This was an unusual day for Joe Friday. He was used to testifying in a court of law, but not in a Fire Department review board. But then Stanley Stover wasn't a typical case. Stanley's father abandoned the family when he was a baby, his mother was on government assistance for awhile, and he was bullied for being overweight as a child. Stanley's escape was in comic books and superheroes, imagining himself as a hero. As an adult Stanley tried to escape from reality further, not in drugs like so many young people, but by making himself a costume and pretending to be "The Crimson Crusader." Joe first met Stanley three years ago when he stole photographs and publicity stills from local movie theatres and studios. It was one of the few times Joe felt sorry for a suspect. His partner Bill Gannon had taught him some new words ever since his wife gave him a thesaurus, one of the new words was "Sociopath." It meant someone who had no empathy for others, who only cared about themself. Joe had certainly seen his share of sociopaths over the years, like a man who stole his wife's furniture, including her grandmother's cane. An 87 year old blind woman and he left her standing in a corner without so much as a cane to lean on. Or a woman who threw her four day old baby in a trashcan. Not to mention the various con artists who stole social security checks from senior citizens who couldn't afford to lose this money. Stanley Stover was different, he just needed some professional help. Joe was even relieved when the judge gave him probation and mandatory counseling. Since then Stanley had turned his life around, including going to night school, where he and Friday saw each other again by chance. Joe was forced to arrest another student for selling drugs at the school, and the professor tried to expell him for it. Stanley was one of the students to vote against expulsion. Now, Stanley was trying to enlist in the Fire Department. He had also changed his name to Chester B. Kelly, he liked to be called Chet. He said he wanted a fresh start. A person cannot join the Los Angeles Fire Department with a criminal record, not without a morality waiver. This would mean that this review board would have to decide whether to accept Chet for training. Although he was in his legal rights to change his name, and he did admit his record on his application, the two put together did seem suspicious. Chet asked Joe to appear as a character witness, Joe agreed. Chet testified and Kelly Brackett questioned him.
.
Chet: I admit I made mistakes in my past, but I am trying to do better.
Kelly: Why did you change your name?
Chet: I wanted a fresh start. And in all honesty, there is a stigma towards mental illness.
Kelly: It's certainly your right to have a fresh start, but I am hesitant to admit someone who has suffered mental illness into my department. And your particular illness, you wanted to be a superhero. I fear you are just trying to still live out that fantasy.
Chet: I want to be a good person. My therapist says that part of my desire to be a superhero was to maybe get revenge on those who bullied me. That's partly why I want to be a firefighter rather than a police officer. No disrespect to cops ofcourse, but this way I can save lives, I won't have to risk taking any lives.
Kelly: This can be a dangerous line of work, and a mistake could prove fatal, to you or someone else.
Chet: And I am willing to work hard to learn what I have to in order to prevent that from happening.
.
Later on Joe was asked to testify.
.
Kelly: Sergeant Friday, do you think that Stanley Stover, AKA Chet Kelly would be a good firefighter?
Joe: I can't say for certain, but I do think you can find out based on his performance in the training course.
Kelly: You believe he deserves that chance?
Joe: Yes I do. I won't deny that I've seen some real sociopaths in my line of work, and I've seen criminals released who readily go back to crime. They don;t care if they go back to prison, they just want to reduce their time on the inside. That's why this man stands out in my mind. He's not a hardened criminal, he even offered to work and compensate the owners for what he took. Maybe he's right, maybe there is too much of a stigma towards the mentally ill. Maybe that's why people are hesitant to get help when they need it, if there weren't he might have gotten help sooner. At any rate he got the help he needed, and he's trying to do better. I can't say for certain whether he can handle fire fighting training. You're the experts on that so I'll let you be the judge. But I do believe he deserves the chance.
.
After more than an hour of deliberation, chief Kelly convinced the board to give Chet the morality waiver. Chet ended up becoming a good firefighter, he and Joe Friday even became friends and had lunch together occasionally. Chet Kelly would even attend Joe Friday's funeral a decade later. He would always be grateful to Joe Friday for believing he deserved a second chance.