And supervisory reviews focused heavily on whether the initial stop was permissible while overlooking the choices that prolonged and escalated the encounter.
Naomi called Brooks.
"We need to examine how those complaints were handled."
He agreed.
The investigation expanded to include supervisory decisions and documentation practices.
Several prior reviews had relied too heavily on Grant's own incident summaries.
In some cases, available body-camera footage wasn't examined in sufficient detail.
Other reviews treated the absence of physical injury as evidence that no serious corrective action was necessary.
The failures weren't all deliberate.
Some involved workload.
Others reflected inadequate training or poorly defined review responsibilities.
But their consequences were real.
The department had opportunities to identify Grant's pattern before he arrived at Naomi's garage.
And those opportunities hadn't been used effectively.
For Naomi, that realization was more painful than the damaged gown.
She'd become chief because she wanted to improve the institution.
Now she was confronting evidence that weaknesses she inherited had continued into her own administration.
She couldn't blame every failure on the people who came before her.
She had to decide what responsibility leadership required now.
A meeting with community representatives made the problem even clearer.
Naomi invited several people who had raised concerns about the department's complaint process to speak with an independent facilitator.
The discussion included residents, civil-rights advocates, retired officers, and neighborhood leaders.
Naomi attended as a participant rather than directing the conversation.
She listened.
One woman described filing a complaint after an officer searched her son's belongings during a disputed stop.
She'd received a form letter months later.
No one explained what evidence had been reviewed.
Another resident said he stopped reporting misconduct because he believed the process existed mainly to defend officers.
A retired officer argued that good policing required decisive action and warned against reforms that might cause hesitation during genuine threats.
Naomi listened to him too.
She understood that officers sometimes needed to act quickly.
But she also knew that unnecessary escalation could increase danger rather than reduce it.
Then Teresa Alvarez stood.
She held a small notebook.
For a moment, she looked nervous.
Then she began.
"I'm the woman Sergeant Grant stopped outside a patient's house."
The room became quiet.
Teresa explained the encounter without embellishment.
She described the late hour, the client's medical needs, and the identification she'd offered.
Then she looked toward Naomi.
"I saw your video."
Naomi nodded.
Teresa continued.
"When he finally believed you, somebody important had to come and tell him who you were."
Her voice trembled.
"When he finally believed me, I had to wake up an elderly woman who was supposed to be sleeping."
Naomi felt her throat tighten.