The attorney paused.
“You admit that?”
“Of course.”
“Then why continue?”
“Because recognizing bias risk is not the same as surrendering to it.”
The attorney became quiet.
She continued:
“I will not review my own case.”
“Anything involving those two officers?”
“That depends.”
“You need clearer boundaries.”
“I agree.”
“So?”
“An external investigator handles the encounter, any conduct immediately arising from it, and any disciplinary recommendation regarding those officers.”
“And your work?”
“I review policies, complaint processing, supervisory controls, dispatch practices, and preexisting cases selected before today.”
The attorney considered.
“What if the lead officer is in the preselected cases?”
The Black investigator looked at the briefing folder sitting beside her.
He was.
Not by name.
By badge number.
Three unresolved complaints in twelve months.
One involving a delivery driver.
One involving a Black homeowner outside his own garage.
One involving a teenage landscaper detained in a backyard because a neighbor reported “someone looking through windows.”
All three had been closed internally.
No discipline.
The lead officer’s face had not been included in the anonymized briefing file.
Only badge number.
She had seen that number repeatedly.
She had not memorized his name.
Now she knew.
She told the city attorney:
“Then we need another reviewer for those files.”
The attorney sighed.
“You’re making this more difficult.”
“No.”
She picked up her keys.
“I’m making it defensible.”
Central Precinct fell almost silent when she entered.
Not literally.
Phones rang.
Printers moved.
Radios crackled.
But people noticed.
Some had seen the video.
Some had heard dispatch.
Others knew only that the woman from the backyard was the investigator expected at two.
She wore a cream blazer now.
Dark trousers.
No yellow.
No wet clothes.
No hat.
The police chief met her in the lobby.
Behind him stood the precinct commander, city counsel, two members of the civilian review committee, and the sergeant from her backyard.
The lead officer was absent.
Administrative leave pending preliminary review.
His partner had been directed to remain available for interview.
The chief extended a hand.
“I’m sorry this happened.”
She shook it.
“Thank you.”
He continued:
“This is not representative of—”
She stopped him.
“Don’t.”
The chief looked surprised.
She spoke evenly.
“You don’t know whether it is representative.”
His face tightened.
“That officer does not represent the values of this department.”
“That may be true.”
“It is true.”
“You are stating aspiration.”
The room became quiet.
She continued:
“I’m here to examine performance.”
The chief stared at her.