But the camera clearly showed him standing beside the driver's window.
It captured the movement of both hands as he tore the paper.
The audio recorded the sound.
Then his laughter.
The recording captured his palm striking the roof.
It showed his fist contacting the door.
And when he stepped backward, the camera had an unobstructed view of his boot striking the lower panel.
One reviewer paused the image.
The second enlarged the relevant portion for examination while preserving the original file.
They compared the video against photographs of the dent.
The location and shape of the damage were consistent with the impact.
Then they reviewed the dispatcher audio.
The valid license confirmation was clear.
So was Malloy's subsequent request to continue the tow.
The analysts documented each relevant point without drawing conclusions beyond their expertise.
Next came Naomi's vehicle recordings.
Her car's side-view camera had saved footage following the physical impact.
It showed the trooper's boot striking the door from a different angle.
The audio was limited, but the visual detail was useful.
The two systems complemented each other.
The patrol recording captured the broader sequence.
The car recording showed the impact.
The dispatcher record established that the license was valid.
And the written incident report could be compared against all three.
One analyst leaned back after completing the timeline.
"His report says the driver presented an unverifiable document."
The second looked toward the database confirmation.
"That wording is going to need an explanation."
They continued.
The report also described Naomi as verbally aggressive.
The recordings showed her asking questions in a controlled tone.
That did not establish everything about what Malloy had perceived.
But it provided a clear basis for challenging the language of the report.
The reviewers marked the discrepancy.
Then they found something else.
Near the end of Malloy's audio, after Hannah Price had requested a supervisor, he said quietly:
"She's lucky she's somebody."
The sentence was not shouted.
It was almost a mutter.
But the microphone recorded it.
One analyst replayed the phrase.
Then replayed it again.
He looked toward the other reviewer.
"That's going to matter."
Captain Daniel Whitaker received preliminary findings several days later.
He read them in his office after most of the patrol district had gone home.
The report was careful.
It distinguished confirmed actions from allegations requiring further review.
It documented the license verification.
The physical contact.
The damage.
The attempted tow.
And the officer's statements.
Whitaker set the pages down.
He had supervised Derek Malloy for six years.
He knew the trooper was difficult.
He knew civilian complaints had accumulated.
He knew other officers sometimes avoided being assigned with him.