One of the officers lowered his eyes.
Another shifted uncomfortably near the wall.
Daniel folded his arms.
DANIEL: "You're right. We need to address this properly."
ANDRE: "Then let's start by understanding exactly what happened."
Daniel turned toward Ryan.
DANIEL: "Officer Blake, provide your full name and badge number."
Ryan straightened instinctively.
RYAN: "Ryan Blake. Badge number 4172, sir."
DANIEL: "Repeat that."
RYAN: "Ryan Blake. Badge number 4172."
Daniel looked toward the receptionist.
DANIEL: "Please record that information in the incident documentation."
The receptionist began typing.
Ryan's confidence was rapidly disappearing.
Only minutes earlier, he had stood in the hallway acting as though he controlled every decision.
Now he was being asked to provide basic identification in front of the same colleagues he had expected to impress.
RYAN: "Sir, I understand how this looks, but I really didn't know who he was."
ANDRE: "You keep returning to that point."
RYAN: "Because it's important."
ANDRE: "No, Officer. It isn't."
Ryan stopped speaking.
ANDRE: "My position does not determine whether I deserve to be treated with dignity."
Andre took a small step toward the reception counter.
ANDRE: "You had no reason to assume I was doing anything wrong. You had no reason to insult me. And you certainly had no reason to put your hands on me."
Daniel watched Ryan closely.
The younger officer looked increasingly uncomfortable.
He glanced toward the other officers, hoping someone might support his explanation.
But nobody spoke.
The receptionist continued documenting the information.
After a moment, Daniel addressed the two officers who had witnessed the confrontation.
DANIEL: "You two. I need your names as well."
The first officer stepped forward.
OFFICER MILLER: "James Miller, sir."
The second followed.
OFFICER CARTER: "David Carter, sir."
DANIEL: "Were you present when Officer Blake confronted Chief Coleman?"
Miller nodded.
OFFICER MILLER: "Yes, sir."
DANIEL: "Did you see him grab Chief Coleman's clothing?"
Miller hesitated.
OFFICER MILLER: "Yes, sir."
Daniel waited.
DANIEL: "And did either of you intervene?"
Neither officer answered immediately.
Carter finally spoke.
OFFICER CARTER: "No, sir."
DANIEL: "Why not?"
Carter looked toward Ryan before responding.
OFFICER CARTER: "I thought Officer Blake had the situation under control."
DANIEL: "Did you believe that what he was doing was appropriate?"
Carter lowered his eyes.
OFFICER CARTER: "Not entirely, sir."
Miller spoke more quietly.
OFFICER MILLER: "I should have said something."
Daniel looked at both men.
DANIEL: "You were not required to agree with everything Officer Blake said. You were required to recognize when a situation was becoming inappropriate."
Neither officer responded.
Andre listened without interrupting.
He was not interested in turning the hallway into a public argument.
He wanted something more substantial.
He wanted to know whether the people working inside this building understood the responsibility attached to their uniforms.
DANIEL: "Chief Coleman, would you prefer to continue this discussion in my office?"
Andre looked around the hallway.
For several seconds, he considered the suggestion.
Then he shook his head.
ANDRE: "Not yet."
DANIEL: "Not yet?"
ANDRE: "I want to see something first."
Andre turned toward the reception desk.
ANDRE: "How many visitors come through this entrance every day?"
The receptionist looked surprised by the question.
RECEPTIONIST: "It varies, sir. Usually several dozen. More when there are scheduled interviews or public appointments."
ANDRE: "And who is responsible for receiving them?"
RECEPTIONIST: "Reception handles the initial check-in. Officers assist when someone needs access to restricted areas."
Andre nodded.
ANDRE: "Then this is where the department's public reputation begins."
Daniel listened.
ANDRE: "People don't experience a police department through its organizational chart. They experience it through the officers who answer their questions, the employees who receive their reports, and the people who decide whether their concerns deserve attention."
The receptionist stopped typing for a moment.
Andre continued.
ANDRE: "For someone who needs help, this building should represent safety. It should not be a place where they are made to feel unwelcome before anyone even listens to them."
Daniel glanced toward the reception counter.
He had worked in law enforcement long enough to understand the importance of those words.
But hearing them from the person who would soon take responsibility for the department made the message even more significant.
DANIEL: "I agree, Chief."
ANDRE: "Then I want the department to remember that."
Ryan shifted his feet.
He seemed eager to speak again.
RYAN: "Chief Coleman, may I explain something?"
Andre turned toward him.
ANDRE: "Go ahead."