Jimmy returned to the police station, and since he was just following in another car, he didn't even need to write a report, which was a relief. What was really annoying for Jimmy was that the vacation request he had submitted with Cage hadn't been approved yet, nor had it been rejected; it had just gone quiet.
He had originally planned to go play at the Miami beach, but with August passing by and autumn approaching, hmm, it looked like he needed to change his destination. If nothing else worked out, Yellowstone National Park would do, as it was also a place he had heard was quite famous.
Jimmy's support work was much busier than when he was on patrol. Previously, the area he was responsible for was small and there were fewer incidents, allowing him to slack off most of the time, but it was utterly boring. Now, although busier, he was dealing with a variety of issues, which added some color to his monotonous life.
Unlike Jimmy's busyness, the organizational reforms long pushed for by Chief James had finally borne fruit. The county committee had agreed to the police station's divisional restructuring, turning several offices scattered around into divisional offices, and reassigning officers from their original squads to these divisions.
Of course, with the establishment of divisions, it was only logical that the police station would expand, requiring additional staff at all levels.
Luckily, the requirements here at the county police were different from those of the city police. A significant number of county and rural police in the United States come from other professions, directly recruiting a few recently-retired soldiers and then retraining them to serve as patrol officers was a common practice, assigning veteran officers to accompany them on the job.
When Chief James talked about changing the culture of the county police by recruiting graduates from proper police academies, it was just talk. Police academy graduates usually opt for big city police stations, and it's hard for the county police to recruit many.
Cage had been transferred to the Northwest Division, while Jimmy was part of the Support Team stationed at the headquarters and not affiliated with any division. The leaders who were previously based in other offices also returned to headquarters, making the Plaskey County Sheriff's Office finally look like it was for a large county.
(This is my own modification; to make Jimmy's early start smoother, very few people were allocated to the headquarters. In reality, the Plaskey County Sheriff's Office had been divided into divisions decades ago.)
The organizational reform had little impact on Jimmy. He just needed to wait for deployment at the headquarters.
What Jimmy was actually more concerned about now were his night school credits. He wondered if his spirit had been boosted by "Heart Eye" since crossing over, as he felt both his memory and comprehension skills were much stronger than in his previous life.
The study materials he purchased, though not photographic in memory, could be remembered after a few more reviews. The improved comprehension allowed him to easily handle some of the past exam questions, giving Jimmy the sudden feeling that he was a genius.
Of course, the main reason was that the coursework at the community college wasn't difficult, especially in night school, which was basically about paying for a certificate.
Jimmy was considering asking his teacher if he could take the exams early, to get them over with and relieve himself of the burden. However, his hopes were dashed; despite his good grades, the exams would still proceed according to the normal schedule.
Jimmy could only apply for a few more courses in advance, hoping to handle them early and maybe schedule more exams at once, to save time.
While Jimmy was trying hard to slack off, the last thing he wanted to hear came through the walkie-talkie.
"Gunfight, officer shot, at the intersection of East 17th Street and Parker Road. Nearby officers, provide immediate support."
A gunfight was nothing new; there were gunfights almost every day. But an officer being shot was serious. Since the dispatch center hadn't directly notified Jimmy, even if he wanted to go, he couldn't.
East 17th Street was a main road in the Lower District, LRPD territory. The county police could do as they pleased in the suburbs and nobody would care, but stretching their hands into the heart of the city was taking it too far.
Twenty minutes later, the dispatch center directly called Jimmy. "A28, gunfight, officer shot. Provide immediate support at the intersection of East 16th Street and Parker Road. Please use channel 7."
Jimmy immediately headed out. The earlier report was East 17th Street, and it had already shifted to East 16th Street in such a short time; it was clear that the suspect was fleeing, and the police support had failed to stop him.
Shouldn't SWAT be called in for a request for backup during a gunfight in LRPD's area? Why was he being singled out?
The county police headquarters building was in Little Rock; with his siren wailing and lights flashing, Jimmy blew through red lights and, when necessary, even drove against traffic to overtake cars in front. He finally reached the scene after 15 minutes.
Several police cars had already stopped at the scene, along with a SWAT van, and the cops were mostly taking cover behind their vehicles and the corners of nearby buildings.
Jimmy parked his police car at the back, away from the intersection. He approached the nearest officer and asked, "Who's in charge here?"
The officer, responsible for intercepting traffic on the perimeter, pointed to the SWAT vehicle, "Sergeant Ted Holman, he's behind the SWAT van."
Jimmy, crouching and running in the same manner as the other officers taking cover, made his way over, "Sergeant Ted, we meet again."
Ted said, "You're the Butcher?" He turned to look at a plainclothes detective beside him. The detective's badge was hanging around his neck, clearly visible.
The detective reached out to shake hands with Jimmy, "Ned Ryan. I've attended a hearing at your office before."
Ned turned to Ted and confirmed, "That's him."
Ted said, "Fill him in on the situation." Then he turned back to continue communicating with the SWAT team members beside him.
Ned pulled Jimmy over to a corner and pointed at a white building, "Today we were capturing two gang members involved in a homicide. After a shootout, he fled into that building. We've had three brothers injured; they've been sent to the hospital now.
The building is already surrounded, front and back, but the suspect has heavy firepower. We can't storm in; the casualties would be too high."
Jimmy glanced at the building, a small two-story with a pointy top attic. The glass at the front had all been shattered, and it was unclear whether it was broken by the police outside or by the person inside for a better view.
Jimmy asked, "How many people, and what kind of weapons?"
Ned replied, "Three people, two Black, one Hispanic. They all had handguns when they entered the house, but during the fight with us, they already used two rifles, probably found inside the house."
Jimmy inquired, "How many shots have they fired? Do we have an approximate count? Any signs of running out of ammunition?"
Ned answered, "No, the homeowner even had two rifles stored, so there surely won't be a shortage of bullets in the house. It's impossible to judge."
Jimmy questioned, "Are there any hostages inside?"
Ned confirmed, "No, we've obtained the homeowner's phone number from the system. His whole family is on vacation in Alaska, and they won't be back any time soon."
Jimmy concluded, "OK, one last question, why call me over?"
Ned said, "We've got three brothers shot; they can't just bleed and get hurt for nothing. I know you, and I've looked into your recent situation; you're the most suitable."
Jimmy looked at Ned silently, thinking that he was indeed being treated as a super enforcer.
"OK, you'll be responsible for all the consequences."