Case of the Black Badge Ch. 01

"I'm sorry, Chief." said Krasney. "I apologize for what just happened here. Sanders?" ADA Sanders did not take the obvious hint. He just looked back at Krasney, refusing to apologize for his statement, similar to the way Steven Ikea would look at me and the Chief in the days of his arrogance while on the Force. Then I realized that the Chief was all but pushing me out the door of the office...

--

"Crowbar... Crowbar?" the Chief asked as I drove him back to Headquarters in my SUV. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." I said absentmindedly, then came fully back and remembered my manners. "Uh... yes sir, yes sir I'm fine."

"All right... tell me." the Chief said.

"With your permission, Chief, I'm going to do a little digging with Myron..." I said, then after a pause. "...into the Town & County Court records."

"By all means," the Chief said, knowing what I was getting at, "by all means. And direct any flak you get to me personally." In all the excitement, I failed to take full note of the Chief's total lack of surprise at any of what had transpired.

Part 5- The First Loose Thread

Late that afternoon, Lieutenant Daniel Allgood of the Internal Affairs Department entered the I.T. dungeon. "Myron, what the hell are you doing getting into Court documents- oh, Don, I didn't realize you were doing this."

"Come on in, Daniel." I said. "Take a seat. You need to hear this." I was sitting next to Myron, directing his computer researches.

The I.T. area was undergoing a renovation, which was partially modeled on the Internal Affairs set-up. Instead of one big room, the door from the outside led to hallways going left or right. The left hallway opened up into an open area with a mid-size conference table. Offices ringed the walls, the biggest in the back right (as one entered the room) belonging to Myron, with Lainie, Sonali and Goth Girl Mary taking three of the other five. One was also assigned to "The Abacus", a.k.a. Vice Detective Julie Newton, though she preferred to work upstairs in the Vice room.

The other 2/3ds of I.T., including the big office in the back corner, were going to the real I.T. guys, the ones who installed computers and software, ran lines, maintained the servers, etc. Technically, they were my guys as I was still I.T. Supervisor. But the Chief had fresh ideas about that...

The 'offices' were more like metal ceiling-to-floor cubicle walls with frosted glass, so that no one could see what was on the computer screens from outside. Myron and I were seated at the conference table, working from his 17" screen notebook computer.

"We got a call that the Police Department was accessing Court records." said Daniel as he sat down. "They tried to block it off, but it was a SuperUser and they couldn't. I thought it was Myron peeking where he doesn't belong..."

"And you now see that it's me peeking where I very much do belong." I replied. "And by the way, these are not classified records at all, so I don't know why the Courthouse is upset we're accessing them.

"They just thought it was someone hacking into their computers." Daniel said. "So what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking at several things." I said, not saying out loud that I didn't quite accept Lt. Allgood's explanation. "First, bail settings for drug crimes. Second, the Nathaniel Jones case that just ended."

"What's the deal about the bail settings?" Daniel asked out of simple curiosity.

I spoke as if lecturing an Academy class: "Generally, our four Superior Court judges, Folsom, Watts, Stone and Nance, won't give bail for higher-level drug crimes, such as major distribution or if the perp is sufficiently high within a suspected organization. If they do, the perps pay the bail out of pocket then disappear forever. However, there have been little spikes of bails being set for some perps, eight of them so far in the past five years, and yes they do skip bail and run."

"Which judge?" Daniel asked.

"Looks like Judge J.B. Stone on most of them, but Harry 'Spud' Nance on one." I said. "And the interesting thing is that until a year ago, the bails favored people I happen to know were connected to the chessplayer Kurchikov that got himself killed. After Kurchikov died, the last three times were for some of the couriers for the Beanstalk Gang."

"So what's the significance of that?" Daniel asked.

"Not sure yet." I said, not quite fully truthfully. "I'm just filing that information away for the time being. Now I'm checking the Jones case, which might come within your realm, Daniel... Sergeant Brody and Patrolman Gunn are involved."

"Say no more." Daniel said. "I've opened a file on Brody after the Jones acquittal. Of course you've had me watching Gunn for a while now. But so far we have nothing really bad on either of them."

"Yeah, I know." I said, then decided to conclude the discussion with the Internal Affairs supervisor. "Well, we'll be wrapping this up soon, Daniel. Why don't you head on home? After all, you've got the second-most-beautiful woman in the County waiting for you?"

"I understand your bias for your own wife." Daniel said, grinning as he got up to leave. "But I think mine is Number One. I'll let the Courthouse know that everything is resolved about accessing the records."

-

Stepping into the anteroom of the Chief's office, I saw the door open and District Attorney Gil Krasney walk out, obviously having had a conference with Chief Griswold. They shook hands and Krasney stepped up to me.

"Lieutenant, I want to apologize again for what happened this morning." Krasney said, shaking my hand, though admittedly my part of the handshake wasn't particularly firm. "It was totally out of line, as I was explaining to the Chief."

"I understand, Mr. Krasney." I said. "If I may ask, what are you going to do with Sanders?" The question was not really appropriate to ask, but I suspected I could get away with it, and I did.

"For starters, I'm keeping him away from you." Krasney said, cracking a half-smile at his attempt at a joke. "But seriously, he knows he fucked up and that such attitudes are for the past. He's not a bad ADA; he's gotten some good drug convictions. But I'll be keeping my eye on him." With that, Krasney exited the room, eager to get out of that conversation.

"Guys, let's go into the conference room." Chief Griswold said, meaning his little conference room next to his office. He and I went inside, followed by my partner Detective Cindy Ross, whom I'd asked to attend, as always.

They watched me sweep for bugs, and I found none. As I did that, Chief Griswold said "Krasney was really playing the 'humble pie' game. I don't know if he's serious or if he's just covering his political potato, but he seems to want to make amends with us."

"Yet Sanders is still working for him." I noted as I finished my sweep.

"True, but Sanders has a few connections of his own." replied the Chief. "Krasney can't risk firing him, even if he wants to... and of course he may not really want to. Have a seat, Crowbar. So what did you find out today?"

"Several things, Chief." I said. "Two seemingly unrelated things, but I think we might finally be getting onto something." I told him about the bails, then explained to get Cindy as well as the Chief up to speed.

"As you both know, we've long suspected there are some bad cops within the Force." I said, drawing nods from them. "Well, I think that, at long last, we might have a thread to grasp on this group of bad seeds."

I began to explain: "ADA Paulina Patterson rarely handles the drug cases in Court; ADA Sanders does. He normally asks for no bails and the judges deny bail, but on every occasion where a bail was set, it was because he asked for it. The bails were very high, sometimes ten million dollars but more often one million. Even so, the bails were paid in full and then the perps skipped. That's money for the County coffers, but it happens only rarely, hardly enough to notice a pattern unless one is looking for it.

"Part of that pattern is that Judge J.B. Stone was the judge that set those bails in almost every case. Furthermore, this generosity was extended to only one drug gang at a time; in other words, one gang was getting exclusive help while other gangs' perps were being thrown in jail with no bail."

"Nothing even actionable, so far." Cindy said. I often wondered if she did this to needle me or push me along, but I was grateful for having her as a foil to keep me on the right path.

"True." I said. "Now part 2, and be patient with me, Partner: I looked at the Nathaniel Jones trial with fresh eyes after Sanders's little racist slip this morning. I never could understand why this kid Jones was in trouble in the first place, as he was a good young man and a good example for others. Well, we knew that the worst public defender, Dexter Epstein, was assigned to him, but what's interesting is this: normally there is a rotation of names, and the judge calls out the name at the top of the list... but for the Jones trial, Epstein was assigned out of his normal turn.

"Now that is big." said the Chief. "It's abnormal and against protocols and procedures. The Legal Beagles go ape over that stuff. Judge Nance handles assignments, doesn't he?"

"Yes sir." I said, looking meaningfully at the Chief. "Of course Sanders was the prosecutor and the judge was J.B. Stone... the same judge who set bail for those drug perps at Sanders's request... and Stone looked very unhappy himself when Jones was acquitted. And as I thought about it, both Sanders and Stone were pissed when Jeanine Burke became Jones's legal counsel; they knew she was going to shred the prosecution's case and get Nathaniel acquitted."

"So, to play connect-the-dots: Last year during the Kurchikov murder case, we found out about Sergeant Carroll and Patrolman Delmar and their connection to Kurchikov and possibly to his drug ring. Well, they were kicked to the kerb, and it looks like Brody and Gunn filled the void. Brody and Gunn work with Vice and Captain Malone the way Morton and Rudistan practically belong to us in MCD."

"And Brody and Gunn were the cops that busted Nathaniel Jones and testified against him." Cindy said. "I always wondered if they planted evidence on that kid, and Paulina was furious about the lack of probable cause when they stopped him and searched his vehicle without a warrant. But Sanders told her to mind her own business, and Krasney didn't do anything about it when she complained."

"Yes." I said. "I'm not convinced Krasney is part of this, though, especially after Sanders' little comment this morning. Maybe Krasney is starting to realize what's going on around him, and he's feeling some heat. But Sanders is hip-deep in this shit.

"As to the Police Department, neither I nor Internal Affairs have found any other patterns on potentially dirty cops... except Gunn and now Brody. And Gunn was also assigned to stay with that punk we arrested and found with that black badge."

"Okay, Don, tie it up with a bow for an old man." Chief Griswold said.

"This is just a forming theory, so far, but it appears that it's only a couple of cops at a time that come out of the woodwork as bad seeds. I'm beginning to think that we've had problems finding the dirty cops because the ringleader only works with a couple at any given time. It's kind of like Star Wars, when there were only two Sith Lords at any one time."

"Star Wars..." Cindy said, "Chief, the next thing he'll be telling us is that he watches old Hitchcock movies." The Chief laughed heartily at that one, and also at my withering look towards Cindy. Damn good thing she was such a good looking woman in my eyes, and that her sister was my lover...

"I don't care where his insights come from, Cindy." said the Chief. "As long as the Iron Crowbar gets the results. Okay, even I can figure out from here that we need to watch Brody and Gunn. Have you told Allgood about this, Don?"

"I've mentioned the bails to him, and he knows I was looking at the particulars of the Jones trial," I said, "but I haven't told him the full story yet. And Chief, I suggest that we don't, at least not yet. Let's keep this between the three of us for now. Not that I don't trust Daniel, but the fewer leaks, the better."

"I'm in full agreement with that." Chief Griswold said, then exhaled and said "I also need to say this, Don: Daniel Allgood is a decent man and a good cop in I.A., but he and Harold Malone have been fairly good friends for quite a while. Be careful what you tell him or let him know. I don't think Daniel is dirty, but he might simply refuse to believe that Malone is bad. I've sometimes wondered about Malone and his methods, but it's hard for me even now to really think he's that dirty. And Cindy, this moratorium applies to Teresa Croyle, also. Don't mention any of this to her."

"Yes sir." I said as Cindy nodded. "Just one final thing: I expect to be contacted about that little dustup with Sanders in Krasney's office this morning. Some serious people were and are very pissed off that Jones wasn't convicted. I think they're going to contact me, to gauge where I stand if not to steer me away from sticking my nose in that business."

"I have just one question: Why?" Cindy asked. "Why did they go so hard after that kid, when he's actually a good kid?"

"That's exactly the point, Cindy." I said. "They went after him because he is good, and sets a good example. They don't want an example or image of a black kid working hard and succeeding and making it out of the political 'plantation' they've kept blacks on for years."

"Geez... the bastards." Cindy muttered. I knew that she was not unfamiliar with discrimination issues, having known a few herself.

"Anyway," I said, "I expect to be contacted... and if I'm right, it'll be the ringleader himself or herself that makes that contact."

Part 6 - First Contact

That contact did not take long. In fact it came the next morning. But first came 7:00am, and therefore first came Bettina!

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" blared the lovely redhead. "Channel Two News has learned that Town & County Councilman Reginald B.F. Lewis has asked for appellate reviews of several cases over the last three years in which young black men without previous records may have been illegally detained, searched, and found in possession of drugs. This follows the acquittal of Nathaniel Jones just two days ago after a case that District Attorney Krasney is now admitting should never have been tried. Influential leaders of the black community are following Councilman Lewis's lead in asking for more information from the Police and the District Attorney's Office."

"In other news, Phil Kearns, who lost his wife and two children when a legally intoxicated Dean Allen plowed into their car last December, has now filed a lawsuit against Dean Allen, seeking damages believed to be in the millions of dollars. In addition, Kearns and his legal team filed an ethics complaint against State Senator Nathan Allen, father of Dean Allen, alleging that Senator Allen used his political influence to get vastly reduced charges for his son in a plea deal, and Kearns' lawyer did suggest that the ethics complaint is a first step towards a lawsuit against Senator Allen. Now let's go to Chuck Pringle at the Sports Desk. Chuck?"

"Thank you, Bettina!" Pringle said. It was obviously another taped delivery of the news, unlike Bettina's live broadcasts. "Chief Griswold strongly defended his Police Department after the NCAA's accusations that the Police withheld information from them in the investigation into P.E.D. use by University football players. Chief Griswold stated that ongoing murder investigations, including that of industrialist Timothy Olivet, was hindered by the NCAA in their, and I quote, 'unholy zeal', close quote, to obtain information related to the crimes.

"Chief Griswold went on to say that the NCAA apparently does not care if murderers go free. Additionally, Griswold has publicly called upon the State Legislature to pass a law requiring the NCAA to meet the standard of due process of law before being able to investigate any school in the State or place any school in the State on probation. This ugly war of words will have little effect on the final NCAA report and the University's very mild punishment, but it will leave deep scars and rifts going forward."

Okay, I still hate the Press... but today was a rare exception.

--

At 8:30am I was working in the unused office next to Paulina's when Captain Harold Malone walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Whatcha doing in here?" he asked casually... just a touch too casually. The first thought to enter my mind was that he was irritated that I was using the "big" office and that I'd been angling to get it for myself, and he was just going to harass me about it.

"Paperwork." I said. "This office is bigger than yours and mine put together, and the desk is not cluttered with crap. I'm just wrapping up some stuff on the Black Widow case, and I'm writing up a posthumous award for Feeley."

"Which award?" asked Malone.

"Police Cross." I said. Except for the Medal of Valor, the Distinguished Police Cross and the Fire Department's Distinguished Fire Cross were the highest awards in the Town & County Public Safety Department. After that came the Distinguished Service Award, Police Medal/Fire Medal, and then the Star of Gallantry.

Malone sat down in the chair facing the desk as he said, "I mean no disrespect for the dead, but isn't the Cross a bit too much in Feeley's circumstance?"


"Sure, but you know how it works, Captain..." I said, "Ask for the highest award and get what you want after the Council reduces it. I'm hoping for a Police Medal for Feeley."

"He'll get a Star, as well as the Purple Order, of course." Malone said, meaning the Star of Gallantry, and I suspected he was right. Then he got down to business. "What I came to talk to you about was what happened with Sanders."

Trying hard to keep my face straight and calm, I put the paperwork down and turned in the chair to face Malone, giving him my full attention.

"I'll be the first to admit, mind you," said Malone, "that Sanders was over the top in his language. His emotions overcame him."

Malone leaned in and lowered his voice in a semi-privacy, semi-conspiratorial manner. "But there are a lot of people who think he was essentially correct, and that the Jones boy was no good. A lot of people were ticked off about his acquittal."

"He was innocent." I simply said.

"Maybe he was... maybe he was." said Malone, leaning back in his chair, seeming to be searching for words. "But some people were pissed off that the Olivet woman defended the guy, and pro bono at that. And I've heard some choice words from certain circles, political circles, about you helping the defense shatter Sanders's prosecution."

"Which wasn't hard to shatter. It was lame." I said. "Surely Sanders had more and better cases to prosecute, instead of wasting his time with that one?"

"Not my call." said Malone. "Not really yours, either. I understand you stepping in if the man is truly innocent... but be careful of exactly what you're stepping into. Some people... and some very powerful people beyond the likes of you and me, I daresay... did not like what happened. Just look at what Councilman Lewis is doing now, going to those appeals courts about past convictions, good convictions. It's stirred up a hornet's nest, it's increased the already tremendous tension between the Police and the Black Community, and we don't need any of that... especially with all the elections coming up this year."

"So what are you trying to tell me, Captain?" I asked, growing weary of this. I had heard all that I needed to hear.