Thomas wrote down the statement.
Thomas: "Did anyone witness the incident?"
Peter: "There was a woman at reception. She eventually helped me."
Thomas: "Did you provide her name in your complaint?"
Peter: "I don't remember. I wrote everything down at the time."
Peter opened the folder and removed the original document.
Peter: "This is what I submitted."
Thomas examined it.
Several pages contained descriptions of the incident, names of people who might have witnessed it, and copies of photographs related to Peter's original report.
Thomas compared the document with the archived department file.
The photographs were missing.
One page containing the names of two possible witnesses was also absent.
Thomas looked up.
Thomas: "Did you submit all of these pages together?"
Peter: "Yes. I made copies before I came here."
Thomas: "And nobody contacted you to request additional information?"
Peter shook his head.
Peter: "No. I only received a message saying the complaint had been reviewed and closed."
The investigators copied every document and recorded its source.
They also asked Peter whether he had requested to speak with a senior commander.
Peter nodded.
Peter: "I called the department after they closed my complaint. I asked whether I could speak with someone higher up. I wanted to explain that they hadn't even looked at the photographs."
Thomas: "Do you remember who you spoke with?"
Peter: "I don't remember the name. I was told someone would contact me."
Thomas: "Did anyone contact you?"
Peter: "No."
Peter looked down at his folder.
Peter: "I thought that was the end of it."
The interview continued for another hour.
When it was finished, Peter asked whether he would receive an update.
Thomas explained that the review was ongoing and that the team would contact him when they had verified the relevant findings.
Peter stood.
Peter: "I don't expect anyone to change the past. I just want the next person who comes here to be treated better."
Thomas nodded.
Thomas: "That's one of the reasons we're conducting this review."
The investigators then examined the role of Lieutenant Samuel Price.
Price had been Ryan's immediate supervisor for several years and had been involved in handling multiple complaints.
He was asked to explain why some complaints had been closed without complete documentation.
At first, Price described the decisions as routine administrative matters.
But as the investigators presented the original emails and reports, his answers became more detailed.
Thomas: "Lieutenant Price, did you recommend that Peter Lawson's complaint receive a formal review?"
Price: "Yes. I thought we should contact him and examine the information he submitted."
Thomas: "Why was that recommendation not followed?"
Price looked down.
Price: "I received guidance from Deputy Chief Langley's office."
Thomas: "What kind of guidance?"
Price: "I was told that the matter should be handled informally and that we shouldn't turn every disagreement into a formal investigation."
Thomas: "Did Deputy Chief Langley specifically tell you to close the complaint?"
Price: "Not in those exact words."
Thomas: "Did you believe that you were expected to close it?"
Price remained silent for a moment.
Price: "Yes."
Thomas: "Why?"
Price: "Because the message came from a senior commander. I understood that he wanted the matter resolved without further investigation."
Thomas: "Did you agree with that decision?"
Price rubbed his forehead.
Price: "At the time, I thought I could resolve it through the normal supervisory process. Looking back, I should have insisted on a complete investigation."
Thomas: "Did you remove any documents from the original complaint?"
Price: "No."
Thomas: "Did you instruct anyone to remove the photographs or witness information?"
Price: "No."
Thomas: "Do you know why those documents are missing from the archived file?"
Price: "I don't know."
Thomas: "Did you report the missing information?"
Price shook his head.
Price: "No."
Thomas: "Why not?"
Price took a long breath.
Price: "Because I thought the matter had already been closed. I didn't want to reopen something that senior command had decided was finished."
Thomas closed the file.
Thomas: "Lieutenant, do you understand that your responsibility was to ensure the complaint was properly handled, regardless of who recommended its closure?"
Price nodded.
Price: "Yes."
Thomas: "Why didn't you do that?"
Price looked at the table.
Price: "I didn't want to challenge people above me. I thought following the chain of command was the safest thing to do."
The investigators recorded his answer.
They continued examining the other complaints.
Several emails revealed a similar pattern.
Supervisors raised concerns about Ryan's behavior.