A second could be treated as an isolated disagreement.
But when several accounts described similar behavior, the question changed.
The issue was no longer simply what happened in one parking garage.
The question became whether the department had received earlier warnings and failed to respond.
Sarah turned back toward David.
"Find out whether those complaints were closed, and if so, why."
David nodded.
"Understood."
"And make sure the original records are preserved."
"I'll take care of it."
After he left, Sarah remained seated for several minutes.
She looked at the folder on her desk.
Then she opened it and began reading.
The first document was a preliminary incident summary.
The second was a list of evidence sources.
The third contained the names of the officers present.
Near the bottom of the page was a note indicating that the department's internal review had identified a possible discrepancy between Miller's written report and the body-camera recording.
Sarah read that sentence twice.
A discrepancy.
That was a polite way of describing something that could become extremely serious.
She closed the folder.
Outside her office, the courthouse continued operating as usual.
People entered and exited the building.
Attorneys prepared their arguments.
Clerks moved documents between departments.
Most people had no idea that a confrontation in a shopping center parking garage was becoming the subject of an expanding investigation.
But the evidence was beginning to tell a story that was very different from the one Officer Miller had written.
And Sarah Vance knew that the next stage would be the most important.
Because the question was no longer whether the officer had behaved improperly.
The question was whether the department had allowed that behavior to continue for months, perhaps years, without meaningful consequences.
The preliminary review continued throughout the afternoon.
At 1:20 p.m., Lieutenant Reynolds received a message from the internal affairs supervisor requesting a meeting. The supervisor had compared the body-camera footage with Officer Miller's written report and identified several statements that required clarification.
The report claimed that Sarah had behaved aggressively before the officer used physical force.
The video showed something different.
Sarah had remained beside her vehicle. She had asked why she was being questioned. She had requested an explanation. At no point before the slap did she appear to threaten Miller or attempt to strike him.
The footage also showed that Miller had approached her without first identifying a specific complaint or explaining the reason for his presence.
The most troubling part was not simply the physical contact.
It was the fact that Miller's report seemed to describe an encounter that had not actually happened.
Lieutenant Reynolds entered the internal affairs office carrying a printed copy of the report.
The supervisor, Captain Helen Brooks, was already waiting.
Brooks had spent nearly fifteen years investigating complaints involving police conduct. She was known for being methodical and difficult to impress. She did not assume that an officer was guilty simply because someone had filed a complaint, but she also refused to accept an officer's version of events without examining the evidence.
She pointed toward the chair.
"Sit down, Frank. We need to discuss Miller."
Reynolds placed the report on the desk.
"I watched the footage again this morning."
"And?"
"The sequence is clear. He approached her, ordered her to put her hands on the vehicle, and became increasingly aggressive when she asked why."
Brooks opened a folder.
"His report says she was attempting to interfere with his investigation."
"What investigation?"
"That's exactly what I want to know."
Reynolds leaned forward.
"Did anyone assign him to that parking garage?"
"Dispatch records show no assignment. There was no emergency call, no reported theft, and no complaint involving that vehicle."
"Then what was he doing there?"
Brooks turned a page.
"According to his initial statement, he noticed behavior that he considered suspicious."
Reynolds shook his head.
"That doesn't explain the physical force."
"No, it doesn't."
Brooks placed two photographs on the desk. One showed the parking garage from a security camera. The other showed the moment Sarah raised her identification cards.
"Look at the timestamp."
Reynolds examined the images.
"What's this?"
"The first camera captured him approaching her. The second captured the moment she showed him her identification."
"And?"
"He continued treating her as a suspect even after she had identified herself."
Reynolds looked up.
"That could be important."
"It is important. But I don't want this investigation reduced to the fact that she is a federal judge."
Brooks closed the folder.
"We need to establish what happened, why it happened, and whether this officer has behaved the same way toward other people."
That final question would soon become the center of the investigation.
At 2:05 p.m., the department's records division received a formal request for copies of previous complaints involving Officer Miller.
The request covered the previous three years.
The records clerk, Melissa Grant, initially expected to find only a few entries. She opened the department's complaint database and searched Miller's personnel identification number.