Hello again and welcome to the next installment of Zootopia: Shake-Up. I would have put numbers on these stories if I had a plan for an upper limit on how many I would write. Right now I do not know how many will come, we are just going story by story. We could end up with five, ten, heck I could go for twenty volumes and probably still find topics to discuss... though I would rather some other authors decided to write stories in this vein as well.
I find it remarkable what a difference the tools used for writing can provide regarding the content produced. Most of my writing has been done on my smartphone while riding the bus to work in the mornings, or coming home at nights. Working at home on my laptop as I am writing this section really does change the flow and brings out ideas I had not thought to include.
Also, I want to thank Voltus and gonekrazy3000 for their reviews. I hope more of you enjoy this enough to let me know so I know that the readership are pleased with the progress made in these stories.
At any rate, when last I published, Judy had taken to meeting with other female officers at Precinct One and had left Nick to take care of the remainder of their work for the day. The story now picks up with Judy and her cohort at that same meeting. (Reminder of attendants: Jayashri Fangmeyer, Judy Hopps, Geraldine Maddox, Francine Paddington).
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or creations (though to the best of my knowledge I originated giraffe ZPD officer Geraldine Maddox). Zootopia belongs to Disney, the line from 'Charge of the Light Brigade' was penned by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and the Eleanor Roosevelt quote comes from the lady herself.
The three senior-most female officers at Precinct One had all converged outside the precinct building around their newest, youngest, and smallest addition to the department. Judy marveled at how a little bunny like herself could start directing the course of action for an individual as massive as Francine.
"What is it Hopps? I have a lot more work to do today, so I haven't got the time for a long break," said Fangmeyer.
"I know Jayashri, we all of have a lot of work to do, but this is important." Judy replied, the use of Fangmeyer's first name emphasizing that this was a serious matter they were getting into. "Am I the only one who thinks we get unfair treatment as female officers?"
Jayashri and Francine shared a confused look and Geraldine scrunched her lips in frustration. Judy continued.
"We work every bit as hard as our male colleagues. We come here, we do our best at this job every day just like every other cop in the precinct, and how are we treated? We get called demeaning names, we're made to feel like pieces of meat, we're refused the chances to advance when male officers in similar situations are offered these opportunities... surely the rest of you notice some of this."
Fangmeyer responded. "Of course we notice, Judy. While you've been shouting out for 'making the world a better place', did you take any time to look at how you're treated as a female?"
"So why haven't any of you tried to bring complaints to the Chief?" Judy replied. "Why don't we get things to change? We're here to do a job to protect and serve the city, we shouldn't need to be constantly on the alert for injustice directed at us as well."
Geraldine snorted. "What do you expect. We're the minority in this place. You saw what happened in there with Clawhauser and the Chief. He may use the excuse of Ben having prior patrol experience as the rationale to choose him over me, but I've put in that same request repeatedly for the last couple of years and gotten nowhere. Then one odd Monday morning Ben just asks for a chance and gets one; no suggestion to hold-off, no 'let's talk some other time', just 'get started now'. That's the kind of crap we've always had to deal with as females."
Judy was reeling. She had indeed focused a lot on just trying to do her best and make things better. The fact that she had been valedictorian in her class, got a chance to shine in her first case, and made huge strides for the Mammal Inclusion Initiative had gotten her almost believing that all of her fellow female officers were treated with just as much trust and admiration as her. She had been riding high for so long she had started to lose sight of the fact that her status in the precinct was somewhat incongruous.
"Well then I say there needs to be some changes and I say we bring it to the Chief and get things set right."
Francine spoke up. "What do you intend, Hopps? You've been here all of a year, I've been here the better part of a decade. This is how it is, how it's always been. Heck, female police officers are still a fairly new thing for this city. In my grandmother's time you never heard of such things. Of course they treat us differently. We're a minority here among officers, and the higher ups are almost all male as well. We can't get a leg-up because there aren't any chick-officers helping us climb the ladder, let alone keeping the attitudes among the officers kosher."
Judy looked around at her group. "So we just put up with it? Endure it as it comes, day in and day out? 'Our's not to reason why'?"
Geraldine joined in. "Hopps, Francine has a point. We can raise complaints all we want. If the chain of command is all male it won't make a difference. I even submitted a complaint three months back about an officer that got drunk while on the night shift and grabbed me. The worst he got was two weeks suspension without pay."
A jaw drop and a stutter later, Judy was able to answer with: "...wh-wh-WHAT?"
"You haven't dealt with this Judy?" Jayashri asked. "I actually submitted a complaint two months ago. I withdrew it shortly after, but the Chief didn't even know one had arrived."
"We've all been there. For the Chief it's just 'boys will be boys'. You can't change a system that can't think outside itself." Francine concluded.
Judy's mind reeled anew.
"This is ridiculous. We have rights here as officers, and we shouldn't let male authority trample on those rights."
"They'll do more than trample Judy, they silence those who make trouble. How do you think Major Friedkin ended up the instructor at the Academy?" Geraldine replied.
"What?" Judy asked.
"Yeah, you didn't know?" Francine asked in return.
"No, I didn't know anything happened to her. I thought she taught at the Academy because she was the best at churning out the best officers." Judy confessed.
Jayashri shook her head. "She was a captain in Tundratown, one of the highest-ranking, toughest chick officers in all of Zootopia. A lot of us hoped she'd break the glass ceiling and get a spot in Precinct One with 'Chief' in her title. Then about five... no four years back she submitted a complaint about one of the other captains... that one... Captain Grizzo, also up in Tundratown. She cited him first for molesting a citizen who he pulled over for a DUI, then a week later their Deputy Chief talked to Grizzo privately and got rid of the report. So Grizzo confronted her about it... and got inappropriate there too."
"WHAT!" Judy exploded.
"Oh Friedkin took care of herself, and physically Grizzo got what he had comin'." Francine chimed in. "Claw scars across his whole throat, apparently the doctors said his voice-box will never work quite right ever again. But then the Deputy Chief gave Friedkin the choice of either getting the sack, or transferring to the Academy to be an instructor."
"That's so unfair, " said Judy. "She made a report, she got attacked for it, and she gets punished when she defends herself?"
Geraldine shook her head. "It's a male's job Judy. We may be tough enough to take the stress and the danger. It doesn't mean the males here have to like us for it or tolerate our presence."
Judy ground her teeth and looked up at her co-workers. "I want copies of those reports. Every one of them. And logs of reports from the last several months from every precinct in Zootopia. Where do I go to get them?"
Francine whistled. "Well, by law the District Attorney's Office is supposed to handle prosecution, and from what I can recall that's usually where we keep records of all reports of abuse. If I were going to launch any kind of internal investigation, that's probably where I would start."
"Great, then that's where I'm going." Judy declared and started marching away. Francine stepped in her path.
"Whoa, Judy, you can't just go asking the DA for confidential files without a warrant. There are rules to this sort of thing." Francine reminded her.
"Not to mention most of the material you're after wouldn't even be in the DA's possession. You're talking about internal police reports; and not even assault but the next level down: harassment." Geraldine chimed in. "The records in archives would be where you'd find that material... I could get it tonight provided you don't take it off site. Or... Ben could give you access right now if he's willing to help."
Gears started turning in Judy's mind. Ben needs help getting in shape to get back in training. And maybe he'd be willing to do a little quid pro quo. That's how we get this going.
"Well, since Officer Clawhauser is such an open-minded individual, I'm sure he'll have no problem helping out a friend. Ladies, thanks for meeting with me. When I have more I will get back to all of you. And now, I have an appointment with some files in the archives."
Judy left her group and went back into the police station. Ben was at the front desk, he was now lying down and huffing repeatedly. Judy came close and got his attention.
"Hi... Ben? Did Bogo make you go for another workout?"
"Oh, hey Judy (gasp). Don't even say that word (gasp). The Chief had me run a mile, (gasp)..."
"Well that's not so..."
"...then I had to get off the treadmill (gasp) and do five pull ups (gasp)..."
"Okay, not the easiest thing ever..."
"...then twenty sit ups, (gasp) and five pushups (gasp)..."
"Okay, a bit intense for a first day, but..."
"...then another mile (gasp)... He said he just wanted to be sure we both made the right decision earlier today (gasp)... or if he should have just given the job to Maddox."
Judy bit back her tongue to prevent snapping that he should have let her try. She only stopped in time by remembering that Ben was her friend and deserved a chance of his own.
"I'm just trying to not die right here on my desk (gasp)," the portly cheetah continued. "My fear is he's going to come down here, make me go to the gym and get on the treadmill, and then crank it up to a crazy speed (gasp), and I'm going to fall off and my heart will explode inside my chest."
Judy snaked her way around the desk.
"You know Ben, when I started off at the Academy I was actually in last place in every segment of the obstacle course. I failed every combat engagement, and was told I had no chance to be a cop. I know a few tips and tricks to get over physical handicaps... mental ones too."
Ben looked at Judy hopefully. "That... could probably be useful if you have any suggestions to give me."
"Sure. And actually if you wouldn't mind Ben, I could really use the key to the archives downstairs. There are some things I need to collect."
"Huh? Oh... Okay, sure. The master keys are here on my belt. What was it you needed? A lot of that stuff needs to remain here." Ben said as he took the keys from his belt.
Judy snatched the keys and in politeness answered as she walked away. "Oh, just some reports related to a case I'm working on. Don't worry, I'm not taking anything off site. I'll bring the files up here so you'll see what I'm dealing with."
Ben nodded lazily.
"Oh good...", and sank back on his desk.
Judy collected more than just a few months of reports; she went back nearly a year. The number of files was not immense, but neither was it small. More than fifty reports had come from Precinct One, and the archives in the basement of the headquarters included the reports from precincts all around the city. In total they numbered nearly a hundred and fifty, or on average one report every 2.43 days (bunnies are good at dividing too). As she promised the near-comatose Ben, she made sure he had a look at all of the documents she went through, and signed official release statements with Ben's name authorizing her to look into them as part of an investigation of departmental misconduct. After her shift, Judy took this material to one of the back offices and continued pouring through it all. Judy found that this was a much bigger issue than she would have assumed; it made her one bad day with the Chief seem quite tame by comparison.
Around midnight, having gone through only about thirty-five reports, Judy took a number of the documents to Geraldine, who had little else going on while doing the night shift until Tuesday morning. The small rabbit officer brought the documents out to the front desk and, together with the tall giraffe officer, the two of them worked into the wee hours of the morning to read them all. Judy was able to power through her exhaustion with several helpings of carrots (high sugar-content vegetables were better than any coffee), but started her Tuesday in a slightly fatigued state even with a few hours of sleep on one of the precinct office couches.
This became Judy's routine for the next two nights: staying late to work with Geraldine, often grabbing only a few hours of 'shut-eye', and then reporting to duty with slight exhaustion. After the first night, where the two officers had gone through every single report, they committed themselves to drafting an appropriate summary of all the reports, making sure to include dates, remove the names and identities of all officers and personnel involved, but include physical descriptions so the problems in the department would not be smoothed over or neglected by protecting identities. A part of Judy wanted to out everyone: victims, perpetrators, all of them. However, she had not asked for the right to disseminate names, and did not want to wait to get permission, so she did her best to keep as much confidentiality as possible. By the end of it, both she and Geraldine came away with a rather sickened feeling about the state of their department, but with a strong sense of sisterhood about going forward with a plan that would have the Chief and the whole department working to drastically reduce the levels of misconduct.
Many times during the course of their work, Judy felt aghast at the behavior of her fellow officers. It was disturbing to see their names mentioned in these citations, bearing witness to some of their worse acts, and knowing that at sun-up, she would be sitting in the bullpen with these animals as they received their assignments for the day. She made it her business to block out names from her own mind even as she had to make generic descriptions of tigers, wolves, lions and other animals in her report. Thankfully, her near delirium from so little sleep left her with little ability to recall which officers she was supposed to be furious with, and she was able to get back to work.
In all of this, Nick grew ever more impatient with his partner. For two days he barely saw Judy except when they received their orders while in the bullpen every morning. She went about work with him being officious and somewhat distracted. She answered him when he spoke, agreed when he offered opinions, and seemed minimally confrontational... not the Judy Hopps he had grown to know over the year he had interacted with her since she threatened to arrest him for tax evasion.
Nick also grew upset about the little things that were no longer taking place. He used to run into Judy several blocks from the precinct where she would get off the subway and the two of them would walk to work together.
What was equally annoying was Judy's failure to keep him abreast of what was going on in her world. While he respected her right to privacy, her focus seemed to be on some issue related to the department, something that he assumed probably concerned him as well. He recalled that she had said that she would devote Tuesday morning to explain what was going on and had so far failed to do so. Nick had been courteous enough not to probe too deeply, but he had asked many times for more information about Judy's plans. All of his requests had been refused.
Now it was Thursday, and she still had not shared anything of substance. As Nick drew up in front of the precinct, Judy actually came to the front door to greet him, rather than just meet with him in the bullpen like she had on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nick took a moment to look her up and down: she wore a freshly pressed uniform, held her head high, and looked ready to begin the day's duties; all in all, every bit of them the image of a model officer of the ZPD... 'so why the secrecy?' he wondered.
Ben was at the front desk. He looked physically worn from his workouts, Bogo had been merciless, and the other officers only encouraged working harder, never 'take it easy'. Ben was looking pretty haggard, but he was doing his best to sit upright.
" 'Morning Ben." Judy called to him, and Nick gave a wave as well. Ben smiled back and resumed his duties in his exhausted, sluggish way. As Nick turned his head back to look where he was going he spotted Geraldine Maddox. She was in her civies and headed out to get some proper rest before she had to take on the next night shift. As she passed the incoming duo she gave a nod to Judy, who nodded in return.
Nick caught the exchange and looked askance at Judy. He wanted to ask her what that had been about, but since they were about to head into the bullpen for the morning meeting he decided to let it go for now and wait to ask her once the meeting was done.
The two of them entered the bullpen and took their shared seat near the front. As Nick tried to engage McHorn in friendly conversation, and was given a few gruff responses, he noticed Judy looking passed their nearest fellow officer. Following her line of site, Nick could see she was looking at Fangmeyer, and again that same exchanged nod. The mystery grew for Nick, but before he could think on it any further, Perkins had called for attention and the Chief entered to begin the meeting.
The meeting proceeded as usual: assignments were passed out, officers departed a few at a time, and Judy and Nick were the last to receive theirs. Nick noticed one more of the nodded exchanges in that time. As Francine Paddington took her assignment for the day, she turned over her shoulder to look at Judy, and the two of them nodded. By this point, Nick had started to grow slightly nervous that there was something serious being planned, and while he trusted Judy implicitly, he preferred knowing ahead of time if there was going to be trouble.
The task for the day was simple, regular patrol, keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, let the city know that the animals-in-blue were looking out for them... around the Savanna Central Station and Little Rodentia at least.
As they left the meeting room, Nick pulled Judy aside.
"Okay Carrots, what's going on? You've been secretive this whole week and I've let it be for the most part because I'm your friend. But I'm also your partner at this job and I need to know if there's something going on."
"Nick, it's fine. Nothing you need to worry about."
"Like hell," he exclaimed. "I saw winks exchanged between you and every one of the female officers before and during our meeting in the bullpen. What is going on and what are you guys planning?"
Judy looked around to make sure no one was listening and then whispered to him. "I'm taking a summary of complaints and a proposed action plan to the Chief this morning after he heads back up to the office."
"Complaints about what exactly?"
Judy looked at Nick as if he had just asked 'How do you know I'm alive?'. The answer seemed so patently obvious to her why she was doing this that the fact that it should escape Nick's notice or understanding confounded her.
"Complaints about the treatment we female officers are getting and how he isn't properly dealing with our complaints about mistreatment. Every one of the girls in this department has submitted notices over the past several months about some form or other of misogyny or unprofessional behavior by male co-workers, and his response hasn't changed the problem in the slightest. So..."
Here Judy pulled out a hefty stack of stapled pages and began to read from the top page.
"Geraldine and I put together a report about all the things we have on record, including copies of our incident reports, the complaints we've lodged, anecdotal reports of misconduct by officers in the field that involve sexual discrimination, the reports from other precincts... the works."
She patted the stack proudly.
Nick looked at her askance.
"...And your plan is to just march into Bogo's office, slam this on his desk and say 'We've got a problem here buster, and you're going to have to solve it whether you like it or not'?"
Judy leaned her head to the side. "Well I planned to make a longer speech about the rights of females, the duty of the Chief to maintain a safe working environment, and some other things, but I suppose if you want to sum it up in just a few words... yeah, that's the idea."
"Carrots, you throw this book at him, he'll probably find some way to throw the book at you. You come at an alpha-type male like Bogo with aggression, you get aggression in return."
"Well what else can I do? I can't just sit idly by and allow myself and my fellow female officers to be bullied by others in the department, him included. And I can't just let it go unnoticed by the higher ups who are responsible for making sure it doesn't happen. What kind of example am I setting for my fellow female officers, or any other mammals in Zootopia for that matter if I can't stand up to injustice in my own work place?"
"I'm not suggesting that you sit idly by, but there's a measure of tact you need here to make it work, and I think you'll get in trouble without using some."
Judy sighed. She had worked hard on preparing this manuscript and did not want to embroil Nick in the matter any more than she wanted to bring in any of the other male officers, which she intended once the higher-ups were enforcing the rules she and Geraldine had drafted. Nonetheless, Nick had shown himself willing to help Geraldine with speaking to the Chief, and while it had not gone over well, most of it had been Geraldine getting vocal about the lack of fair treatment, whereas Ben with the same tips had actually pulled off a successful engagement with the Chief. Ben's elevated mood and exhaustion had been a boon to her in getting access to the records she wanted more quickly... and Nick was her partner. If he wanted to help, Judy saw little harm in at least giving him the benefit of the doubt to see how he might go about doing that. She probed his thoughts on the matter.
"Okay, so how would you have me approach him."
Nick pursed his lips, he knew that what he was about to recommend would get his partner's blood boiling, but he also knew that it was the safer way to address this problem.
"You should let me talk to him, and then later this afternoon you go to him and bring the packet and have your discussion."
"But the whole point was that I was going to give him the packet and then bring all of the female officers to meet with him this afternoon to talk about what has to be done."
"That smacks of ultimatum."
"You think this shouldn't stop now?"
"I think you've had a lot more time to think about this than he's had. You can't go in there and act like you call all the shots. He's the Chief, and if he gets defensive, then nothing will get done. Like earlier this week when Maddox was arguing with him out in the middle of the Precinct. That totally killed her chances of getting through to him on letting her go on patrol. Let me talk to him about it first, I'll butter him up and get him thinking, then you come to him in the afternoon and you talk specifics with him after he's had it on his mind for at least half a day. Let him know what he's missing and get him squared away on the need to do something. Make it clear he can fix the problem, and you want to help however you can. Then bring in the other girls if you have to."
"Nick, I don't see this as a time for half-measures and talk. There's a problem here in the precinct and we need to fight it."
"Yeah there is a problem, so fight the problem, not the Chief."
Judy mulled this over. Nick made some good points. She had come in with intention of having a sort of verbal throw-down with the Chief, but Nick made a good point about how that would not solve the underlying issue. For solutions, she needed to work with the Chief and the rest of the officers and staff at the ZPD. Still, she did not like the idea of sending Nick as the harbinger of her coming. This had been her idea, one that she put together with her fellow female officers, and she felt resolved to be out in front leading the charge to keep their female voices heard and not have males either speaking for them or disregarding them.
"Nick, I should be the one to talk to him about this. This was all my idea."
"Yeah, and it's a good idea, but that's why you should make sure I soften him up so you can lead the discussion. I'm good with delivering a pitch and selling others on it. Like I said, I go in, get him thinking, give you the credit for bringing it forward, and then you finish up with the raw facts that he can't ignore and get him working to change the department's policy or whatever needs to be done."
"I'm not interested in him thinking, I'm interested in him acting."
"And the way to make sure he acts, is to get him to own it. Since he's not one of the regular officers, nor female, he needs to be made aware of the problem. If I make him think there is one, and you bring evidence that it's real, then before long it'll drive him to act, and he'll own the need to do something about it."
Judy looked unconvinced. Nick tried a different tact with her.
"Think about when he asked for your badge after that fight with Manchas. He was ready to let you go home right then and there and never come back to the ZPD, and then I called him out." Judy thought back to that. I was the first moment she felt some real appreciation for Nick and it was the point where their association began to take a turn towards friendship.
She nodded and Nick continued.
"Judy, you had a fair argument and you were right in your position, and he wasn't being fair, but when you argued with him directly he retreated to authority. That's where fairness doesn't matter. It becomes an issue of who has power, and you won't defeat that argument with reason. Me pointing out the problem from an outside perspective and speaking as someone he couldn't just boss around didn't leave him with much of a position for arguing. That's how he got to see your point, a difference of perspective."
"You were a civilian then, now you're an officer and he has authority over you too. He could retreat and use authority to boss you around just like any other officer. How do you expect to get through to him and give him perspective when you're a subordinate?"
"Because I'm not a female officer, and I'm not one of the higher ups that's required by regulation to respond to this or risk my job by ignoring it; that makes me an outsider. Carrots, what have I done with the last twenty years of my life? Gotten animals to agree to what I want, whatever it may be. Trust me when I say I'm good at it. If the issue comes from you, he may see it as a naive girl making childish complaints. That isn't fair, and I know it's not true, but you have to admit he could see it that way." Judy gave a grimace that said she understood, though she didn't like it. Nick continued. "If it comes from someone who isn't on the receiving end of the harassment you're complaining about..."
Judy started nodding.
"Suddenly it's not just my issue or even just a female issue, it's a department issue and he needs to address it." She finished. Nick nodded to the side in a 'I hope so' sort of gesture. Judy had to step back a moment and admire Nick's planning. "And you mocked me for being political, you're a regular high-stakes negotiator. Maybe you should have gone into politics."
Nick sported his cunning smile. He looked up at the Chief's office where Bogo had just ascended the stairs and made for his door.
"Stick around," Nick said as he watched the Cape Buffalo go into his office. "For my next trick, I'm going to put a rabbit's ideas in a buffalo's brain."
She rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. She held him back from going in straight away and spent a few minutes making sure he knew exactly what he was supposed to share, and the high points he needed to put in the Chief's mind. Nick left rather stunned by what he had been told, but resolved to help his partner deliver her message.
Bogo set out a few notes and began going over his stack of papers. There were days he honestly missed being one of the officers down in the thick of it. Nothing to do there but what was right in front of him: no meetings, no budgets, no publicity. Just police work... ah to be an officer again.
A knock came at the door.
"Not now." He responded.
On the other side of the door, Nick was now left with two choices: obey and leave, then engage later, or push forward and risk the wrath of his boss. The wiser course of action, the kind that Nick had stuck to most of his adult life when it came to confrontation, would be to back away. Nick however, knew he had to set Judy up for success before she took it upon herself to push envelope too soon. She had wanted to get the Chief in an unguarded moment, and that was something Nick knew had to be avoided if there was to be any productive discussion. So he took a chance and pushed the door open and came in. Bogo was bent over his desk, writing. The Chief looked up.
"Wilde, now's not…"
"I think something needs to be said Chief."
Bogo stood slowly, emphasizing to the fox officer his large mass and making it clear he was not to be taken lightly.
"I hope this doesn't end up being something either of us will regret Wilde."
Wilde quaked slightly under Bogo's gaze. The burly buffalo did indeed look intimidating from the fox's perspective. In response to the show of dominance, Wilde closed the door as he stepped into the office, still resolved to say what he came to say and wanting to avoid eavesdroppers. Straightening himself, Wilde spoke to his large superior.
"Sir, I wanted to talk to you about Officer Hopps and what happened on Monday."
Bogo sighed and sat back in his chair.
"She told you then. Wilde, I made observations and I responded to what I saw as something that could jeopardize both of your careers. I kept it private, no administrative record will be made, an understanding was reached, and nothing more need be done. If it had been you, I would have lectured you on the matter just the same."
"Really?" Wilde's response was accusatory. He started walking closer. "Then why didn't you lecture me? I was part of that exchange. If my career is in danger why am I not being warned?"
"Hopps is the senior of your partnership and I wanted to make sure she was setting the proper tone so that you would learn to march in step."
"Chief, I've only been here a couple of months but I already see some issues that I can only assume you don't recognize because they keep happening. And this incident is one of them."
Bogo craned forward. "What's this about now, Wilde? Did you come here to complain about what happened to Hopps, or is there something else going on?"
Nick took a quick breath and came forward.
"I came here about Hopps, but that's the tip of a much larger iceberg. I think there's a real problem with the way this department handles sex discrimination and harassment, and I think it's building into some big issues."
Wilde hopped up and sat in the chair facing the desk. Bogo sat back and Wilde pushed on.
"You putting Hopps on the spot may be just an isolated incident, and you say she's the senior of our partnership, so fine I understand your reasoning. But there are some other things here that I see no reason for, and I think it needs a lot more attention than you give it."
Bogo did not look pleased with Wilde, but the fox soldiered on with the points Judy wanted him to make. He tried to be as direct and delicate as possible. It was not easy to keep such a balance.
"In that incident, the one last Friday, I bumped her just as often as she bumped me. If that's what you're calling unprofessional, then I was just as unprofessional. Yet you don't even give me one hint of a reprimand. It all goes to Hopps. And beyond this issue, what about what goes on between the other officers and the inappropriate behavior all the male officers are showing?"
Bogo interrupted. "Somehow Wilde, I get the feeling these are the opinions of Officer Hopps, rather than your own."
"These are the opinions of quite a few officers, and yes Officer Hopps made me aware of them, but I share the sentiment, and it's still something that you as the Chief should be aware of."
Before Bogo could respond, Nick launched into another point. "Every few days Delgato makes passes at Fangmeyer or says something somewhat sexist, and I haven't seen you come down on him once like you did to Hopps."
Bogo looked to the side for a moment trying to recall. It didn't take him long to remember a few instances.
"Wilde, those were instances of verbal teasing and he quickly backed off. I stared him down afterwards on each occasion."
The fox remained unconvinced. "And it happens every week Chief. This is your department and you run it how you want, but if you keep trying something and getting the same negative results, then maybe you need a new method, cause this one doesn't seem to be working."
Bogo drew a blank. Nick pushed ahead.
"What about Monday? McHorn's comments about Francine's... posterior? You were in the room when it happened. Seemed pretty inappropriate and I didn't see you ask him to stay after role or stare him down."
Bogo had not thought much of that. He mostly decided to let it go when Francine had just snorted at McHorn but she seemed otherwise unaffected.
"Chief, the female officers may be tough - heaven knows I work with the Iron-Doe of rabbits - but they're getting unfair treatment. The harassment problem needs to be addressed. We have enough things to worry about on patrol without needing to worry about how we're all being treated in the workplace. If my partner doesn't feel safe among her own colleagues, how are she and I supposed to count on each other to get our jobs done?"
Bogo grimace deepened and Wilde sighed.
"Okay, let me just say this, Chief. Not for you to answer, just for you to think about. How many reports of sexual harassment are you getting lately? If it's a growing problem, or a constantly present one, how are you planning to address it so it stops? Also, if the number of reports are diminishing, is it because your method of response works or because you aren't being told anymore because your response in the previous incidents isn't working?"
He left the question hanging.
Bogo kept a firm gaze on Wilde, but had to relax the grimace into an uncertain look. Wilde took the moment to stand from his chair.
"That's all I had to say Chief. You said you're busy so unless there's something you want to tell me, I'll get out of your fur."
Bogo gestured his head toward the door and Wilde took the hint and made for it. He stopped as he turned the handle.
"By the way," Wilde began. "Officer Hopps has a list of incidents that have occurred over the past several months or so that she collected from the archives. She wants to come by and give you the dossier, and I think you should have a look at it. There's a lot there that should be taken into consideration."
Nick left, and Bogo sat at his desk having forgotten about what it was he was about to start on and now totally engrossed in the matter of what Wilde had just mentioned. If there was an issue of sexual harassment in the department, then he was indeed required by law to address it. Though he could name a few minor incidents between officers, he did not see this as a wide-scale problem. If what Wilde said was true, and Hopps had the documentation to back it up, this meant that a lot would need to be done to address the problem across the whole department. Bogo grimaced at the thought of what a shake-up like that would do: the hours, the lost animal-power, the face of the ZPD among the public would all suffer. Still, if there were a problem and he did nothing... that was not an option to him. His primary concern was to take care of the department, and that meant first and foremost, the officers.
Suddenly he felt impatient for Hopps to bring him the documentation to see what she had managed to scare up.
Bogo returned to his work, but in the afternoon his smallest officer did indeed come up the stairs outside his office with the documents that Wilde had said she would bring. The other female officers marched with her, but she left them outside.
"Maybe I should go in first," Judy suggested. "If we all go in together it might put the Chief on the defensive." Geraldine looked unconvinced.
"We worked on this together, and we all support it. Why shouldn't we all be in there together?"
Jayashri and Francine nodded.
"I just think I can reach him with the documents alone," Judy pressed. "The moment it seems like he needs convincing that there are others that want this to go forward I can open the door and show him who's backing me, and you guys bring in the other reports. I think that has more power: the promise of support he doesn't yet see."
Though Francine and Jayashri exchanged understanding glances, Geraldine shook her head.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked.
Judy nodded.
"I promise I'll ask for help the moment I think it's necessary. Just give me a chance first."
She knocked and Bogo invited her in. He did not notice the other officers in the hallway, but the shadows told him there were others behind the small rabbit officer who marched into his office carrying a large pad of stapled sheets. Bogo actually did not look annoyed by the sight and gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
"Hopps. Wilde told me you might coming around my office some time today. I was told you have some documentation I should look over very closely."
"Chief Bogo," Hopps began as of she had not heard anything. "There is a crisis in this precinct and in other precincts across this city that jeopardizes our entire mission to protect and serve the city of Zootopia. If we don't do something about it, our entire department could be in serious trouble."
Bogo arched eyebrow at the histrionics.
"Hopps?"
"In the words of one of my heroes: 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent', and I, sir, give no consent to made to feel less than what I am or can be. I am an officer of the ZPD, I put my life on the line to protect and serve my community, and I..."
"Hopps, if this is about the sexual harassment issue, how about you sit down, tell me the main points, give me what you have and we get this moving forward."
Realizing she had been grandstanding, Hopps got up on the chair in front of the Chief and hoisted up the sheaf of paper.
"Okay, the gist of this issue, Chief, is that there have been a series of complaints filed primarily by female officers against male officers over the past several months. Most of the complaints focus around instances of males making lewd or even misogynistic comments in and around ZPD workspaces that typically objectify females and create a hostile work environment."
Hopps opened her packet and laid it out in front of the Chief. To his credit, Bogo opened his glasses and began reading the pages Hopps laid in front of him. Most of the material was written as a summary, with single quotations around descriptions of different officers to eliminate the identities of the officers in question and leave the reader with only the physical facts of each case.
After twenty minutes of reading, Bogo sat back in his chair looking duly stunned. Hopps felt pleased, but waited a moment before speaking.
"So Chief, what do you think?"
Bogo shook his head.
"What I think is irrelevant Hopps. What I need to do is the real question. If this summary of yours is accurate, then a veritable purge will need to follow according to our policy. Am I to understand you got all of this from documents submitted in the past year?"
"Yes Chief. I worked with Officer Maddox and got permission to access the archives from Officer Clawhauser."
"I trust this has remained a departmental issue and not been leaked to the press."
"Yes Chief. I didn't call in newspapers or share it with family. Only ZPD officers are aware of this. I just want to make sure it gets addressed."
"If you have the raw material, I want it brought to my office at once. I'll be going over it all myself and comparing with your's and Officer Maddox's notes."
"Yes Chief... oh, Officers Fangmeyer and Paddington also played a role in getting this issue brought forward."
Bogo nodded. "Yes, good. If you have copies of this summary, I want them circulated to Deputy and Assistant Chiefs in all branches of the ZPD. Send links to the other department heads only. You can have copies of the emails sent to me as well."
Hopps brightened. Bogo looked worn by the realization, but willing to proceed... which was really all she needed.
"Yes Chief, I'll forward this right away."
Bogo nodded again. "Is there anything else necessary Hopps?"
She nodded. "Yes Chief, I want to know when this 'purge' you just mentioned would come into effect? This needs to be taken care of right away."
"Yes Hopps, I know, and it will. I just need a few days to go through it all with the other Chiefs and make sure we decide on appropriate actions to take. If this is the size of the problem we're dealing with, then we need to make sure we set systems in place to deal with the backlog and expedite the process of delivering citations and... if necessary... punishing violators as fairly as possible."
Hopps did not like the almost lukewarm methods the Chief was suggesting.
"With all due respect Chief, these problems are going on right now and new complaints can be expected to keep coming in the longer this waits."
"I'm aware of that Hopps, but I also have to make sure I don't fire whole precincts of officers in the course of a 'witch-hunt' that gets out of control. We need to make sure we have everything in place to deal with the problem now, and prevent more of it happening in the future. Corrected behavior in otherwise good officers is preferable to having empty precincts that can't help the citizenry."
In understanding, Hopps tilted her head. "Okay, that I agree with."
"All right Hopps, bring me the documentation. Tell Clawhauser I want it up in my office in the next five minutes, and then have copies of this summary emailed to the department chiefs straight away. Get to it Officer Hopps." Bogo delivered these last statements with the gruff expediency of a commander directing a subordinate. Hopps snapped to and delivered a salute.
"Right away sir." She announced and jumped from her chair as she ran out the door.
The other females were waiting. Judy addressed them with a swelling of pride.
"We need to get all of the records to the Chief now, and I need to send out the report to all precinct heads for the whole ZPD!" She raved. The other officers exchanged jubilant sounds and scurried to get the documents.
Poor Ben had to get up from recovering after his afternoon workout and monitor the recovery of all of this material from the archives. Of all the weeks that Judy could start making changes, it had to be when he was getting back to training.
Later in the evening, as Judy packed up her things and shut every day essentials of the office in her locker, she reflected on what had transpired. All in all everything had gone about as smoothly as could be hoped for. Nick had done well in getting the Chief in the right mindset for discussing her issues, and when she brought the documents forward there had been no need to argue, to sway, to convince... everything had turned to dealing with the problem, and Bogo welcomed her efforts (as much as Bogo could welcome anything).
As she left the locker room, she spotted Nick going out the main door. She immediately sprinted after him.
"Nick," she called, and he stopped at the door when he heard and then saw her. They both left together and decided to grab some food from the vendors over near the Central Station. They had grown to enjoy the food stalls and the quick food made by the animals that parked their carts at the mouth of the station and dealt with the flood of travelers moving between the outskirts and the city center everyday.
While Judy ate a crisp spring roll with lettuce and bean sprouts, and Nick bit into a crunchy silkworm falafel, she took some time to share her feelings with her partner, who she felt sad about leaving out of the work she had been through to bring all of this together.
"Thank you, by the way," she began. "If I had done it my way, it may have felt better for a few minutes, but I doubt we'd have gotten a there with the Chief."
Nick shrugged.
"You had a good argument, and it was important work. I just gave an overture and got attention focused where it should. That was your success, Carrots."
"It was everyone's success... now I'm just hoping that Bogo gets cracking on the perpetrators in those incident reports."
Nick nodded.
"Be careful though. You turned the eyes on us all."
Judy looked at him with a bemused expression.
"Is that from somewhere?"
"Just something from a story my dad used to tell me. It means we're all going to be scrutinized and we are all going to be held accountable for our transgressions. And law isn't the only rule we have to obey, it's just the one we all have a written contract to not break."
Nick returned to his food, and Judy allowed herself a few more satisfying bites before speaking again.
"It's weird, you know? I wanted to join the police so I could make the world a better place and stop injustice. I never pictured myself doing this."
Now Nick looked at her with a bemused expression.
"What do you mean? Isn't this under the umbrella of 'making things better'? Fighting injustice?"
"It is," she replied. "But this is more like something one of my feminist sisters would be doing. Leslie, this would be her thing. Or Brianna, that doe I met a couple months ago at that protest, she might have pushed for something like this... I always figured I would just wear my uniform and my badge and enforce the rules. Now I'm trying to change them... it's kinda fun isn't it?"
Nick nodded. "Change is good."
He munched his food, feeling anything but convinced about what he had just said to Hopps. The eye was on them, and while he knew them to be innocent of wrongdoing the previous week, what was coming could reveal other truths he was sure would be better left buried.
Upheavals rarely affected only the intended targets. Nick feared he and many others could end up being collateral damage... well-intentioned though her actions had been, Judy may have set them all on a road to trouble.
In the course of writing I found myself saying more and more about a few characters, particularly my own creation: Officer Maddox. I thought Judy needed some galvanizing instances of office mistreatment. Fangmeyer and Paddington (Francine) were good, and I will elaborate on them in future chapters, but Maddox actually took me by surprise. Just in the course of trying to justify her presence in the story I found myself writing a lot more about her actions and it led to interactions I had not originally planned for.
As this story progresses, Nick is becoming further embroiled in Judy's attempts to rectify societal wrongs, but as you continue reading there will appear cases where such changes have unintended consequences for many of the characters. Hence Nick's concern about upheaval.
Please continue to read and I hope you will consider writing a comment.