because if it was Lucy, Bradford didn't.
There was another figure that might have been the rookie that was with Bradford only for a day. I never talked to her except to say hello, so I only had a slight idea of what she was like. But she had a military bearing, automatically stood at ease, and wore her hair pretty short.
The L.A.P.D. regs say uniformed officers have to keep their hair above their collars. But most of the women don't have theirs cut it that way. They just put it up while they're on the job. Bishop had short hair, but it was styled. This rookie looked like she had hers clipped by a barber or did it herself. My overall impression was that she was fresh out of the service. The recording matched that. She used terms like "the enemy" to refer to suspects.
Lucy was really pissed off that Bradford had his last rookie drive when he never let Lucy behind the wheel. So I figured that if Bradford had his one-day boot in mind, I'd let her drive too. For the rest of them, I went with a comparison between Lucy and the other rookie to make my choices. I don't know if I was right or wrong. Bradford isn't going to tell us until the end of the course.
I can really see why Lucy wanted to blow him up when she finished her training. He can be infuriating. But I don't get why she also seems, as much as she denies it, to be drawn to the guy. Could it be like Stockholm syndrome, feelings of trust or affection toward her captor? Or maybe after what he went through with Isabel, she sees him as wounded and wants to nurse him back to health. She came to me when I was in deep trouble, too. So that would be like her. But, whatever it is, he's with Rachel. And departmental standards aside, I can't see Lucy crossing the line on that. Rachel is Lucy's friend, and if anything, Lucy seems more devoted to her than ever.
And from what Lucy was willing to tell me, Rachel isn't going back to her old job as a social worker in the field. But she is going to sit on some kind of new advisory board. She'll still be working with the L.A.P.D., but Lucy wasn't clear about how. She might not know.
The department has been struggling with plans to deal better with matters outside law enforcement. We get a lot of calls relating more to mental illness than anything criminal. And the tools we have to handle the bad guys just don't apply. Rachel may be involved with addressing that somehow. I hope so. With her street experience, she'll know what she's talking about. And she and Lucy could swap insights.
"I need everyone's attention," Grey announces, rapping on the podium. "As most of you are aware, the L.A.P.D. has been struggling with plans to respond to community calls for police reform. As a result, the department is launching a pilot program in which mental health professionals, or in some cases, police officers knowledgeable in mental health issues, will participate in standard patrols. Mid-Wilshire will be part of the rollout.
"The first team involved will be Officer Chen and Officer Nolan. Officer Chen already has graduate-level training in psychology and should be able to hit the ground running. The relationships Officer Nolan has developed in the community will support her in those efforts.
"The brass will be keeping a close watch on whether the program results in a reduction of violent incidents and arrests unrelated to criminal offenses. As more trained personnel join the effort, I will be making assignments accordingly.
"Now, for the rest of you, if you observe that a call requires interventions you aren't trained to offer, I expect you to request assistance. The Chen-Nolan team or whoever else becomes available will be dispatched to your location.
"We're being watched, people, by community activists and by the press. The techniques and tools we've all been taught to apply will no longer be acceptable in many situations. So, if you have any doubts about the mental health of a suspect, please reach for your radio before reaching for your taser or your gun.
I've posted any other assignment changes. Now, keep everyone, including yourselves, safe out there. That's all."
"Did Grey force your new assignment on you?" Nolan inquires as he and Lucy lug their gear to their shop. "What happened to becoming an undercover cop?"
"What happened was being burned to at least half the drug producers and distributors in L.A. And it wasn't just La Fiera's cartel. It was her competition too. I might be able to deal with new arrivals in the city, but La Fiera eliminates those faster than the department can. I thought I'd be stuck doing straight patrol work for who knows how long. So when Grey offered me this chance to use all my skills, I jumped at it."
"Are you going to be good with that?" John presses. "I mean, you were always telling me that you became a cop because you didn't want to go down the path your parents laid out for you. Now it seems like you may be doing it anyway."
Lucy shakes her head. "No, I'm not. My parents wanted me to work in a comfortable office charging patients for 50 minute hours. I couldn't do it, John. I still can't. I want to be out there helping people, whether they can afford the fees or not. I'm still a cop. We're supposed to make this city safer. And I'll be using everything I know to do that."
John holds up his hand. "I get it, Lucy. And I actually think it's a great idea. I just wanted to know if you're happy with it. I guess you are. So, any instructions before we hit the streets?"
"Just adding to what Bradford was always telling me. Cops' greatest assets are their eyes. I'd put your ears in there too. If someone looks or sounds a little off, they probably are. So before we do anything, let me assess the situation."
"Yes, Ma'am."
