RYAN: "I admit that I may have handled the situation poorly. But I deal with difficult people every day. Sometimes you have to be firm before things get out of control."
ANDRE: "Being firm and being disrespectful are not the same thing."
RYAN: "I wasn't trying to disrespect you."
ANDRE: "Intentions do not erase actions."
Ryan looked down briefly.
ANDRE: "You had an opportunity to ask questions. You had an opportunity to check my appointment. You had an opportunity to speak professionally."
Andre paused.
ANDRE: "Instead, you decided that your assumptions were more important than the information in front of you."
Ryan's face tightened.
RYAN: "I understand, sir."
ANDRE: "Do you?"
Ryan nodded.
RYAN: "Yes, Chief."
Andre looked toward the security camera again.
ANDRE: "Then I want the entire incident documented accurately."
Daniel immediately responded.
DANIEL: "It will be."
ANDRE: "That includes the initial conversation, the receptionist's confirmation, the physical contact, and the witnesses who were present."
DANIEL: "Understood."
Daniel turned toward the receptionist.
DANIEL: "Please notify the department's internal affairs supervisor. I want an independent review initiated."
The receptionist picked up the telephone.
RECEPTIONIST: "Yes, sir."
Ryan looked increasingly alarmed.
RYAN: "Internal affairs?"
DANIEL: "Yes."
RYAN: "Sir, is that really necessary?"
Daniel did not raise his voice.
DANIEL: "An allegation involving inappropriate physical conduct by an officer must be reviewed. That is not a personal decision. It is a professional responsibility."
RYAN: "But I wasn't trying to hurt him."
ANDRE: "Nobody has claimed that you intended to cause an injury. The issue is why you believed you could treat another person that way in the first place."
Ryan had no immediate answer.
Daniel looked toward Andre.
DANIEL: "Chief, I would also recommend that Officer Blake be removed from public-facing duties while the initial review takes place."
Andre considered the suggestion.
ANDRE: "I want the review conducted fairly. No assumptions in either direction."
DANIEL: "Of course."
ANDRE: "But the evidence must be preserved, and nobody involved should interfere with the process."
DANIEL: "Agreed."
Ryan looked from one man to the other.
He was beginning to realize that this was no longer a conversation he could control.
He had expected a reprimand at most.
Perhaps a warning from Daniel.
Instead, the department's senior commander was discussing an independent investigation in front of the new chief.
The receptionist finished making the call.
RECEPTIONIST: "Internal affairs has been notified. Their supervisor is sending someone to the building."
Daniel nodded.
DANIEL: "Thank you."
Andre picked up his leather briefcase from beside the counter.
He checked that his identification was still there, then placed it carefully inside his jacket.
The morning had already taken an unexpected direction.
He had planned to spend his first hour reviewing the department's operational priorities.
Instead, he had been given an immediate example of the culture he would need to examine.
Daniel looked toward the elevator.
DANIEL: "Chief Coleman, your office is ready. We can continue the scheduled meeting upstairs."
Andre glanced at the clock.
It was now several minutes past eight.
ANDRE: "The meeting can wait."
Daniel appeared slightly surprised.
ANDRE: "Before I enter that office, I want to understand what happened here and why nobody thought it was necessary to intervene."
Daniel nodded slowly.
DANIEL: "Then we'll address that first."
Andre turned toward the other officers.
ANDRE: "Officer Miller. Officer Carter. I want both of you to remain available for questions."
OFFICER MILLER: "Yes, Chief."
OFFICER CARTER: "Understood, sir."
Andre looked at Ryan.
ANDRE: "And Officer Blake, I expect you to cooperate fully with the review."
RYAN: "Yes, Chief."
For the first time that morning, Ryan's voice sounded noticeably different.
The arrogance had disappeared.
In its place was uncertainty.
Daniel stepped slightly to the side and gestured toward a nearby administrative room.
DANIEL: "We can use the conference room while we wait for internal affairs."
Andre agreed.
As they began walking, the officers and receptionist remained in the hallway.
Ryan watched them move away.
He noticed that Daniel was speaking to Andre with the same professional respect he usually reserved for the highest-ranking officials.
There was no doubt anymore.
Andre Coleman was not simply visiting the department.
He was its new leader.
And the incident that Ryan had treated as an ordinary confrontation was now becoming the first major issue of the new chief's administration.
Inside the conference room, Daniel placed his folder on the table.
Andre took a seat near the window.
For a few seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Daniel opened the folder and removed several documents.