The hearing continued for six hours.
By evening, Mercer's badge was permanently revoked.
Harlan was suspended pending criminal proceedings.
Several other officers were placed on administrative leave.
But Simone refused to stop there.
She announced a complete review of every case connected to the unit.
Three years.
Hundreds of arrests.
Thousands of traffic stops.
Every questionable case would be reviewed.
The city would contact affected citizens.
No one would have to discover years later that their case had been compromised.
At a press conference the next morning, reporters surrounded Simone.
One asked:
"Is this a scandal involving racist policing?"
Simone paused.
"The evidence shows documented racial disparities and misconduct in specific cases. Those findings will be addressed through the legal process."
Another reporter asked:
"Do you believe the entire department is corrupt?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because many officers came forward with information. Some refused improper orders. Some preserved evidence. Some reported misconduct even when it was difficult."
She looked toward the cameras.
"The distinction matters."
An honest officer should not be punished because another officer abused authority.
But an institution could not protect itself by pretending misconduct was isolated when evidence showed otherwise.
That afternoon, Simone met with officers.
Some were angry.
Some were frightened.
One veteran officer stood.
"What happens if we make an honest mistake?"
Simone answered immediately.
"Then report it."
"And if we report another officer?"
"You will be protected."
"What if the officer outranks us?"
"Rank does not change the rule."
The room became quiet.
Simone continued.
"Accountability is not an attack on policing. It is what separates lawful authority from personal power."
Some officers nodded.
Others did not.
But the conversation had begun.
The reforms were difficult.
Changing a policy was easy.
Changing behavior was not.
The first reform involved evidence.
No single officer could enter the narcotics vault alone.
Every removal required two independent credentials.
Every transaction was automatically recorded.
Every package received a digital weight verification.
Every discrepancy triggered an immediate review.
The second reform involved cameras.
Body-camera recordings were automatically uploaded to an external server.
Precinct supervisors could view them.
They could not delete them.
They could not alter them.
They could not silently mark them unavailable.
The third reform involved traffic stops.
Monthly statistics were published.
Residents could see the number of stops.
Searches.
Arrests.
Warnings.
And demographic patterns.
The goal was not to punish officers for statistics.
It was to make patterns visible.
The fourth reform changed how complaints were handled.
Citizens could file complaints online.
They could call.
They could speak to independent advocates.
And a complaint could no longer disappear simply because a supervisor considered it inconvenient.
The fifth reform changed promotions.
Arrest totals were no longer treated as the central measure of success.
Instead, evaluations considered report accuracy, lawful procedure, de-escalation, community relations, and documented intervention when misconduct occurred.
Not everyone welcomed the changes.
Anonymous messages appeared online.
Some accused Simone of destroying morale.
Others called her reforms unnecessary.
One message simply said:
"You're going to regret this."
Ruiz showed it to her.
Simone read it.
"Threat?"
"Maybe."
"Then document it."
Ruiz smiled.
"You're impossible."
"I'm thorough."
Meanwhile, Marcus Bell returned to work.
Denise reopened her bakery expansion plans.
Jordan began college.
The city created a compensation program for people harmed by fabricated evidence.
Money could not erase what happened.
But it could remove some of the financial burdens created by misconduct.
Marcus visited Simone months later.
He brought a small box.
Inside was a hospital badge.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"Because I almost lost it."
Simone smiled.
"You kept it."
"Because somebody finally listened."
She closed the box.
"Keep it."
Marcus looked confused.