We were all in the briefing room talking but then stopped when Captain Andersen walked in.
"Thank you for coming in on your day off. The Vice President is making an unscheduled visit to our city. So it's all hands on deck. Agent Danvers." Andersen says
"Thank you, Captain. As always, the Secret Service appreciates the LAPD's assistance in clearing and securing "Redwood's" route. These are your Operation Plan Manuals." Danvers says when West's cell buzzes and he looks down at it
"Each officer's name has been listed under a specific quadrant and zone, along with your responsibilities. Your watch commander will liaison with me throughout the day as issues arise." Danvers continues
"Come on." West mutters when his cell buzzes again
"I'm sorry. Officer West. Is there something you want to share with the group?" Grey asks West
"Um, no, sir. Uh I'm sorry. I just, uh I had plans I needed to cancel." West tells him
"So did everyone here, yet they're paying attention." Grey says
"Yes, sir." West says
"These assignments are your sole priority today. You will not field calls from dispatch. Let the day shift deal with that. Captain?" Grey asks
"Most of you know the drill. For our rookies, today is going to be ugly. Everything we do to ensure the safety of Redwood will create gridlock. It's important to be patient and vigilant. That's all. You're dismissed." Andersen says
The company begins to move out of the room. Grey flags down Bishop and Nolan.
We all went to the armory or quartermaster that is in the station.
The officers are lined up waiting their turn to collect equipment and supplies for the day.
"I don't get all the fuss.It seems like we're getting a day of overtime just to close roads and hang signs." Chen says
"That's like saying being drawn and quartered is fun time with horses." Tim says
"We're literally creating traffic jams during rush hour on purpose." I say
"Everything we do today is gonna piss someone off." Tim then turns to the quartermaster "Quadrant One."
"Quadrant Two." I say
"I mean, we deal with angry people every shift, but a day of OT means I can finally fix the air-conditioning on my car." Chen says and Tim chuckles
"What?" Chen asks after hearing Tim chuckle
"Air-conditioning makes you soft. You gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That's the job." Tim says
"Is he serious?" West asks
"As a heart attack, Boot. Which I gotta say you almost gave the watch commander back there." Tim says
"Seriously, playing with your phone during a briefing is a cardinal sin." I tell him
"I-I lost focus." West says
"I only hope you were canceling something important, because Grey won't forget that for a while." I tell him
"Just, uh, breakfast with my mom." West says and we are handed a lot of gear
"Is that all for us?" Chen asks
"Yep. Extra road flares for the uptick in accidents. Extra ticket books for the increase in idiots." Tim says
"Extra crime-scene tape for blocking sidewalks. And cones for closing roads." I add
"Okay, okay, I get it." Chen says
"Oh, we're not done yet. Hats and bats. Tactical helmets and 42-inch batons for riot control, along with heavy-duty vests if things get ugly." Tim says
"And my personal favorite, the 40-millimeter tear-gas launcher for when democracy gets real." I say
"But, hey, at least you'll be able to ride in comfort." Tim says and Me and West are in front of a hotel watching what is happening
Protesters fill the sidewalks and streets along the VP's motorcade route. A large group of them are handcuffed together.
"Whose streets?" A woman asks
"Our streets!" Everyone else says
"Whose streets?" The lady asks again
"One, two, three!" The guy says
"Our streets!" Everyone else says as the man said three
"No justice." The lady says
"No peace!" Everyone says
"No justice." The lady says again
"No peace!" Everyone else repeats
"No justice." The lady repeats
"No peace!" Everyone says again
I glance over to see West looking at his cell. I see that his mom is calling but he doesn't answer.
"Officer West, we're about to walk into a volatile crowd, and you're answering your phone?" I ask him
"Um, no, ma'am. No, I'm sorry. It's just my mom. I never got to call her back earlier." He tells me
"Now is not the time for personal calls." I tell him
"Of course." He says
"Okay, folks, you can't be here. There's a designated protest area across the street, behind the barriers." I tell the crowd
"We have a right to free speech. This is public property." The lady tells us
"It's not. This is the hotel's property, and blocking the entrance is a fire hazard." West tells her
"No justice!" The lady yells
"No peace!" Everyone yells
"No justice." The lady says
"No peace!" Everyone yells again
"You got a dispersal card?" I ask
"Yes, ma'am." West says
"No justice!" The lady then yells
"No peace!" Everyone yells again
"I am Officer Jackson West. I hereby declare this to be an unlawful assembly, and, in the name of the People of the State of California, command all those assembled to immediately disperse." West says while reading from a card
"You heard him. Break it up or go to jail." I tell them
One of the protesters pops the handcuff key in his mouth and swallowed it.
"Who has a key for the handcuffs? Notify the mobile field force." I say
As soon as I say that, the man who swallowed the key started to choke.
"Arnold?! What's wrong?" The lady asks
"He's choking." I tell her
I get behind the man and try the Heimlich maneuver on him.
"Oh, my God, Arnold!" The lady says
"Miss, give Officer Lopez some space." West tells the lady
As he said that, the choking man heaved and vomited on West.
Me and West were in the elevator in the building and West had swapped his soiled uniform shirt for body armor.
"Hey, Mom, it's me. Um, sorry about this morning. Uh, just call me back, okay? I need - Um, just - just call me back, okay?" West says into his phone
"You gonna tell me what's going on?" I ask him
"Nothing. Just family stuff. I can't believe I have to wear this bulky vest all day." West says
"That's why you always carry an extra uniform on days like today." I say
"Yeah, I know. I, uh I just -" West starts but I interrupt him
"Forgot? Get it together, Officer West. You can't afford to lose focus out here. Which side of the building faces the street?" I ask him and we were soon in the hallway
"To the right. Should we really be penalizing these people for their civic engagement?" West asks
"Supreme Court ruled that displaying anatomically impossible pictures qualifies as obscene, so hanging erotic banners of the V. P. in 10 windows of an apartment building definitely isn't protected by the First Amendment." I tell him
"I'm just saying, the guy should be flattered." West says then started to bang on a door "Police. Open up."
A man opens the door just wide enough to talk through.
"What's up?" The man asks
"You have an obscene banner hanging in your window. It needs to come down." I tell him
"Oh. Okay. Sorry. My neighbor offered me 100 bucks to put that there." The man says
"Well, it's illegal." West says
"No problem. I'll make sure to take care of it." The man says
"Sir, is there something inside you don't want us to see?" I ask
"No." The man says
"Step back. Hands where I can see them." I tell him
Me and West enter and it is full of bunk beds some had people lying in them.
"What the hell is this? Sir, how many people live here?" West asks
"Um, not many." The man says
"Pat him down." I tell West
West pats the man down while I check the rest of the apartment, which may I say is crammed with beds.
"PolicÃa! PolicÃa!" A boy said in spanish
"So much for the element of surprise." West says
"It's okay. We're not here for them. Go get the banner." I say to West then turn to the man and say "What do you charge these people? $500 a month times 20? That's taking advantage of people too afraid to call the police on your ass."
"Got it. Do we have to call ICE?" West asks
"No, L.A.'s a sanctuary city. Our job is to police the streets, not check status. But we're not letting this go. Get his driver's license and do an F.I. We'll be back tomorrow with code enforcement."I say
Me and West are talking to Teshonne who was standing in the doorway of her apartment.
"Can I help you, officers?" She asks
"Ma'am, there's an obscene banner hanging in your window. We need you to remove it." I tell her
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." She says
"We know your neighbor paid you. But it's a violation of Penal Code 415.5. We can arrest you for having it up." West says
"I need that money." Teshonne says
"Ma'am, it's only $100." West tells her
"Only?!" She says with a scoff "Have you ever been broke, Officer? Because I'm on the edge of living on the street. And that $100 is the difference between me being able to pay my rent this month and getting evicted."
"Look, ma'am, I'm very sorry to hear that, but, um, you have to take the banner down." West tells her
"But we just became aware of major code violations in one of these apartments. I see no reason why forgiving your rent for a few months couldn't be part of the building owner's penalty." I say
"Really?" Teshonne asks
"Really. Now go take down that banner." I tell her and she nods her head
"Just this apartment and we're done." I say and West pounded on a door and sighed when there was no answer
"Can we kick it down? We have legal right." West asks me
"Let's check with the neighbor first." I say
We move down and knock on the neighbors door.
"Guess we're kicking it." West says
"Wait. Do you hear that?" I ask and we hear someone crying
"Ma'am? Ma'am, I'm Officer Angela Lopez. I'm with the LAPD. Can you open the front door? I ask
"I can't. I can't." The lady says crying
"Please, ma'am. It would really help us out." West says
"Oh, I can't. The knots -" The lady says but I interrupt her
"Kick it down. Take care of her. I'll clear the apartment." I say
West soon kicks the door down and me and him find a little old lady in a wheelchair with her arms tied to it.
"Okay. I'm Officer Jackson West. Can you tell me your name, please?" West asks her
"R-Ruth." Ruth says sobbing
"Ruth. Okay, Ruth, I'm gonna get you out of these. If you could just stay calm for me." West says
"Oh. No, no." Ruth then said
"Clear." I say
"Please, no. No. Luke said I had to stay here." Ruth tells us
"Who's Luke, ma'am?" West asks
"He's my son. Where is he?" Ruth asks
Then we see him in the doorway having just arrived.
"Okay - What's going on? What happened to my door?" The person I believe is Luke, asks
"Ohh." Ruth says
"Are you Luke?" West asks
"Yeah." Luke says
"You did this to your mother?" West asks
"So she won't hurt herself. She's in the early stages of dementia. I had a job interview. I couldn't take her with me. I got stuck in traffic getting back. The damn V.P. -" Luke says but I interrupt him
"If your mother has health issues, then you need to get her a caretaker. Or a neighbor to watch her." I ask him
"You know how much that costs? I do the best I can with what I got." Luke says
"This is your mother. What kind of garbage treats his mom like -" West starts to say but then lunged toward Luke but I restrained him
"Officer West!" I yell
"Oh -" Ruth says
"You're under arrest for elder abuse." I say to Luke then turn to West and say "Hook him up."
"Oh, no, no! Don't do that!" Ruth tells us
I go to comfort her while West handcuffed Luke.
"Oh, ma'am. It's okay. It's all right, ma'am." I tell her
"No, oh, my God." Ruth says
"It's okay, ma'am." I tell her
"Last one. Do we need to track down the guy that paid to have them put up?" West asks
"No. Situation's been remedied. Detectives will follow up. You want to really tell me what's going on? You've been distracted all day. Losing control. That's not like you." I tell him
"My mom and I haven't spoken since before I, uh, started the Academy. Breakfast was gonna be my chance to change that. I, um, was up all night worrying about it and finally got in the right head space, only to get called in to work." West says
"She's been married to a cop for 30 years. She should know how the job works." I tell him
"She does but, um, this is different." West says
"How so?" I ask
"It just is." He says
"Look, I know what it's like to have family drama. But you have to keep it in check when you're at work. In some ways, it's even harder than not bringing this mess home with you after shift. But being distracted on the job will get you killed." I tell him
"I understand. It won't happen again." He says
Agent Danvers and her entourage step out of the elevator.
"Officers Lopez, West?" Danvers ask
"Yes?" I say
"You're being reassigned to counter-assault detail. Redwood has decided to make a stop at the restaurant across the street, so we have to clear every apartment with a view." Danvers says
"8 minutes is a lifetime. They're right around the corner." West says
"Agent Danvers? We're getting a distress call from one of our units. Do you have anyone that can cover us?" I ask
"No. The Vice President's motorcade is passing through soon." Danvers says
"You've got every window in this building secured. We're redundant standing around in a hallway. Our people are in a gunfight. They need help." I say
"I don't care. I need you to stay at your post." Danvers says
Me and West pull up in our shop. West got out while I return the fire from the burglars,
"You okay?!" I ask
"I'm good! I'm good!" West says
"He's bleeding out. We need to get him to a hospital!" Nolan says
"We'll take him! Backup's only a few minutes out! Go!" I yell
West hauled Freddy into our shop and I peeled out of the alley.
"7-Adam-07, let Shaw Memorial know that we are five minutes away with a juvenile male, gunshot to the neck." I say to dispatch
"7-Adam-07, copy. They've been advised and are ready." Dispatch said
"We're still five out?" West asks
"At least." I tell him
"How's he doing?" I ask
"He's losing consciousness. Pulse is increasing. Eyes already dilated." West says
"Elevate his legs, monitor his breathing." I tell him
We turn into a street with backed up traffic and I had to stop.
"Yo, what's going on?" West asks
"The traffic stopped for the motorcade. I can't get through. We can't move. I'm gonna reverse and loop around Cahuenga." I tell him
"That's the opposite direction. There's no time. Look, he's bleeding out. We're just a block away." West says
"Hang on." I tell him
I gun the motor and drive up on the sidewalk, bypassing the traffic.
West had taken Freddy into the hospital and I don't go in there until a little while later.
Chen leaves with Haddad, and I walks into the waiting area.
"Dispatch is sending another unit to watch our suspect when he gets out of surgery. Looks like getting puked on saved your life. You don't put on that tactical vest, that shot to the shoulder goes through your heart. You've come a long way, Officer West." I tell him
"I guess I have. Thanks to you." West says and I go home