Chapter 3 New Regulations

alf an hour later, a short burly man barged into the SWAT headquarters, demanding to see his client. "Gentlemen, my name Martin Netherfield. I am the lawyer for Mr Vincent Garcia. Now, unless my client is being charged with a crime, I suggest that you release him immediately, with many apologies for the injuries he has suffered and for which you are responsible."

"Mr Netherfield, unfortunately that will not happen. Mr Garcia will stay in custody until I have all the information I require from him. You are obviously most welcome to sit in on his questioning. If he insists on keeping quiet, I will book him for impeding an ongoing investigation, and he will be investigated as an accomplice to the murder of Miss Natasha Wilkins."

Just then Garcia looked up and lost his innocent boy look. "Wait a bit, Nat is dead?" he asked and was clearly shocked.

"Yes, Mr Garcia, she was found dead in Mexico earlier today."

"No, that can't be."

"Mr Garcia, when was the last time you saw and spoke to Miss Wilkins?" Rollins asked.

"Two days ago. She told me that they had figured it out and that she was no longer safe."

"Who had figured what out?"

"For the past six months, Nat had been helping me. Six months ago, Angelica came to me and asked me to be his new accountant. He said that he needed a lot of funds and he wanted a very smart man to help him get it."

Vincent Garcia was now on the verge of tears. "So, I went to Natasha and she has been helping me move some funds from her clients. She really did not want to do it, but Angelica talked her into it. Two weeks ago, when I went to see her at the bank, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She said that her clients had started asking a lot of questions. So, when she called me two days ago, she said that one of her clients had figured out what she had done, and that he was going to report her and have her arrested. I then urgently contacted Angelica, and he said that he would take care of it. That was the last time I spoke to either Angelica or Natasha."

"One last question Mr Garcia, did Angelica ever mention what his big plan was? Did he ever let it slip what he would need the money for?"

"No, he never mentioned anything to me. He just told me that he needed lots and lots of money fast."

"Thank you, Mr Garcia." Rollins left the interrogation room, while Netherfield and Garcia were accompanied out by an officer who instructed Garcia to hold himself available for further questioning and not to leave town. Rollins was met outside by Stan who had been listening in on the interrogation.

"So, what do you think, Stan?" Rollins asked. "Either he is one hell of a liar, which I doubt, or we were right and Angelica is way more ahead with his plan than we all thought."

"Yah, but what could Angelica possibly be planning that would need such a lot of money and so fast?"

"I really have no clue, but whatever it is, odds are we will not like it at all."

It was now eight in the evening and since no other lead had come up, they were all free to go home and call it a day. As Rollins entered the changing rooms, he saw his whole team sitting in there. "That was one heck of a day, guys, good work out there."

"Umm, yoh, Dave," said Marcus, looking at Rollins. "What chances do we have of closing this thing off with none of our blood shed?"

Rollins looked around the changing rooms, and at that moment, he realised that his team was just as scared as he was. "Look gents, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that everything is going to be all hunky dorey, because it's not. Truth is I do not know. My gut tells me that this is going to erupt into an all-out gang war. A war with lives lost on both sides. I know you guys are scared, you have every right to be, because I am too. What we need to do is make sure that the fear we feel right now is not a distraction, but rather a reason for us to go all out and make sure we get this thing finished. Hey, look at me." Everyone on his team looked at him. "Remember what I told you guys when you joined up. SWAT is not a workplace, it's a family. I meant what I said. For as long I am still here, I will do everything I can to make sure that you guys get to go home every night." He continued to look each of his mates in the eyes. "After all, this is what we built. We are SWAT. We do not back down from a challenge. We are badass." They all continued to look at him. He could tell that the following months were going to take a toll on his team, and he just had to make sure that he was there for them.

Later that night, he sat in his home office with his laptop switched on. "Tell me about it," Mary said behind him. She could always tell when the day had been too much for Rollins.

"Had a tough day, lost an officer." Mary knew how deeply Rollins cared for his fellow officers. She had gotten to know him pretty well over the years.

"Mmm, there is something else you're not telling me, Dave." She started to slowly massage his shoulders. Immediately he felt some of the tension ease off.

"Well, it's going to be some very difficult months ahead of us. A lot of challenges, and the guys and girls are about to be tested like they have never been tested before."

She knew that SWAT was his life, but sometimes she just wished he had chosen another career for himself. She knew there were a lot of dangers he faced that he did not tell her anything about, and although she was also grateful for it, it was the one thing that always contributed to her anxiety. Whenever he got that call early in the morning, she knew that could be the last time she would see him. She turned his seat around and looked deep into his eyes. Out of nowhere, the tears starting streaming down his face.

"Shhh, shhh," she tried to console him. "It's okay, hey honey, it's going to be okay. Maybe you should book a session with Doctor Benson." He looked at her and just nodded. Dr Benson was the SWAT departmental psychologist. SWAT officers often saw or experienced something when they were out on a call that would shake them. Dr Benson was always there to make sure that the officers' mental health was well taken care of. Slowly, she took her husband's arm and guided him to their bedroom, were they lay in each other's arms, until sleep finally caught up with them.

Early the next morning, Rollins had to face a new day and new challenges.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, we can start," said Commander Higgerson, once everyone had settled down. "Yesterday, we found out that the El Diablos are indeed planning something big. We do not know any of the details yet, but what we do know is that it has already cost a young officer his life. It is always a sad day when one of our own goes down. That being said, I know most of you have spoken to SWAT leaders or your watch commander regarding how this investigation will continue. After much consideration, and discussions with the safety panel, we have reached a decision. The safety of our officers, whether SWAT or Metro, is our biggest concern going forward. It is because of these concerns that we have decided that no patrol unit or SWAT team is to respond to any call without sufficient backup. From now on, every call can only be attended to if there are at least six other patrol units within a one-mile radius or at least two SWAT teams. That being said, we are going to be demanding more time for patrol from each and every one of you. Our number one goal still remains the safety of the citizens of this great city. Random stop and search measures will be conducted, and any citizen found in the possession of any illegal substance or object should be brought in immediately. Officer Nathan died serving and protecting this great city, so let us make sure that he did not die in vain. We are going to be give out a press release later in the day, informing the public of the recent events."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is not an exaggeration when I say that our city is under siege. We must ensure that our city does not fall into the wrong hands. Let's show those criminals that want to take it exactly what the LAPD is made off. Thank you. You are all dismissed."

Officer Nathan's body, laid out in a coffin that was draped with the American flag, was rolled through the LAPD buildings one more time. As his body passed them, each officer placed a pin on the coffin and saluted Officer Nathan one last time. When his coffin finally reached the funeral van outside, the police band started playing the national anthem, while the coffin, bearing Officer Nathan's body, was loaded into the van and slowly driven away.

Later that day, Commander Higgerson and Captain Rodgers stood outside the LAPD and were about to address the media. Over ten reporters were standing there, all waiting for the speech.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Commander Higgerson of the LAPD SWAT. We come before you today bearing sad news. Yesterday, the LAPD lost a young police officer who had been reporting to a bank robbery, when shots were fired. Unfortunately, Officer Nathan was shot and killed on the scene, while his partner was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. I am told that the remaining officer did survive the surgery and is due to make a full recovery. Over the past few months, we have seen more and more officers being killed while on duty. We as the LAPD are here to say that enough is enough. We will be putting in place very stringent measures for the safety of our officers, as well as for you, the public. One of these measures will be the introduction of random stop and search measures. It is our job as your law enforcement to make sure that every citizen of this great city is protected from crime, violence and harmful substances. That being said, anyone who is found to be possession of any illegal substances, mainly cocaine, ecstasy, heroine, marijuana or any other drug, or found to be in the possession of any illegal firearm or other weapon, will be arrested and liable for a 30,000 dollar fine and/or five years imprisonment. More police units will also be deployed to patrol the streets on a daily basis. Our officers have been ordered to act in a reasonable and sensible manner, and to use the appropriate amount of force when apprehending civilians on the street. With that said, I must ask that the public to continue to cooperate with law enforcement. Tough times are ahead of us, while we try to purge this city from crime and criminals, and we ask that the public not only cooperate with us but stay patient with us. The only way that we are going to master the next few months is if we work with one another and not against each other. Thank you. I will now open the floor to some questions."

"Commander, you say that tough times are ahead. Would you mind telling us exactly what lies ahead?"

"Thank you for your question. The LAPD has been tasked to take over the investigation into the human trafficking that has recently plagued our city. I am here today to ask our citizens to cooperate with our officers and stay strong as a community."

"Commander, you say that the LAPD is saying enough is enough when it comes to the violence against officers. Is this a sign that the LAPD is going to be more aggressive when dealing with suspects?"

"The LAPD's motto has always been to serve and protect our citizens with the dignity and respect they deserve. That will not change. However, our officers are being told to use the appropriate amount of force they think necessary when apprehending suspects. We do not want our officers to be aggressive or to harass any citizen. On the other hand, if there is a grave threat to their lives, then the officers have been instructed to use lethal force."

"One last question. Commander Higgerson. You say that the LAPD have launched an investigation into a human trafficking ring. Are there any leads you can share with us at the moment?"

"We are currently running down some leads. Unfortunately, and I am sure you understand how sensitive all information is, I cannot divulge the details as yet. Okay, thank you for your time." With those last words, the Commander returned to the LAPD SWAT headquarters.