But she wasn't sure it was.
Across town, the video spread.
Five thousand views became fifty thousand.
Fifty thousand became hundreds of thousands.
By midnight, it was everywhere.
The caption was simple:
PREGNANT WOMAN WRONGFULLY ARRESTED.
People watched Wallace slam Maya against the car.
They heard her begging.
They heard her say she was pregnant.
They heard her mention her husband.
And then they heard Wallace's response.
“Sure he does.”
By morning, millions had seen it.
Jeremy woke to hundreds of notifications.
He opened his laptop.
The comments were brutal.
He slammed it shut.
“Social-media hysteria.”
His phone buzzed.
A message from Captain Morris.
Meeting tomorrow. 9:00 a.m. Internal review.
Jeremy sighed.
He had been through this before.
A few days of paperwork.
Maybe paid leave.
Then back to work.
That was how things worked.
Or at least, that was how they had always worked.
But this time was different.
Because the department had a new chief.
And the new chief's name was Daniel Williams.
The New Chief
At nine o'clock the next morning, the precinct briefing room was unusually quiet.
Officers stood in rows.
Whispers moved through the room.
Captain Morris stepped forward.
“There's going to be an internal review of the Williams incident.”
Jeremy leaned against the wall.
Another officer muttered something under his breath.
Morris continued.
“And there's one more thing.”
The door opened.
A tall man walked inside.
He wore a perfectly pressed uniform.
His posture was disciplined.
His expression calm.
Captain Morris turned.
“Everyone, I'd like to introduce our new chief of police.”
Daniel Williams stepped forward.
“Good morning.”
Jeremy stared at him.
Something about the man's face seemed familiar.
Daniel addressed the room.
“I've spent much of my career believing that law enforcement is about more than enforcing laws.”
He paused.
“It's about protecting people.”
No one moved.
“Respect is not something a badge gives us. It is something our actions earn.”
His eyes moved across the room.
“From this day forward, this department will be defined by accountability, ethical policing, and one simple principle.”