Post by James Gordon on Dec 1, 2020 23:08:05 GMT -7
[Part 1]
It was the beginning of December, it was cold, there was a light snow that was slowly blanketing the streets of Gotham city. In the outskirts of downtown in an area that was mostly a write-off to police was a staging ground for a raid that was about to take place. Inside a rundown apartment on the bottom floor of a complex, that has been ignored for several decades was being used to prepare members of the GCPD narcotics squad. A smaller unit of plains-clothed officers to limit the amount of attention that was afforded to them. This team of detectives has been paying close attention to what was going on across the street, a drug operation that has evaded the attention of the police for far too long. Another reason the force leading this raid today is that it wasn't exactly official. Whatever was going on across the street it was definitely a professional operation. They never used the same carriers twice, there was no paper trail and it was placed in an area that isn't exactly cop friendly. It may appear at first glance that this operation was simply part of the gangs that infested this area, but the types of narcotics that were being run through this location were much too expensive for the average member of this neighborhood to purchase.
Each time Sergeant Riley of the 12th GCPD precinct submitted a request that this outfit was looked into, she was rejected. Captain Smithers didn't believe her that something bigger was going on here, adamant that it was a small-time operation and if they wasted resources on it another one would simply crop up before the week was over. Riley had a gut feeling that wasn't the case and she also had a gut feeling that Captain Smithers was feigning ignorance. Her gut led her to stake out the operation, she knew she was up to something when she spotted someone entering the building, that someone happened to look very familiar. She took a photo with her old but reliable Nikon camera and uploaded the photo to her home personal computer. The picture was of a young man, has she met him before? She racked her brain over who it could be over a cup of hot tea. While she was in the process of refilling her tea Sergeant Riley had an 'Aha' moment. That man was Officer Bennet Stillings. She remembered being at this academy graduation, the same ceremony that her nephew graduated at. A cop was entering this building, was that chance? Could he actually live there? Two days after she noticed him going in Sergeant Riley would return to this location. This time she waited for him to come out, and decided that she would wait for as long as it took. Luckily he wasn't in there that long and when he exited the building he was with a woman and another man. Riley took several photos, not knowing their identities but she knew she wanted to cross-reference their faces with the personnel photos kept by the GCPD.
That night Sergeant Riley didn't even sleep, she was going through thousands of photos. Finally, she received a hit when she recognized the woman. Officer Jennifer Bartley. Oddly enough Officer Bartley graduated at the same time as Officer Stillings and they both came from precinct 12, just like Sergeant Riley. The sergeant never was able to make a match to the third man in the GCPD database but when she started to cross-reference with those that were in the system it didn't take long for her to find a match. Donald "Donny" Summers, a man that was arrested once for intent to distribute large amounts of powdered Cocaine. Wasn't convicted. His file ended there, what little Sergeant Riley saw was already incredibly vague. Two cops and a man suspected of distributing cocaine? Something was off here, and Sergeant Riley didn't know who she could trust. She only had one man in mind, the only man that has gone against his fellow cops in this city and managed to come out of it still alive. Chief of Detectives James W. Gordon.
The two met and the rest is history. Sergeant Riley recruited three of her closest friends on the squad, people she knew she could trust. Chief Gordon also opted to be a part of this raid, even with it being as dangerous as it was. This being an unofficial but official sanctioned raid with the Chief of Detectives, James Gordon, and Sergeant Riley might finally earn some answers. Chief Gordon was even able to convince a judge to give him a warrant, so all of the legal bases were covered as well. They prepared their sidearms and holstered them, they weren't going to draw weapons until they were outside the door, and they weren't going to attempt to cross the street with shotguns in hand. They wore flak vests but also wore their jackets over them, they looked a little bulky but they should be able to pass the street relatively unnoticed. After they finished preparing, Gordon signaled them to huddle up.
"Sergeant Riley, Officer Lopez, you're with me. Detective Hart, Detective Worthington, I want you on the fire escape. Signal on the radio when you're in position at the window, is that clear?" Riley, Lopez, Hart, and Worthington all nodded. They were prepared for what was to come next. They knew that signing up for this could cause them to lose their lives. It could cause them to become targets, to never be forgiven, and be labeled as individuals that weren't "Team players" After the clear although silent showing of agreement, Gordon would back away and take a step forward.
"Pray if it helps, take a few deep breaths. We're going to walk away from this. We're going to prevail." Did he believe his own words? Maybe. He had Barbara to fight for, he had Babs to fight for, even Jon... He knew what he got himself into and he knew what the shield meant to him, he knew what it meant to the people around him. They would possibly be outnumbered but they were trained, Riley was in the armed forces just like Gordon. He knew he could count on these people. He allowed a few minutes for the members of his team to do whatever they wanted to do and then he approached the door, opening it and stepping out.
"Let's get to it, then."
They walked down the hallway before they reached the exit of the apartment building. The sun was shining, the light almost blinded them as they walked outside. The light flurry of snow had picked up a bit, it was breezy outside, causing the trench coat Chief Gordon was wearing to flutter in the wind. Snowflakes quickly built upon Gordon's coat, giving his tan trench coat a spattering of the color white. Before they reached the front door of the building across the street, Detective Hart and Detective Worthington split up from the main group to make their way to the fire escape. Chief Gordon and Sergeant Riley carefully paid attention to their surroundings, it appeared that whoever was in the apartment above them didn't know they were coming quite yet.
Gordon, Riley, and Lopez entered the building and began climbing the stairs. They went slowly, appearing as nonchalant as possible. Lucky for them no one passed them on the stairwell. Floor two, three, and finally the fourth floor. Chief Gordon could feel it in his knees, perhaps it was the cold or maybe it was because he wasn't as young as he used to be. It was probably both, either way, he wasn't looking forward to what was coming next. He knew that he was in charge of the people that were following him, He had to be at his best for them. He would lead them to success, just like he promised just a few moments ago when he was across the street. The group of three in the building just for a moment before they approached the apartment. They waited for the signal from Detective Hart and Detective Worthington.
It came two minutes after they made it to the fourth floor, it was a simple clicking of the receiver three times to signal that it was time. Chief Gordon, Riley, and Lopez made it to the apartment door, they all nodded at each other.
Chief Gordon wanted so badly to take down whoever was inside, he didn't want to warn them but as an officer of the law, it meant he must announce himself. That was the law, even if it was impairing him from taking these goons 100% by surprise. He backed up and counted softly to himself.
"1... 2... 3..."
[End part 1]
It was the beginning of December, it was cold, there was a light snow that was slowly blanketing the streets of Gotham city. In the outskirts of downtown in an area that was mostly a write-off to police was a staging ground for a raid that was about to take place. Inside a rundown apartment on the bottom floor of a complex, that has been ignored for several decades was being used to prepare members of the GCPD narcotics squad. A smaller unit of plains-clothed officers to limit the amount of attention that was afforded to them. This team of detectives has been paying close attention to what was going on across the street, a drug operation that has evaded the attention of the police for far too long. Another reason the force leading this raid today is that it wasn't exactly official. Whatever was going on across the street it was definitely a professional operation. They never used the same carriers twice, there was no paper trail and it was placed in an area that isn't exactly cop friendly. It may appear at first glance that this operation was simply part of the gangs that infested this area, but the types of narcotics that were being run through this location were much too expensive for the average member of this neighborhood to purchase.
Each time Sergeant Riley of the 12th GCPD precinct submitted a request that this outfit was looked into, she was rejected. Captain Smithers didn't believe her that something bigger was going on here, adamant that it was a small-time operation and if they wasted resources on it another one would simply crop up before the week was over. Riley had a gut feeling that wasn't the case and she also had a gut feeling that Captain Smithers was feigning ignorance. Her gut led her to stake out the operation, she knew she was up to something when she spotted someone entering the building, that someone happened to look very familiar. She took a photo with her old but reliable Nikon camera and uploaded the photo to her home personal computer. The picture was of a young man, has she met him before? She racked her brain over who it could be over a cup of hot tea. While she was in the process of refilling her tea Sergeant Riley had an 'Aha' moment. That man was Officer Bennet Stillings. She remembered being at this academy graduation, the same ceremony that her nephew graduated at. A cop was entering this building, was that chance? Could he actually live there? Two days after she noticed him going in Sergeant Riley would return to this location. This time she waited for him to come out, and decided that she would wait for as long as it took. Luckily he wasn't in there that long and when he exited the building he was with a woman and another man. Riley took several photos, not knowing their identities but she knew she wanted to cross-reference their faces with the personnel photos kept by the GCPD.
That night Sergeant Riley didn't even sleep, she was going through thousands of photos. Finally, she received a hit when she recognized the woman. Officer Jennifer Bartley. Oddly enough Officer Bartley graduated at the same time as Officer Stillings and they both came from precinct 12, just like Sergeant Riley. The sergeant never was able to make a match to the third man in the GCPD database but when she started to cross-reference with those that were in the system it didn't take long for her to find a match. Donald "Donny" Summers, a man that was arrested once for intent to distribute large amounts of powdered Cocaine. Wasn't convicted. His file ended there, what little Sergeant Riley saw was already incredibly vague. Two cops and a man suspected of distributing cocaine? Something was off here, and Sergeant Riley didn't know who she could trust. She only had one man in mind, the only man that has gone against his fellow cops in this city and managed to come out of it still alive. Chief of Detectives James W. Gordon.
The two met and the rest is history. Sergeant Riley recruited three of her closest friends on the squad, people she knew she could trust. Chief Gordon also opted to be a part of this raid, even with it being as dangerous as it was. This being an unofficial but official sanctioned raid with the Chief of Detectives, James Gordon, and Sergeant Riley might finally earn some answers. Chief Gordon was even able to convince a judge to give him a warrant, so all of the legal bases were covered as well. They prepared their sidearms and holstered them, they weren't going to draw weapons until they were outside the door, and they weren't going to attempt to cross the street with shotguns in hand. They wore flak vests but also wore their jackets over them, they looked a little bulky but they should be able to pass the street relatively unnoticed. After they finished preparing, Gordon signaled them to huddle up.
"Sergeant Riley, Officer Lopez, you're with me. Detective Hart, Detective Worthington, I want you on the fire escape. Signal on the radio when you're in position at the window, is that clear?" Riley, Lopez, Hart, and Worthington all nodded. They were prepared for what was to come next. They knew that signing up for this could cause them to lose their lives. It could cause them to become targets, to never be forgiven, and be labeled as individuals that weren't "Team players" After the clear although silent showing of agreement, Gordon would back away and take a step forward.
"Pray if it helps, take a few deep breaths. We're going to walk away from this. We're going to prevail." Did he believe his own words? Maybe. He had Barbara to fight for, he had Babs to fight for, even Jon... He knew what he got himself into and he knew what the shield meant to him, he knew what it meant to the people around him. They would possibly be outnumbered but they were trained, Riley was in the armed forces just like Gordon. He knew he could count on these people. He allowed a few minutes for the members of his team to do whatever they wanted to do and then he approached the door, opening it and stepping out.
"Let's get to it, then."
They walked down the hallway before they reached the exit of the apartment building. The sun was shining, the light almost blinded them as they walked outside. The light flurry of snow had picked up a bit, it was breezy outside, causing the trench coat Chief Gordon was wearing to flutter in the wind. Snowflakes quickly built upon Gordon's coat, giving his tan trench coat a spattering of the color white. Before they reached the front door of the building across the street, Detective Hart and Detective Worthington split up from the main group to make their way to the fire escape. Chief Gordon and Sergeant Riley carefully paid attention to their surroundings, it appeared that whoever was in the apartment above them didn't know they were coming quite yet.
Gordon, Riley, and Lopez entered the building and began climbing the stairs. They went slowly, appearing as nonchalant as possible. Lucky for them no one passed them on the stairwell. Floor two, three, and finally the fourth floor. Chief Gordon could feel it in his knees, perhaps it was the cold or maybe it was because he wasn't as young as he used to be. It was probably both, either way, he wasn't looking forward to what was coming next. He knew that he was in charge of the people that were following him, He had to be at his best for them. He would lead them to success, just like he promised just a few moments ago when he was across the street. The group of three in the building just for a moment before they approached the apartment. They waited for the signal from Detective Hart and Detective Worthington.
It came two minutes after they made it to the fourth floor, it was a simple clicking of the receiver three times to signal that it was time. Chief Gordon, Riley, and Lopez made it to the apartment door, they all nodded at each other.
Chief Gordon wanted so badly to take down whoever was inside, he didn't want to warn them but as an officer of the law, it meant he must announce himself. That was the law, even if it was impairing him from taking these goons 100% by surprise. He backed up and counted softly to himself.
"1... 2... 3..."
[End part 1]