Three days later, the lead sergeant received a telephone call from a man he had known for almost ten years.
The caller wasn't his supervisor.
He wasn't a detective.
He wasn't even employed by the police department.
He managed operations for Harborline Recovery Services.
The sergeant had worked with him during hundreds of impoundments.
At first, the relationship was ordinary.
Officers requested legally authorized tows.
The contractor dispatched vehicles.
Drivers completed reports.
And the company billed for services according to the applicable agreements.
But over time, the relationship became personal.
The operations manager bought meals for certain officers.
Invited them to sporting events.
And occasionally asked whether a particular vehicle could be sent to one storage facility rather than another.
Some requests had legitimate operational reasons.
Others were harder to justify.
The sergeant began accepting small favors.
Then larger ones.
Free vehicle repairs.
Discounted services.
Expensive dinners.
Eventually, cash payments disguised through personal arrangements that had no appropriate connection to his official duties.
He convinced himself that he wasn't doing anything seriously wrong.
He still made legitimate arrests.
Still responded to emergency calls.
Still helped people during dangerous situations.
And he told himself that the contractor's payments were simply appreciation for his willingness to take difficult assignments.
But the favors came with expectations.
The manager occasionally asked him to pay attention to certain vehicles.
He suggested particular tow locations.
And he encouraged the sergeant to use broad, familiar language in reports describing why vehicles had been removed.
The sergeant understood that some of those requests were questionable.
He simply stopped asking why they were being made.
When the manager called that afternoon, his voice was unusually serious.
“We have a special situation.”
The sergeant leaned back in his patrol car.
“What kind?”
“A vehicle connected to an ongoing property investigation.”
The officer frowned.
“What vehicle?”
“White-and-black custom supercar.”
The manager described the approximate model and registration information.
The sergeant raised an eyebrow.
“That's not a normal tow.”
“No.”
The manager paused.
“The owner may be carrying material relevant to an investigation.”
The sergeant sat straighter.
“Is there a warrant?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what are you asking?”
The manager lowered his voice.
“We need to know whether the material is in the car.”
The sergeant stared through the windshield.
He understood what was being suggested.
He also understood that an ordinary police officer couldn't simply search someone's vehicle because a private contractor wanted information.
But the manager continued.