POLICE FORCE UNDER SIEGE

 

CHAPTER FIVE

 

Later that morning she stopped by her new office and found all of the administration offices closed for the weekend.  Her own office was ready so she called maintenance to have her desk, carpet and packed boxes brought over from the courthouse.

She was damned irritated that things weren’t being taken more seriously and called councilman Morales. “Good morning, chief, what’s up?” he asked.

“Hello councilman,” she said.

“Please call me Robert,” he said.

“Robert, were you aware that there were shots fired last night and there was an attempted break in at the school?” she asked.

“No one let me know,” he said, “What does the chief say?”

“Apparently, the administration area is closed down on the weekend,” she said, “So, nada from them.”

“Damn,” he said, “This situation requires attention.”

The commissioner walked into her office just then and said, “Morning chief, a little birdie told me that you were nosing around.”

“Hang on, Robert,” she said turning toward the commissioner.

“Spies everywhere,” she said to him.

“Something up?” he asked.

“Apparently, nothing of importance,” she said dryly, looking around at the empty offices.

He shook his head and motioned for her to finish her call.

“Robert, the commissioner is here, I’ll get back to you,” she told him and disconnected. 

“If it’s not personal, what are you and Robert Morales chatting about so early on Saturday morning?” the commissioner asked Beth.

She sighed, “There was a ‘shots fired’ and an attempted break in at Alta Vista Grammar school last night.  The second such incident in a week and a half,” she answered.

“I remember the gang activity that you intend to ‘nip in the bud,’ ”the commissioner said. “ Is your interest personal?” he asked.

He was beginning to get her goat, “Yes,” Beth said, “I had a couple of calls from frightened mothers this last week who were afraid for their children,” she paused, “Robert, Father Sanchez and I had lunch with a couple of the ladies at Casper’s a couple of days ago and we all plan to meet at the church Thursday afternoon to seek solutions before this becomes gang territory and a drug haven,” she said angrily.

“Why did they call you?” he asked.

“Stella Juarez, Jose Juarez’s widow and I discussed it, we are still in close touch,” Beth answered, “Her babies attend the school.”

“You gave the eulogy at his funeral,” the commissioner said, “I remember reading about it.”

“He was an old friend as well as a co-worker,” the judge said.

Just as she said that the weekend maintenance crew knocked on her door with her furniture from the courthouse and the other standard furniture for her office.  She thanked them in Spanish and she and the commissioner went into the conference room next door. 

“O.K.”, John asked, “What’s with the nonsense in the papers? It’s not good press for an incoming chief,” he said.

“I’ll deal with it commissioner,” she said, “In the meantime I need to form a transition team to assist me,” she said.

“That’s a good idea chief, much better than replacing shift commanders right away,” he said.

“Sorry, commissioner, any open rebellion and they’ll be replaced immediately; otherwise, I’m willing to wait until I have a clear picture.”

“All right, Beth.  You have the go ahead as we agreed in the contract. Just watch your back,” he told her.

She went back to her office and sprawled in her desk chair chewing a pencil.  She was drawing up a list for the transition team and decided the conference room would hold the team and her secretary at least temporarily.  She made of list of all the equipment and furniture she needed in the conference room and called the maintenance crew back to her office and gave them her instructions.

She called over and had her new police revolver sent to the custody of the duty officer at the firing range and went over and practiced for another hour.  They felt she was ready to qualify and scheduled her test for early Monday morning.

She went back to the office and the crew was finishing up in the conference room and it looked like a well-equipped war room to the chief.  She thanked the crew in Spanish and shook each hand before she left.  The small crew had all heard her speak at Juan Juarez’s funeral and held her in high esteem.

Beth had taken three years of high school Spanish and was fortunate enough to have been an exchange student with a family in Spain for a school year and she worked hard at keeping her skills honed by speaking the language whenever possible which was fairly easy in Alta Vista with its high percentage of Spanish speaking people.

She called Robert back but he was on the soccer field and she left a message.

When she got home she tried on her old uniform and checked herself out in the mirror.  Not bad for an old broad she decided and heard a tapping on the back door.

It was Matt and when he saw her he came to full attention and saluted her.  “Looking good chief,” he said.

“I saw the paper”, he said.

“Just the beginning, Matt,” she said.  “I’m forming a transition team and I need you as my right hand,” she told him.

“Long hours and poor pay?” he asked.

“Yep, cop work,” she said.

“Let’s barbecue,” she said to Matt and they went to raid her freezer and found a roast that Matt put on the rotisserie and russet potatoes, fresh corn, and salad makings for dinner. 

They got the meal underway and then she called Ruth at home and asked her and her niece to join them for dinner in an hour or so.  While they waited Matt and Beth made a list of potential transition team members including Norm Higashi, a computer whizz, from the serial killer case. 

While Matt barbecued Beth called Norm and asked if he would be interested in reassignment to her transition team. 

Norm was excited and said he would be honored to serve and started rattling off new ideas. 

“You sure you want to do this Norm, we’re not going to be very popular,” the chief said.

“I want it, Chief,” Norm said with conviction.

“You free for dinner,” she asked.

He laughed, “Part of your minority coalition?” he asked.

“Damn, I have to find some talented Anglo’s,” the chief said dryly.

She gave him the address and she and Matt waited for their guests on the patio while the roast filled the patio air with tempting aromas.

Beth had a chance to have short conversations with both Norm and Cynthia Channing that evening and it turned out Cynthia had interned as a press secretary at the state capital and had several classes on the subject.  Cynthia would send her a resume the next morning.

The barbecue was a success and the ‘so-called’ minority coalition grew in numbers as they all had a good time getting to know each other and enjoying the food. They agreed to meet Monday morning in Beth’s office. 

When Beth undressed for bed that night she realized she was still in her old uniform.  She laughed at herself and hanged the uniform along with the others in her walk-in closet.  She decided she’d wear her old uniform Monday morning and her sidearm if she qualified.  She would look the part when she addressed her team. She was a cop again!

 

Monday morning Beth arrived at her new office in uniform with her weapon in place and found Ruth, Matt, and Norm settling in their new quarters.  She had faxed a list of transition personnel to the commissioner Sunday and he had given her the go ahead.

 

She invited Ruth, Norm, and Matt into her office for a private discussion.  You will be my inner circle and anything we discuss is between the three of us. She stopped to explain that any infraction was cause for immediate termination. 

 

They all agreed and she told Norm with a bit of humor in her voice, “In your extra time I’d like a list of all drug related crimes in the last year and any similarities or patterns emerging,” she instructed.  “I’ll need a roster of each division with assignments and part timers clearly marked.  Include all new personnel for the last year.”

 

“No problem, chief,” Norm responded as he made clear notes on his legal pad.

 

Matt, we’ll be going over duty rosters with a fine tooth comb and finding any questions in coverage and you and I and Ruth will be going over all of the personnel files. We’ll do that here in the privacy of my office.

 

“Ruth, requisition all personnel files for the officers covering the Country Estates and Alta Vista School Divisions,” she instructed her secretary.

 

The chief called maintenance and ordered a safe for her office.  She wanted all of her notes and the material she was going over to be kept as quiet as possible.

 

“Everyone here,” shred all of your waste paper and no discussing what happens here on the transition team with anyone from outside the team.

 

When the rest of her crew came in she welcomed them and gave a little speech of gratitude for their service and stressed the secrecy of their work telling them that Ruth would be giving them their assignments. 

 

The old chief stormed into her office when he arrived at ten am, “What the hell’s going on,” he asked.

 

“Morning, Chief, its Monday and I’m at work as you requested,” she responded.

 

He sighed, “I’ve already had complaints about the files you’ve requested,” he said.

 

“Does the chief have to explain her actions to her subordinates?” she asked.

 

“No, of course not,” he said.

 

“Chief you explain that fact to anyone who calls or I’ll make it clear to everyone on the force myself,” she said.

 

He nodded and left her office.

 

Beth continued to step on toes but the retiring chief fielded questions with instructions that subordinates didn’t question superior officers annoying the hell out of officers used to operating without scrutiny. 

 

Taking the list of politicians and citizens who had already called to complain she called Cynthia Channing into the office and asked her how she would respond to the complaints.

 

Cynthia began to draft a press release stating that the new chief was happy to announce that she began work today with her recently appointed transition team and that they would be working behind the scenes familiarizing themselves with current operations until she took office on the first of next month.  The chief thanked everyone for their cooperation and assistance and said she hoped to effect a smooth transition in the police department.

 

 When Cynthia finished she gave a copy to Ruth for the new chief’s inbox.

 

Pleased the new chief O.K.’d the release and made a list of places to send a copy including the Evening Standard, each of the councilmen, the acting mayor, the union rep, and the police officers association.

 

Beth went out for shift changes that week and chatted with the men checking in but she didn’t interfere with division officers or their meetings. She was establishing her presence without creating conflict until she took office. 

 

 On Thursday she left the office in the afternoon and attended the parents’ meeting at the church hall with Robert Morales and Father Gomez.  They felt it went well with dozens of volunteers for after school activities.

 

That evening the inner circle met in her office and she ordered pizza for the group.  Norm said he had found something of interest on all drug related arrests.

 

“What is it, Norm?” she asked.“Over the last six months forty percent of the drug offenders have records in Harlan County and several are natives of that county.”

 

“How likely is that?” she asked.

 

“Extremely unlikely,” he said, “Coincidence won’t account for it,” Norm said. 

 

“Norm, run all of our personnel for ties in Harlan County?” she asked.

 

Ruth interrupted, “Judge, I mean chief, I remember reading that our city manager resigned his position from there before he came to work here in Alta Vista.”

 

“Good work, Ruth.”

 

“Norm, get everything you can on our city manager and please do it discretely,” she said, “let’s check and make sure that he’s living within his means.”

 

“He was behind the drive for part time officers, chief, I don’t like it,” Matt said.

 

“Norm, run the part time officers for connections to Harlan County or the city manager,” she requested, “Include the offenders in that match run,” she concluded. 

 

“Everyone, we’re looking for patterns in volumes of material and it looks like we have one pattern going. Keep it in mind as you do your work,” she said, “Now, go home and get some sleep,” she told them.

 

Matt, we’ll go over rosters and evaluate how well we’re covering various areas of the city first thing tomorrow.  She went home and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

© August 2013 by Karen MacEanruig

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