Seventy-two hours later, the Bethesda local precinct was utterly unrecognizable. The lobby had been converted into a makeshift federal command center. Desks were pushed together, covered in laptops, secure servers, and mountains of printed case files. The Department of Justice had dispatched a specialized civil rights investigative team led by senior agent Sarah Jenkins. Jenkins was a methodical, terrifyingly brilliant investigator who specialized in dismantling corrupt police departments.
She didn't yell. She didn't posture. She simply dug through paperwork until she found the rotting foundation. And in Bethesda, she didn't have to dig very deep. Arthur Pendleton's directive had been clear.
Audit every single arrest Derek Rollins had made over his three-year career, and review the supervisors who signed off on his reports. Agent Jenkins sat at the head of the precinct's conference room table, a thick manila folder resting under her folded hands. Sitting across from her was Officer Greg Miller, looking 10 years older than he had on Sunday. He had voluntarily surrendered his badge and was cooperating fully, desperate to secure an immunity deal and save his pension. "Officer Miller," Jenkins began, her voice crisp and professional.
We have spent the last 3 days reviewing Officer Rollins's arrest records. It seems he had an extraordinarily high rate of confiscating cash during his traffic stops and pedestrian checks. Miller swallowed hard, looking at the two-way mirror. "Derek was aggressive. He targeted certain demographics. We all knew it," Miller admitted. If a minority drove a nice car through the wrong neighborhood, Derek would pull them over for failing to signal. He'd claim he smelled marijuana to get probable cause for a search. "And during these searches," Jenkins continued, opening the folder and sliding a photograph across the table.
He frequently utilized civil asset forfeiture, claiming the cash he found was tied to illicit activities, even without a drug conviction. Miller nodded slowly. "Yes, ma'am. He seized the money and told the people he stopped that if they fought it, he would charge them with felony distribution. Most walked away because they were afraid of going to jail," Miller said.