We are in the briefing room and when John enters he finds Grey in his seat.
"Oh, no, Officer Nolan. You will be leading roll call this morning." Grey tells him
"Sir?" John questions and I smile trying not to laugh
"I didn't stutter. Get up there." Grey tells him
John goes to stand behind the podium amid good-natured heckling and jeering from some of the fellow officers.
"What now?" John asks
"The clipboard." Grey says
"Uh, "Memo to all divisions from the Chief of Police. Complaints about police officer entitlement have risen sharply during the last few months."" John read what was on the clipboard but stopped when Grey rose his hand and asks "Sir?"
"Do you know what that means? Police officer entitlement?" Grey asks him
"I assume it has to do with unauthorized perks. Free food, things of that nature." John guesses
"And what is LAPD's policy on gratuities?" Grey asks
"No officer shall receive any gratuity, gift, favor, or promise thereof, as it may result in, or be perceived as, payment in exchange for influence, bias, or direction of an investigation or enforcement of punishable offenses." John answers
"Nicely done. Chen, West, will you please join Officer Nolan up front?" Grey asks and Lucy and Jackson move to stand with John "Have your training officers discussed this policy with you?"
"Yes, sir." All three of them say
"And what was your takeaway?" Grey asks
"Sir, if I may?" I ask
"Oh, sounds like a little CYA." Grey says
"No, sir. Boot and I walk the straight and narrow. But businesses like having cops around. A half-priced meal every once in a while is just community relations." I tell him
"It doesn't mean we show them favoritism." Tim says
"You agree with this, Officer Bishop?" Grey asks
"I'm not saying I've never accepted a free cup of coffee, but it's usually the exception, not the norm." Talia tells him
"What about you, Officer Nolan?" Grey asks
"I got into this job to help people, not to help myself to free stuff." John says
"Cute line. It's a bunch of bull, but -" Grey starts but is cut off by John
"It's not." John says
"Really? Do you pay fair market value for that beach house you live in?" Grey asks
"No, sir. But I act as caretaker for the main house when Ben is away, so technically I am exchanging services for my rent." John tells him
"And what happens when that exchange isn't enough? And your buddy gets a ticket - or worse?" Grey asks
"Then he'll have to pay for his actions." John tells him
"Okay. Favors are a slippery slope, people. And so are freebies. Look, I like to keep it real in here. There is the letter of the law and there is the spirit. It is your jobs to know the difference. But make no mistake - as police officers, you have power. Usually we like to focus on the kind that you holster on your side, but the power that lives within your badge can be equally as dangerous. That's it. All right, guys. Be safe out there." Grey says and everyone goes their separate ways
****
Me and West have pulled over a woman in a car with her dog lying on the seat.
"License and registration, please." West tells her
"Look, I don't have time for this." The lady says
"Look, no one does. But you blew through that stop sign, so -" West was saying when she interrupted him
"Because Prince Charles is going to die." She tells us
"Excuse me?" West asks
"My dog. He's a King Charles Cavalier and he just ate a whole bag of macadamia nuts." She tells him
"Look, I'm sorry, but I still have to write you up." West tells her
"You're kidding. I'm racing him to the vet. They have to pump his stomach - those nuts are toxic for dogs." She tells him
"Look, I understand, but this will only take a minute. License and registration, please." West says again
"Oh. If he dies -" The lady started but West interrupted her
"I hope your dog's okay. Have a nice day." West tells her
"Go to hell." The lady tells him and drives off
"Do you think a ticket was the best resolution, Officer West?" I ask him
"You heard Sergeant Grey this morning. We have to remain vigilant. If we let everyone who's in a rush off the hook, the city would be undrivable." West says
"Her dog is dying. A warning would have been sufficient." I tell him
"Okay, a dog that size would have to eat a pound of nuts to induce ataxia. She drove through the stop sign in a school zone. That's a pretty serious infraction." West says
"We blow stop signs all the time. And park on lawns. And drive on the wrong side of the road." I tell him
"Okay, that that's different. We're cops. We only do it when necessary." West says
"Exactly. Discretion is an important part of this job. Even if the outcome is different than following the letter of the law." I tell him
"With all due respect, I was raised differently. A law is a law." West says
****
Me and West are in a restaurant responding to a call.
"7-Adam-07, respond to a false-imprisonment call. 974 Ocampo Street." Dispatch said
"Hi. Are you the manager?" I ask
"Hey, get me out of here!" A man said
"Yes. Hi." The manager said
"Sir, we received a call that one of your customers is being held against their will." I tell him
"He's not a customer. He's a scam artist." Bruce says
"Excuse me?" West asks
"This guy sets up first dates with women, runs up the bill, and then sneaks out the back door. He's been doing it at restaurants all over the neighborhood. He tried to do it to that poor woman over there, but one of our kitchen staff caught him and locked his ass in the walk-in fridge." Bruce says
"Give us a minute." I tell Bruce and go over to Susan who sat alone at the table she was at and said "Seems like you're having a pretty bad day."
"Tinder is like the clearance rack at an outlet store." Susan tells us
"Dating apps are all bad." West says
"He ordered a $500 bottle of wine for lunch. And then the charcuterie board. And a cheese plate. And that steak au poivre. And the bill is $680. I don't know how I'm gonna cover my rent this month." She tells us
"Did you already order dessert?" I ask
"No." She says
"Go ahead and get something. Maybe two things." I tell her
"Why?" She asks
"Look, I know what you're doing. She bumps up the bill to $700, we can charge her date with a felony." West says
"Very good, Officer West." I tell him
"It's not our job to put our thumb on the scale and change the outcome here." West says
"Are you lecturing me on police work, Boot?" I ask him
"No. But it's still s-" West starts but I interrupt him
"But nothing. Go hook up our dine-and-dasher." I tell him then turn to Susan and say "Definitely get the crème brûlée."
****
Then me and West loaded the guy into our shop, while I enjoy some crème brûlée to go.
"Best crème brûlée in the city." I say
"Seriously? You're totally fine with this?" West asks me
"Susan isn't stuck paying the bill since the owners can write it off as theft. The only person paying for the crime is this jerk who committed it. That's the spirit of law. Now take a bite." I tell him
"No, I don't - I don't want it." West says
"Come on, get off your high horse and try a little.
"No. Uh I think it's- Just -" I say but stick the spoon in my mouth "Mnh-mnh."
"Just a little bite." I tell him and he takes a bite
"Wow." West says
"Mm-hmm. Told you." I tell him
****
West is poring over a form he's trying to fill out while we are in the break room in the police station.
"You're not done yet? At this stage in training, you should've knocked that out in two minutes. What's the problem?" I ask
"I'm- I'm not sure how to write it." West says
"It's a simple grand-theft report." I tell him
"It's not simple, all right? We made that case a felony. Something that should've been a citation, we turned into a weekend in jail. And you want me to lie on the report." West says
"I seem to remember writing a report about you second day on the job - "bent the truth" about your cowardice in the line of fire. Ringing a bell?" I ask him
"Yeah. And I'm grateful. You know that. But I'm not -" West was saying but I interrupted him
"But what, Boot? More than any other rookie, you should know the difference between the spirit and the letter. Unless you don't think it applies to you. Are you the exception, Officer West?" I ask
"No, ma'am." West answers
"Yet, here you are, acting holier than thou. Tell me something, do you carry a push knife? One of those fight-for-your-life, "last-resort", do-or-die kind of knives?" I ask him
"You know that I do. I mean, my - my dad gave it to me." West tells me
"Oh, right. Your father. Who all but walks on water - only this knife is illegal." I tell him
"Yeah, right. I mean, half the department carry these." West tells me
"Penal Code section 12-0-20. At the very bottom. Technically it's a dagger. Look it up if you don't believe me." I tell him
"Look, if it's true, then I just won't carry one anymore." West tells me
"That is the wrong lesson to learn here. You're in for a hard fall if you can't see the difference between righteous and rigid. And if that wasn't the first thing your father taught you, he failed you. Now fill out the damn report, we've got to get back out there." I tell him
****
The rookies and their T.O.s are preparing for their mission. Me and West are walking through the bullpen.
"Did you read the search warrant?" I ask him
"Yes, ma'am. 8531 Winchester Boulevard. Residence is a 1800s Victorian with five bedrooms and two bathrooms. And a guest house." West says
"Front door?" I ask him
"Solid oak with a copper handle on the right side." West answers
****
A line of patrol cars rolls down the street. The cops take up positions in a line along a fence.
"All units, we're 30 seconds out. Get ready. Be safe. Officer West, you do the 844. Stand by to initiate." Grey says then listens to the wire and says "Ortiz is in."
"Where the hell you been?" Navarro asks Ortiz
"Rodriguez was talkin' to the cops. He tried to stick me when I called him out. So I put a bullet in his head. We got to get out of here. He could've given this place up." Ortiz tells him
"How the hell are we gonna do that? We've got a million in cash waiting for pick-up." Navarro says
"Pack it up. It's too hot to stay here." Ortiz says
"That's the signal. Initiate." Grey says
A silent signal goes up the line, and the police proceed around the corner to the front of the house. A man with a duffel bag is walking to a car parked at the curb; Chen notices him.
"Police! Open the door! We have a search warrant." West yells
Chen swings the ram once and the door caves in. The cops pour in and the criminals run in every direction as the officers shout out orders, directions, etc.
"Suspect ran into the back. Open door to the right. LAPD!" Cops yell
"Open door. Get away from that window. Show me your hands." John says
"Step back or I'll shoot. Get down on your knees now." I yell
"Clear!" John yells
"You good?" Chen asks him
"Yeah." John answers
"Hands up. Fingers behind your head. Do it now. Back up." Chen says to the suspect
"Hands up! Interlace your fingertips behind your head." Talia says then says something to Ortiz quietly "You okay?"
"Yeah. Barely." Ortiz answers
"We'll divert to the hospital on the way out. Clear! Coming out!" Talia yells
"Rookies, special assignment. Follow me." Grey tells them
I watch Grey lead the rookies into a room that most likely has the money in their.
****
I had gotten Jackson already and we were at the station waiting for Talia and John to get here. Soon, Talia and John walk in and see the rest of us waiting.
"What's going on?" Talia asks
"They told us to gather our Boots, same as you." Tim tells her when Andersen and Grey walk into the room
"We have a situation. Money counters are telling us that we're missing $250,000." Andersen says
"And you three were the only ones left alone with the money." Grey says
"Well, the money counters must have made a mistake." John says
"There's video of them entering the garage and relieving you. And then they counted the money and got $750,000, and not a million." Grey tells us
"Let me remind you, an officer was recently convicted of third-degree official misconduct for taking $70 from a crime scene. He's serving two years behind bars. What do you think would happen to a cop who steals a quarter-million dollars?" Andersen asks
"But we didn't take it." West says
"Uh, maybe the assumption was wrong. Maybe it was always $750,000." Chen says
"That's not what the intel shows. Guy's on the wire saying it's a million." Andersen said
"Okay, well, we can all vouch for each other. I mean -" Chen says but was interrupted by Grey
"Not good enough. The only thing that will clear you is passing a polygraph." Grey says
"Now, I can't, by law, make you take one. It would have to be strictly voluntary." Andersen says
"What if we decline?" West asks
"It's grounds for suspension, pending an investigation, and possibly could lead to your termination." Grey tells him
"Well, that's not much of a choice, but -" John was saying but stopped and got nods from the other two then continued "Yeah, we'll do it."
"Okay. Let's go." Andersen says
"What, now?" John asks
"Now." Andersen tells him
She and Grey leave the room along with the rookies.
"You think one of them really could have done it?" I ask Talia and Tim
"Not by themselves." Tim says
"Nolan came back into the house to use the bathroom. One of the other two could have hidden some of the money then. Came back, picked it up later." Talia said
"There's no way West participated. That kid is squeaky clean." I tell them after the events of today with the girl and her dog and Susan from the restaurant
"Well, if it was Chen, she wouldn't get caught like this." Tim says
"Sounds like a compliment." Talia says and I nod agreeing
"I'm just saying she's smarter than that." Tim says
"It doesn't matter if they did it or not. If they don't walk out of there with a flawless polygraph, they're done." I tell them
****
She departs. West spots their T.O.s approaching.
"Hey. We all got cleared." West says
"You're cops. We supposed to be impressed you're not criminals?" Tim asks
"No - No, sir." West says
"Part of the job description, really. And you won't be cleared until the money's found, but we'll do our best to try and find it." Talia tells them
****
I came off shift to find West waiting to speak to me.
"Hey." West says
"Hey." I respond
"Um, look. In case I haven't said this enough, I, uh I've been training to be a cop my whole life. I walked in here thinking I knew everything about everything, and I can only imagine how annoying that's been." West tells me
"I wouldn't call it annoying. I'd call it - yeah, no, annoying's about right." I tell him and laugh a little
"Well, I'm sorry. You're my T.O., not my dad. I should let you let teach me how to be a cop. Even if some of your methods contradict the things that he showed me, but look, I just hope that you'll understand if I need to take a moment to adjust." West says
"I guess I can give you that." I tell him
"Thank you. And thanks for not giving up on me. I wouldn't be here without you, and I'll never forget that again." West says