“I am cooperating. You have not explained why I was stopped.”
The younger officer drew his Taser.
The commander looked directly at the device.
“Put that away.”
He laughed.
“You think you're giving orders?”
“No. I'm asking you not to use force against someone who isn't threatening you.”
The older officer looked toward the growing line of stopped vehicles.
“Maybe we should just secure her and call a supervisor.”
The younger officer shook his head.
“She needs to learn how this works.”
Then he moved the Taser toward her waist.
The commander felt the first electrical contact.
Her body recoiled.
Her hand rose instinctively.
A sharp cry escaped her.
For the first time that afternoon, the controlled expression she had maintained began to break.
Not because she had lost her discipline.
Because pain was still pain, no matter how much training a person possessed.
And as the younger officer laughed, she realized that this encounter was no longer simply an improper traffic stop.
It had become a deliberate act of humiliation.
What neither officer understood was that the woman had already memorized their faces, their badge numbers, their vehicle positions, and the sequence of their actions.
She had also noticed the absence of an adequate explanation for the stop.
And she had no intention of allowing their version of events to become the only version anyone heard.
The pain lasted only a brief moment, but the humiliation seemed to stretch much longer. The commander pressed her lips together, concentrating on remaining upright as the younger officer moved the Taser away from her coat. She could hear the older officer breathing behind her, feel the pressure of his hand against her shoulder, and see the frightened witness filming from beside the silver sedan. Above the sound of passing traffic, the younger officer's laughter was unmistakable.
“Still want to ask questions?” he sneered.
She took a careful breath.
“Yes.”
He looked almost offended.
“Unbelievable.”
“Why did you stop me?”
The younger officer stepped closer, his face tightening.
“Because I felt like it.”
The words hung between them. The older officer glanced at his partner, and for the first time, a trace of concern appeared on his face. He seemed to realize that the younger man's anger had moved beyond any defensible enforcement purpose, but instead of intervening, he continued holding the woman's shoulder. The commander noticed his hesitation and spoke directly to him.