Internal Affairs they're at a Crossroads. Nia said they either expose the truth or they risk being seen as complicit she smirked and they're not about to go down with hail. Raymond let out a slow breath then let's keep pushing as. Nia stood the sound of voices outside the station grew louder chants protesters Justice for. Raymond the fight wasn't over but for the first time it felt like they had the momentum and.
Raymond wasn't going to let it go to waste. Susan Calder had never been the kind of investigator to take the easy way out a seasoned. Internal Affairs officer with over 15 years in the department she had built a reputation for being thorough unshakable and much to the frustration of her superiors not easily controlled old she didn't play politics she followed the facts and the facts in front of her were damning. She sat at her desk her fingers drumming against the thick file in front of her the pages were filled with reports witness statements and. Internal Affairs preliminary findings on.
Officer hail and his team every single page pointed to a pattern A system that had allowed officers like hail to operate unchecked for years and yet the pressure from the the top was clear shut it down the office door swung open assistant chief Brandon Tate stepped inside his presence filling the space with quiet Authority he was in his early 50s a man who had worked his way through the ranks known for handling Department scandals with as little collateral damage as possible he shut the door behind him and folded his arms cder we need to talk. Susan didn't look up that's what this is isn't it Tate side stepping closer to the desk I just got off the phone with the commissioner the mayor's office is breathing down our necks the union is already calling this an overreach. Susan finally met his gaze her expression unreadable an overreach she tapped the file we have multiple excessive force complaints tied to hail's unit reports that were ignored covered up or mysteriously lost this investigation is barely scratching the surface Tate leaning on the desk his voice lowering you think I don't know that then why are we even having this conversation because this is bigger than just one unit Tate said his tone sharp if we push too hard we expose the entire department to lawsuits scrutiny and public distrust we might never recover from. Susan's jaw tightened public trust is already gone sir you've seen what's happening outside the protests aren't just about. Raymond Carter anymore people are coming forward with stories of harassment racial profiling and excessive force if we try to sweep this under the rug we only prove them right Tate exhaled pinching the bridge of his nose you think I don't see that but this isn't just about Justice cder it's about politics if this case goes too deep it doesn't stop with hail it goes all the way up and then where does that leave us.
Susan narrowed her eyes maybe it leaves us where we should have been all along actually holding people accountable Tate's gaze hardened you don't understand how this works no. Susan said standing up her voice unwavering I understand exactly how it works I understand that for years hail got away with this because the people in power let him I understand that if we back down now we are no better than the officers who looked away while he brutalized people t shook his head his voice lowering if we bury this the department survives. Susan took a slow breath and if we don't maybe it finally changes a silence stretched between them Tate's jaw tightened you're not backing down are you no. She said simply I'm not Tate let out a long exhale then straightened fine but you better be damn sure you can finish this fight because once it's out of the Department's hands there's no coming back. Susan watched him leave her heart pounding she already knew there was no coming back this case was going to shake the entire system and she was ready.
Lisa sat across from. Darius. King and. Nia Caldwell in the back of a small Cafe her laptop open in front of her the screen glowed with headlines social media feeds and breaking news segments that were covering the case the protests had grown larger the pressure on the department was Mount ing but with that pressure came resistance they're pushing back harder. Lisa said scrolling through an article more media Outlets are running hit pieces on.
Raymond calling him Reckless and combative they're framing the protests as unrest instead of what they really are people demanding Justice. King leaned back in his chair rubbing a hand down his face it's what they do if they can't make him disappear they'll make him the villain Nea was flipping through through documents her expression unreadable the da is still dragging their feet even with the protests even with internal affairs starting to crack open old cases they're hoping to wait it out they think if they stall long enough public outrage will shift to something else. Lisa side closing her laptop so what do we do king smirked slightly we don't give them time to breathe. Lisa leaned forward intrigued what are you thinking. King folded his arm we have stories not just.
Raymond other people are coming forward right let's put them out there not in some polished press conference not in some carefully worded News segment we take their words directly to the People video interviews live streams let them tell their own experiences. Lisa's eyes widened slightly you want to bypass traditional media. King nodded the mainstream Outlets are playing both sides afraid to call this what it really is but the internet social media that's where we win. Lisa exchanged a glance with. Nia who gave a slow nod it's risky the lawyer admitted but it's the best way to keep the momentum.