The senior deputy sometimes used mocking language toward drivers.
He made comments about expensive clothing and out-of-state registrations.
And he seemed particularly interested in vehicles that might produce large towing charges.
The rookie questioned one stop.
The older man told him to stop thinking like a classroom student.
Another time, he asked why a vehicle was being impounded when the registration return was clear.
The senior deputy said the information was incomplete and ordered him to call the tow company.
The rookie obeyed.
Then spent the night wondering whether he'd helped take someone's property without a legitimate reason.
He wrote a note in his personal training journal.
Not an official finding.
Just a description of what he'd observed.
He didn't know whether it would ever matter.
But he couldn't make himself forget the driver's face.
The morning before the Black woman's traffic stop, the rookie asked the senior deputy about the four-thousand-dollar demand he'd heard during an earlier encounter.
The two men were sitting inside the patrol vehicle outside a convenience store.
The older officer was drinking coffee.
The rookie had been reviewing a registration check on the computer.
He waited until they were alone.
Then asked where the roadside settlement amount came from.
The senior deputy looked toward him.
"What?"
"The four thousand dollars."
The older man stared.
Then laughed.
"You still thinking about that?"
The rookie nodded.
"I couldn't find the policy."
The senior deputy set down his coffee.
For several seconds, he studied the younger officer.
Then spoke slowly.
"Listen, kid. There's the way things look in the manual, and there's the way things work out here."
The rookie frowned.
"But if it's an official fee, shouldn't it be documented?"
The older man leaned closer.
"You're going to have a very short career if you question every decision I make."
The rookie felt his stomach tighten.
He'd worked hard to earn the job.
His family was proud.
He'd recently signed a lease on a small apartment.
Losing his position would create serious problems.
For a moment, he considered apologizing.
Then he looked toward the computer.
He remembered the motorist who'd cried while watching the tow truck take her car.
He remembered the report that didn't match the dispatch return.
Finally, he said quietly.
"I just want to do things right."