"I still owe you a formal apology for what happened this morning, Evelyn," Sterling said quietly. "It was a disgrace."
"It was a reality check, Arthur," Evelyn replied, taking a sip of the coffee. "It proved that every piece of data, every report, and every complaint filed against this department was accurate. Miller wasn't an anomaly; he was a symptom of a broken system."
"And how do you plan to fix it?" Sterling asked, genuinely curious.
Evelyn stood up and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city skyline. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden light over the busy streets below.
"We start with total transparency," Evelyn said firmly. "We review every complaint that was swept under the rug over the last five years. We implement mandatory de-escalation training, enforce body-camera compliance, and promote officers who actually understand community policing—like Officer Cole."
"It won't be easy," Sterling noted. "You're going to face pushback from the union and the old guard."
Chief Evelyn Vance turned around, a sharp, confident smile gracing her face. "Let them push back. I didn't take this job to make friends; I took it to bring justice back to this city. And today was just the first step."