Darius: "So your division did not independently interview the complainant."
Miller: "Not in that particular case."
Darius: "Did you review the security footage?"
Miller: "I don't believe footage was attached."
Darius: "Did anyone request it?"
Miller: "I can't say."
Darius closed the folder.
Darius: "Then what exactly did your division investigate?"
Miller took a breath.
Miller: "Chief, I understand how this appears. But we receive a large volume of complaints. Not every disagreement requires a formal investigation."
Darius: "I agree. But a complaint involving alleged intimidation and inappropriate physical conduct deserves more than a brief summary."
Miller: "Yes, sir."
Darius: "Who decided that the allegations did not justify a formal investigation?"
Miller looked at the paperwork.
Miller: "The recommendation came from the supervisory chain."
Darius: "And your division accepted it."
Miller: "Yes."
Darius leaned forward.
Darius: "Then I want to understand whether this was an isolated failure or whether the entire process has been designed in a way that allows complaints to be dismissed without meaningful review."
Miller did not answer immediately.
Darius continued.
Darius: "For every complaint, there must be a clear record of what was alleged, what evidence was collected, who was interviewed, who reviewed the findings, and why a particular decision was made. If the records don't exist, we cannot demonstrate that the department acted fairly."
Miller nodded.
Miller: "I understand."
Darius: "Do you?"
Miller looked up.
Miller: "Yes, Chief."
Darius: "Because I'm not asking for a new form to make the paperwork look better. I'm asking for a process that protects the public and the officers who do their jobs properly."
Miller: "I'll cooperate with the review."
Darius: "Good. The independent team will contact you for additional information."
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
By late afternoon, the department had gathered enough information to establish that the complaints involving Ethan Ward had not been handled consistently.
Some contained no evidence of a proper interview.
Others lacked documented witness statements.
Several had been closed after brief administrative reviews, and the reasons for those decisions were incomplete.
But there was still a missing piece.
The first complainant had requested to speak with a senior commander after the complaint was closed. The records showed that the request had been received, but there was no evidence that the meeting had taken place.
The review team wanted to speak with that person.
Michael found the original contact details in an archived file.
The complainant was a man named Peter Lawson, a former delivery contractor who had visited the department after reporting damage to his vehicle during an incident near the station.
The team contacted him.
At first, Peter was reluctant.
He explained that he had already spent time trying to get someone to listen to him and had eventually stopped pursuing the matter.
When the investigator told him that an independent review was underway, he agreed to come to the department.
Peter arrived shortly before five.
He was in his early sixties, with a tired expression and a carefully folded copy of his original complaint in a plastic document sleeve.
Darius personally greeted him.
Darius: "Mr. Lawson, thank you for coming."
Peter: "I wasn't sure I should."
Darius: "You have every right to be here. We're reviewing how your complaint was handled, and I want to hear your account."
Peter sat down.
Peter: "I don't want trouble. I just want someone to understand what happened."
Darius: "That's exactly why we're speaking with you."
Peter explained that he had visited the department months earlier to provide information about a damaged vehicle. He had arrived with photographs and paperwork, but Ethan Ward had stopped him at the entrance.
Peter said the officer had spoken to him dismissively, repeatedly interrupted him, and refused to let him explain why he needed to speak with an investigator.
When Peter asked for the officer's name, Ethan allegedly became more aggressive.
Peter: "He told me that people like me wasted everyone's time. He said I should go home and stop trying to make the department do my work for me."
Darius listened carefully.
Peter: "I didn't want an argument. I just wanted to file my report. I had been told to come here."
Investigator: "Did you eventually speak with another officer?"
Peter: "Yes. A woman at the front desk helped me after he walked away."
Darius: "Did you submit a formal complaint?"
Peter: "I did. I wrote everything down. I thought someone would call me."
Investigator: "Did anyone contact you?"
Peter shook his head.
Peter: "Not until I called them myself. Someone told me the matter had been reviewed and closed."
Darius: "Did they explain why?"
Peter: "They said there wasn't enough information to take further action."
Darius: "Did they ask you to provide additional information?"
Peter: "No."