Marcus continued.
“If I had been lying.”
“If I had been a civilian wearing stolen command insignia.”
“If I had been mentally ill.”
“If I had been confused.”
“If I had been committing a crime.”
“The standards would still apply.”
“You do not earn the right to mistreat someone by becoming correct about their guilt.”
That sentence went into several notebooks.
Marcus saw it.
He was glad.
The meeting lasted thirty-eight minutes.
No speech about unity.
No promise that everything would be different.
No dramatic announcement.
Marcus reviewed staffing.
Current calls.
Major investigations.
Training schedule.
Patrol shortages.
Then he issued three immediate directives.
All use-of-force reports involving handcuffed subjects would receive supervisory review before the end of shift.
No officer could clear or classify an impersonation complaint without documented identity verification steps.
And the department would begin random supervisory body-camera audits within thirty days.
The union representative raised a concern.
Marcus listened.
Took notes.
Asked for policy language.
No argument.
That unsettled people more than a confrontation would have.
They had expected a wounded new chief to arrive angry.
Instead, he arrived organized.
By ten-thirty, local media knew something had happened.
They did not know what.
By noon, a reporter obtained audio from a scanner channel indicating a sergeant had been placed on administrative leave.
At one, a city employee leaked the fact that Marcus had been involved.
At two, cameras appeared outside Riverside headquarters.
Bell called.
“You want to go out?”
“No.”
“They’re going to write without you.”
“They usually do.”
“The city needs a statement.”
“Give them facts.”
Bell sighed.
“You’re very calm for someone who got slapped before breakfast.”
Marcus touched his cheek.
“It hurts more now.”
Bell laughed once.
Then stopped.
“Sorry.”
“It was funny.”
“Barely.”
Bell became serious.
“Marcus.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
Marcus leaned back in the office chair that had belonged to three chiefs before him.
“For what?”
“I asked you to come here.”
“That didn’t cause what happened.”
“No.”
Bell looked at him through the video call.
“But I knew the department had supervisory problems.”
“We all did.”
“Not this.”
Marcus said nothing.
Bell continued.
“I keep wondering whether I should’ve warned them.”
“About me?”
“Yes.”
“That would’ve prevented the incident.”
“Probably.”
“Would it have changed the culture?”
Bell knew the answer.
“No.”
Marcus looked toward the station window.
“Then today cost me one slap.”
“And saved us six months of pretending.”
Bell hated the logic.
He also understood it.
Internal Affairs arrived that afternoon from the county inspector general’s office.
External team.
Marcus had insisted.