I thought she looked familiar, she said. I wasn't certain. Rachel wrote that down. She noted the gap between what Patricia said and what 22 years of institutional familiarity would suggest. She noted the gap without filling it in.
She went to interview Ethan Cole. Ethan's account was detailed and consistent in its framing. The credential failure, the directive to use the public entrance, the subject's refusal to comply, the escalating non-compliance, the secondary screening as a deescalation measure, the subject's continued combiveness in the room. He described the baton as a standard control posture during a security hold. He described the camera as under maintenance.
He had been told that at roll call that morning. He described his activity at the control panel as checking the camera status per maintenance protocol. He had not mentioned the form he had begun writing before completing verification. Rachel asked about the form. Ethan said he had begun documentation as standard procedure.
Rachel asked whether he had accessed the internal directory before beginning the documentation. A pause. I accessed it after the report was initiated. He said before the judicial administration called. What did you find in the directory?
Another pause. I found the name Camille Johnson. It showed an active judicial assignment. What was the credential type listed? Superior Court Judge.
Rachel wrote that down. She set her pen on the table. So, you had her name, you had terminal access, and you had the directory, and you completed the incident report before accessing the directory. Ethan said nothing. Why did you write the report before completing verification?
I was documenting a security incident. A security incident involving someone you had not yet verified as unauthorized. Ethan looked at the table. His right hand, which had been resting at the edge, moved slowly to his knee and then stopped as though he'd realized the movement and interrupted it. Rachel noticed.
She did not write it down because she could not certify what it signaled, but she noticed. Did she attempt to push past you at any point during the initial screening? She was non-compliant. That's not the question I asked. A pause.
She moved toward the exit. Did she make physical contact with you? She was non-compliant. Officer Cole, did she touch you, strike you, or attempt to take the baton from you at any point during this incident? A longer pause.