“No.”
“You watch yourself.”
The partner continued.
“We verified her ID.”
“Dispatch confirmed.”
“The liaison confirmed.”
“She was expected.”
The Supervisor looked toward the first officer.
“And?”
The partner hesitated.
“Then he kept arguing.”
The Supervisor looked at the water blaster.
“And that?”
The partner looked embarrassed.
“He picked it up.”
“Why?”
“No idea.”
The first officer interrupted.
“It was a joke.”
Nobody reacted.
The Supervisor stared.
“You sprayed her?”
The first officer folded his arms.
“With water.”
The Supervisor looked toward the Black Senior Officer’s wet shoulder.
Then at the personnel standing beyond the tape.
Then at the Aide.
His voice became very quiet.
“You sprayed the commanding officer of this joint exercise with a children’s water toy after her identity had been verified?”
The first officer looked around.
When framed that way, the situation sounded worse.
Because it was.
He tried another angle.
“She was disrespectful.”
The Black Senior Officer finally spoke.
“Quote me.”
The officer turned.
“What?”
“Quote the disrespectful statement.”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came.
She continued.
“Was it when I asked what concern remained after verification?”
Silence.
“When I told you to read the coordination plan?”
Silence.
“When I declined to stand somewhere that served no operational purpose?”
The officer looked toward his Supervisor.
“She was challenging me in front of everyone.”
The Senior Officer nodded.
“There it is.”
The Supervisor’s expression hardened.
The Senior Officer continued.
“You were not responding to danger.”
“You were responding to embarrassment.”
The officer said:
“You think you know me?”
“No.”
“I know what happened here.”
She looked toward the body camera.
“And so does that.”
The Police Officer glanced down.
Bodycam.
Still recording.
His face changed again.
The Supervisor looked at it too.
“Do not touch that camera.”
The officer stared.
“What?”
“Don't turn it off.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Good.”
The Supervisor turned toward the partner.
“Yours stays on too.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Senior Officer looked toward the command area.
The exercise had already been delayed.
People were waiting.
She had more important work.
She addressed the Police Supervisor.
“I have an operation to run.”
“Understood.”
“I’m not asking you to solve personnel issues in the middle of this street.”
“Understood.”
“But preserve the footage.”
“Yes.”
“And document the identification verification time.”
The Supervisor nodded.
“Yes.”
The first officer laughed bitterly.
“So this is what happens?”
Everyone looked at him.
“You flex rank and suddenly everybody jumps?”