Bennett had seen him become irritated when residents asked for explanations during traffic stops.
She'd watched him dismiss complaints about minor property disputes.
And she'd noticed how quickly he escalated encounters involving people he believed were being disrespectful.
That morning, their assignment involved a reported landscaping violation.
At least, that was how Mercer described it.
Bennett examined the information on their mobile computer.
The dispatch entry referenced a complaint concerning unapproved vegetation removal and interference with a municipal visibility corridor at a house on Willow Street.
She frowned.
"Sergeant, why are we responding to this?"
Mercer glanced toward her.
"Code enforcement requested assistance."
Bennett looked at the details.
"There's no threat mentioned."
He shrugged.
"Property owner has been refusing compliance."
She continued reading.
The entry identified the residence as 218 Willow Street.
It also included the name Lorraine Monroe.
Bennett looked toward the date.
"Isn't code enforcement supposed to handle vegetation notices?"
Mercer sighed.
"Sometimes they need somebody with authority."
She hesitated.
"Do we have an order authorizing removal?"
He looked irritated.
"Don't start."
Bennett lowered her eyes to the screen.
She wasn't trying to challenge him.
She wanted to understand what they were legally authorized to do.
A complaint about overgrown plants wasn't automatically a police emergency.
And the entry didn't identify anyone threatening a worker or obstructing traffic.
Mercer turned onto Willow Street.
"Trust me," he said. "This property's been a problem for months."
Bennett looked toward the house numbers.
Then noticed the name in the dispatch record again.
Lorraine Monroe.
Something about it bothered her.
But before she could ask another question, Mercer stopped the SUV.
Across the street stood a cream-colored house surrounded by blooming flowers.
A beautiful Black woman with short platinum-white hair was kneeling beside a rose garden.
Mercer looked toward her.
Then smiled without warmth.
"Well, there's our problem."
Mercer parked beside the white picket fence and stepped out before Bennett finished reviewing the dispatch notes.
The morning was bright and peaceful, with sunlight reflecting from the windows of the cream-colored house. Red roses bloomed beside the sidewalk, while blue and purple hydrangeas filled the flowerbeds closer to the porch. Nothing about the property suggested an emergency, and Bennett couldn't see any landscaping obstructing the street.
The woman in the yard looked up as the officers approached.
She placed her shears on the grass and stood.
"Good morning, officers. Can I help you?"
Mercer didn't return the greeting.
He walked through the white gate and pointed toward the roses.
"These plants are in violation of the city's visibility requirements."
The woman looked surprised.
"What visibility requirements?"
He gestured toward the fence.
"You've been ordered to remove them."
She frowned.