Some would see him as the man who had embarrassed one of their own.
He knew there would be resistance.
He also knew something else.
If he responded with anger, he would become exactly what everyone expected him to be.
So he decided on something harder.
He would respond with discipline.
The next morning, Adrian walked into police headquarters at 7:02 a.m.
Nobody applauded.
Nobody greeted him.
A few officers watched from the hallway.
Someone whispered:
"That's him."
Another voice answered:
"Yeah."
Adrian entered the briefing room.
Forty-three officers sat facing him.
Grant Holloway was absent.
Adrian placed his notes on the table.
"Good morning."
Silence.
He waited.
"Let's try that again."
A few officers reluctantly answered.
"Good morning, Chief."
Adrian nodded.
"My name is Adrian Cole."
"I know some of you don't trust me."
"I know some of you think I came here to clean house."
"And I know some of you believe Officer Holloway was treated unfairly."
Nobody moved.
Adrian continued.
"You're entitled to those opinions."
"But here's what you're not entitled to."
He paused.
"You are not entitled to abandon the rules because you disagree with them."
The room remained silent.
"I will defend officers who act within policy."
"I will support officers who make difficult decisions in good faith."
"I will fight for better equipment, better training, better staffing, and better protection for this department."
"But I will never protect an officer simply because he wears the same uniform I do."
A veteran officer in the back raised his hand.
Adrian nodded.
"Speak."
"Chief, what happens to Holloway?"
"Internal investigation."
"Will he be fired?"
"If the evidence requires termination, yes."
"If the evidence doesn't, no."
Another officer spoke.
"Would you have done the same if you didn't know he was the chief?"
Adrian looked directly at him.
"I expect everyone to treat me the same whether I'm wearing a suit or standing in uniform."
The officer nodded.
Adrian continued.
"Because that is the standard."
The investigation lasted nineteen days.
Every witness was interviewed.
Every video was reviewed.
Every report was examined.
The original incident report written by Holloway claimed that Adrian had become "verbally aggressive."
The footage showed otherwise.
The report claimed Adrian had "made a sudden movement toward the officer."
The footage contradicted that too.
The investigation concluded that Holloway had violated department policy.
But something unexpected happened.
During the investigation, other officers began coming forward.
Not to defend Holloway.
To tell stories.
A young Black officer described being told by a senior supervisor that certain neighborhoods required "different tactics."
A female officer described being mocked after reporting inappropriate comments.
Another officer admitted that patrol cars sometimes arrived late to complaints because dispatchers knew the callers were "always dramatic."
One officer told investigators:
"We stopped believing people would listen."
Adrian read every statement.
He didn't sleep much.
On the twentieth day, he called the department together.
"Something is broken here."
No one spoke.
"I don't mean the entire department."
"I mean the culture."
He placed a stack of papers on the table.
"These are complaints that were closed without meaningful review."
"These are use-of-force reports that don't match body-camera footage."
"These are training records."
He looked around.
"None of this happened overnight."
An officer asked:
"What are you going to do?"
Adrian answered:
"Fix it."
The officer laughed nervously.
"How?"
"One policy at a time."
Grant Holloway eventually returned to headquarters.
He had been suspended during the investigation.
When he walked through the doors, the building felt unfamiliar.
He had lost weight.
His shoulders seemed lower.
His badge was still pinned to his uniform.