And regularly appeared in photographs beside senior city officials.
He was known as a man who could solve problems.
If a complaint appeared likely to embarrass the department, Harlan knew how to handle it.
If an officer needed a difficult report reviewed, Harlan offered assistance.
If an internal investigation threatened to expand, Harlan sometimes found a procedural reason to close it.
For years, his influence made him appear valuable.
Now investigators suspected it had made him dangerous.
Harlan had supervisory access to property management systems.
He could authorize corrections.
Approve discrepancies.
And review complaints before they reached senior command.
The records suggested some corrections had been used to conceal missing property.
Then investigators found the towing connection.
Several vehicles impounded following questionable arrests were directed toward a private company called Riverside Recovery Services.
The owner had known Harlan for years.
Payments passed through consulting invoices and unrelated service contracts.
Some were legitimate.
Others appeared to have no corresponding work.
The investigation widened.
Financial subpoenas revealed transfers involving entities linked to the towing company.
Messages suggested certain officers were rewarded for directing vehicles toward particular lots.
Not every tow was improper.
Not every employee was involved.
But enough evidence existed to show the problem was broader than one arrogant booking officer.
And Daniel's arrest had created a new urgency.
Because the officers involved had not merely mistreated an ordinary detainee.
They had interfered with an investigator already examining their conduct.
The federal team needed to determine whether the stop was random or deliberately arranged.
Daniel believed it had been deliberately arranged.
But belief was not enough.
He needed proof.
That proof came from an unexpected source.
A deleted message.
Keller had received it on his personal phone shortly before stopping Daniel.
The message contained a vehicle description.
Dark blue sedan.
Partial license plate.
Expected route.
And a short instruction.
Pull him over before he reaches Jefferson Storage.
The sender used a prepaid telephone.
But investigators traced related communications to someone associated with Harlan's office.
The message changed the case.
Daniel had not simply encountered a bad officer during a random traffic stop.
Someone had tried to interrupt his meeting with a confidential witness.
The question became whether Keller knew exactly who he was stopping.
Keller initially denied it.
Then, during a later interview with counsel present, his account changed.
He admitted receiving the vehicle description.
He claimed he believed Daniel was connected to a criminal investigation involving stolen records.
He said he did not know Daniel was an authorized investigator.
The federal agents compared his statement with dispatch records.