The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 249 Arrest
"you sure?"

Under Peña's watchful gaze, Costa's expression instantly changed upon receiving the call.

His eyes widened, and his already tired face visibly became excited.

As a seasoned detective, Penia had a sudden realization; with her keen intuition, she sensed that the case was about to take a turn for the better…?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Costa, who was waiting to be transferred, excitedly gave his answer.

"Peña! I think we might be about to find a breakthrough in the case!"

As Costa spoke, he heard the call transfer notification sound, then excitedly pressed the button and said:
"I'm Costa! Hope? What's going on? You'd better have good news, because the coffee on my desk is as cold as a morgue."

Upon hearing Costa's words, Hope knew that the other had stayed up all night again, and took a deep breath.

“Detective Costa, this is more than just good news! Just a few hours ago, I received a trace evidence sample from West Canyon Patrol Officer Eric Stevens, taken from a gap in the trunk of a vehicle. It appears to be a blood clot.”

Eric Stevens? Costa paused, a young man automatically appearing in his mind.

Why is it him again?
Before Costa could think further, Hope continued, "...Preliminary serological testing confirms it's human blood. I've just completed the STR typing and entered the DNA profile into CODIS for comparison."

The system provided an exact, 100% match!

It's Jennifer Mosley, female, 43 years old, case number 2023-0741, the victim of the Mosley family murder case!

"Great!"

Costa felt his emotions surge like a rollercoaster, instantly reaching their peak, but he remained clear-headed.

"Wait, Hope, you're saying Eric Stevens retrieved this from a gap in the trunk of the vehicle?"

“Yes!” Hope replied, a slight relaxation appearing on her face.

"According to information provided by Constable Eric Stevens, the vehicle is a white 2008 Toyota Camry with license plate California 5ABC123."

The registered owner and driver at the time was Damon Ike, male, white, bald, and 36 years old.

At this point, Hope didn't forget to mention Eric's role.

"When Officer Eric Stevens pulled him over for a traffic violation, his keen observation skills alerted him to his suspicious behavior. He secretly collected this crucial piece of evidence and then gave it to me for testing. I never expected..."

Upon hearing this, Costa clearly understood what was going on.

It was nothing more than the young man following the usual procedure, touching the trunk of the suspect's vehicle, and then noticing something amiss.

But if it were any other patrol officer, they would probably just think it was dust or something else and ignore it. But this young man actually picked out a scab from it.
A gap in the trunk?
He knew perfectly well that scabs were barely perceptible to the touch unless one had an exceptionally sensitive sense of touch.

Thinking about this, Costa didn't know what to think. He just felt that this young man really had the talent to be a detective, and that they were quite destined to be together.

Costa quickly took out a pen and wrote down the relevant information about the driver named Damon Ike in the notebook on his desk, then handed it to Peña and asked her to look it up.

Then he continued:
"Hope! Could you send the complete CODIS matching report and all evidence photos to my terminal and case-shared folder via a secure, encrypted channel?"

Hope said, "Yes! I've already started preparing."

He was indeed already preparing. During the transfer, he had already integrated all the physical evidence photos and the matching report on his computer, and was just waiting to send them.

Costa continued, "I also need a formal draft of the expert testimony, and we need this application for a search warrant and an arrest warrant."

Procedural justice.

Once a suspect has been identified, they generally do not carry out arrests and searches immediately before obtaining a warrant.

Unless there is an emergency, such as the suspect destroying evidence or about to flee.

This is to avoid being bitten by the suspect.

In California law, the gold standard for initiating an arrest and search is simple: as long as there is reasonable grounds.

① Based on known facts and circumstances, the police have specific and clear facts indicating that criminal activity may be about to occur, is occurring, or has already occurred.

② There is a considerable probability that a crime has occurred and is related to the suspect. Based on the amount of information provided by Hope, this standard is fully met, or even far exceeded.

Hopp would naturally not refuse what Costa wanted.

"it is good!"

Costa hung up the phone, suppressing his excitement. He glanced at Peña, who was searching for driver information, then at his teammates who were still fast asleep, and slammed his fist on the table.

Bang!
The sleeping team members in front of them were suddenly awakened and looked at their captain, Costa, with dazed eyes.

"what's the situation?"

"Guys, get to work!" Costa shouted.

"The case has taken a turn for the better! Just now, we have preliminarily identified the suspect."

Upon hearing this, the two sleeping team members looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

But the next second, their eyes widened.

“Yes, you’re right! It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later!” Costa said excitedly, looking at one of the young women.

"Joyna! I'll send the relevant report to your computer shortly. After that, contact the District Attorney's (DA) office immediately and start drafting the affidavit!"

Joyna nodded: "Okay, boss."

Costa then looked at the last man, who was quite robust.

"White! You'll come with me to keep an eye on the suspect later, so he doesn't escape."

White nodded: "Okay, but boss, what's going on? How did they suddenly catch the suspect?"

Costa let out a long-held sigh: "Thanks to your help!"

-

An Explorer patrol car slowly stopped on the side of a street.

"10-L-11, Code 7, meal break."

"Roger that!"

"..."

Eric got out of the car and habitually glanced around.

Still the same.

There was a stall set up on the side of the street ahead, and under a large sun umbrella was a modified truck.

The car body was painted with bright Mexican-style patterns, and the windows were transformed into an open service counter with a few simple but clean plastic tables and chairs inside and outside.

Uriel and his wife, whom I hadn't seen for almost a month, were busy inside, preparing ingredients for the midday rush.

His appearance naturally attracted the attention of the Mexicans inside.

"Officer Stevens! You're back from leave?" Uriel asked with a look of surprise.

“Yes.” Eric didn’t want to ask Uriel how he knew he was on vacation. He glanced at the seating area and saw only a few guests. Will and the others hadn’t arrived yet.

"The usual! Uriel! Less sauce, more meat!"

Uriel replied, "Alright! Have a seat, I'll be right there!"

(End of this chapter)