JR SWAT 2: Two, Taken

Chapter 13: New blood

Meanwhile, Kay's place...

"Matthew, can you come here please?" Sergeant Kay called.

"Yeah... coming!" the teenager responded with a mouthful. He was downing a bowl of his favorite cereal, while watching his favorite anime on his laptop.

"Wait! Face mask, gown, gloves...you know the drill!" Sergeant Kay said sternly, putting up his hand as a stop sign. The teenager could still notice the paleness of his father's skin, the tip of his nose red and his tired eyes.

Sigh. "Yes, dad." Matthew responded. He was so sick and tired of having to dress up, it was exhausting and annoying!

Father and son then proceeded to clean and sanitize the bathroom, after the three patients in Zone 2 had properly showered. Deacon was finally able to breathe, even though the congestion was driving him crazy. Sammy's fever from last night had finally come down and Lila had woken up in good spirits.

"When we finish here, I have a meeting to attend. I will take the laptop to the back porch, ok?" Sigh. "I'm hoping I can keep up, pull through. I'll check on Tory and your mom real quick before heading out." Deacon instructed, under the mask.

"Ok" Matthew responded, under the mask. "Hey dad! Um...can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Make sure to get all the corners of the sink, ok?" Deacon said, pointing at the vanity.

"Yeah, yeah."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember a couple of years ago, when sarge had that situation with the racist cops?"

"Yeah?" Deacon answered, taking a quick glance at him. He frowned, then continued scrubbing the shower. His motions were slow, tired and he kept taking breaks.

"Did they get in trouble like sarge did?"

"Not the same punishment. They could've gotten suspended, though."

"By who? Who deals with cops that break the law, dad?"

"Well, there's a unit that investigates any allegation against cops. It's called Internal Affairs Division, IAD for short. They are meant to be neutral and act as regular detectives."

"Oh. Do cops have to follow the same laws as the rest of us?"

"Of course." Cough. "Laws are meant for everyone, Matthew. No special treatment for anyone, not even the president. If anything, it's even stricter the higher you are in the chain."

"Really? So, cops can't get away with breaking the law?"

"No." Deacon responded, shaking his head softly.

ACCHOOOOO

"Bless you. Well, then, why are some cops not punished at all? Or why take a really long time to punish guilty cops, even when there's video evidence of what happened?"

Sniff. Sniff. "Our system is not perfect, son. Our system, like any other, has it's flaws. Also, investigations may stall, fall because of technicalities or get interrupted. It's a very long and complicated process."

"But even the highest officials, the bosses, should be held accountable under the same system, right?"

"Yes." Cough.

"How does it work? Are they arrested, evidence is collected, go to trial...?"

"Yeah, it's a similar process, only that it's IAD that does the investigation and the process with the district attorney."