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

Chapter 320 feels great
Eric glanced at the spotless water dispenser and knew that there must be someone in the team who liked cleanliness or tidying up.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Eric turned around to follow Peña's footsteps.

Penia strolled slowly through the office area, gesturing to various areas as she began her presentation.

“This is the core area of ​​our fourth squadron, these are the desks.” She pointed to the desks that seemed to be placed randomly but were connected by passageways.

"As you can see, the space is quite large, but the team is not yet fully staffed, so these tables are currently the positions for the team's agents. Including you, there are five people in total, including myself and Costa."

Your seat is over there, near the filing cabinet. It's a bit out of the way, but it's still relatively quiet.

If you have any special needs, please let us know.

Eric looked in the direction she pointed and saw a standard L-shaped desk next to a tall gray filing cabinet in the innermost corner of the office.

On the table sits a desktop computer monitor that looks a bit old, along with a standard shared keyboard and mouse.

However, it is true that there were far fewer documents on his desk than on the other four desks.

"This is the lounge, which has a microwave and a refrigerator, and is where we have lunch."

You've seen the water dispenser.

The conference room is where case analysis and task assignments are conducted.

In the archives, non-confidential files can be borrowed with appropriate authorization, but original documents cannot be taken away.

Finally, Peña pointed to the office separated by glass.

“That’s Costa’s office. As for my workstation,” she gestured to the relatively tidy desk next to the captain’s office.

"It's right there. If you have any questions about the process or anything you're unsure about, feel free to come to me anytime."

After Penia finished her presentation, she looked at Eric, waiting for him to process the information.

“I know you performed exceptionally well in the patrol department before, but the pace and pressure in RHD are different. I hope you can adapt quickly.”

Eric nodded, already understanding the situation. He glanced at Peña's workstation one more time before finally looking back at Peña.

He now has some guesses about Peña's identity.

My workstation is right next to the team leader's office, a prime location with a clear view of the entire area.

In addition, given that he can partner with the captain, Peña's position in the team must be quite high.

He's most likely the vice-captain.

Peña took in Eric's subtle reaction, and the corners of her mouth twitched up almost imperceptibly.

That's impressive, that's a great observational skill.

“It seems you’ve noticed,” Peña said with a smile, formally stating her position.

"That's right, I'm the vice-captain."

She then added, "In the team, you can call me Peña or vice-captain, it's up to you, but most people just call me Peña."

“Understood, Peña,” Eric replied readily.

In the LAPD system, the deputy captain of a squadron in the RHD is either a police inspector or a police superintendent.

This is already a very high position; the next step up would be to become a police inspector in charge of a department.

“Very good,” Peña said, somewhat satisfied with Eric’s reaction, glancing at her watch.

"That's how the internal environment is. Now we'll go through the necessary procedures."

First stop, the administration office. Get your official ID and access card. Follow me.

Without any hesitation, Peña turned and walked out of the office, with Eric silently following behind.

For the next hour, under Peña's efficient guidance, Eric began navigating different floors of the detective agency building.

She also thoughtfully explained the layout of each floor to Eric, giving him a deeper understanding of the police station building.

At the same time, Peña is extremely familiar with the processes and can directly find key personnel in each department, minimizing waiting time.

Throughout the process, Peña didn't say much, only explaining when necessary and communicating with the staff, but her presence itself made the process much smoother.

After having his photo taken and information entered at the administrative office, he received his own identification document.

Next, we went to the basement level to head to the equipment department.

There was a familiar smell here: gun oil and metal.

"What are your plans regarding your sidearm? Will you use the standard Glock from the department, or do you have your own preferred weapon?" Peña asked Eric, adding a question.

"Many people will choose the one that is most convenient for them."

“I’ll use my own,” Eric answered decisively.

"It's just been modified a bit."

Penia hesitated for a moment: "Model number? All modifications must comply with regulations, and all relevant documents must be complete, right?"

“Staccato 2011 P pistol,” Eric said calmly. He had already done a lot of research before reporting for duty. Although this gun had been modified by Bauer, it was only to better suit his personal data. The materials were different, but the actual construction was not far from the standards required by the police department.

Moreover, this gun is also within the selection range of the military and police, it's just a bit expensive.

Of course, he secretly tinkered with it before coming, replacing some parts; basically, he was just doing his own thing.

"Don't worry, all modifications are legal and all the necessary permits are in order."

Peña raised an eyebrow, offering no comment, but simply nodded:
"Okay! We'll go to the Equipment Section later. The main tasks are registration and updating information."

Custom-made guns will be carefully inspected to ensure they fully comply with departmental safety standards and legal regulations. If there are no issues, they will be approved, and other standard equipment will be issued as usual.

Eric nodded and said, "Understood."

We arrived at the equipment department.

Penia walked to the counter and said to a burly administrator inside, "Falk, a new recruit in the fourth squadron, Eric Stevens."

To register your custom weapon, Staccato2011 P, you need to carefully review the information, update it, and then collect your standard equipment.

Falk glanced up at Eric, his expression showing surprise, but his eyes also held a hint of interest.

"Take it out and let's see it."

Eric then took out a custom 2011 gun from its holster, which Bauer had named the Watcher.

Peña was fine, but Falk gave an American-style raised eyebrow. In his opinion, the gun had sharp lines, the grip was obviously specially designed to fit the hand shape, and the overall workmanship was extremely fine. It was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary product.

Good gun!

Those who can manage equipment are generally people who like firearms.

Eric removed the magazine, emptied the chamber, and after confirming it was safe, handed it to Falk along with his gun license and other relevant documents proving the legality of any customizations or modifications.

Falk took the rather heavy pistol, examined it carefully, checked the serial number, and paid special attention to key parts such as the trigger pull and safety to ensure that all modifications were within the limits permitted by law and departmental safety regulations.

He compared the documents and confirmed that there were no errors.

But Falk sensed the presence of a certain fat man in the gun. He didn't say anything, but just gave Eric, who had a calm expression, a deep look.

“Not bad,” Folk commented, stamping the document.

"Registration update complete. All information has been entered into your file and duty system! Remember, the regulations apply to everyone."

"Understood." Eric took it and neatly reset the pistol. He could easily fix it later.

The advantages are all in the trigger pull itself; the power remains unchanged, so no one can tell the difference. Then, Focker took out the standard detective equipment: two handcuffs, a badge sheath, and so on.

"These are standard items; you need to sign to receive them."

"OK!" Eric checked and signed.

After the equipment department's procedures were completed, Penia greeted Falk and then left with Eric to continue to the next step.

“It’s been registered. From now on, it will be your duty weapon. Just like the patrol department’s rules, the use of every bullet needs to be clearly recorded in the report,” Peña reminded.

“I know the rules, Peña.” Ericra zipped up his equipment bag.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."

Penia nodded in satisfaction: "Last stop, Information Department. Update your system permissions. RHD can access higher-level data than before."

As she spoke, she quickened her pace: "Once everything is done, you can start looking at those old case files in your office."

-

With all the procedures completed, Eric's identity has been finalized.

His position is that of a trainee detective, which has a different status and responsibilities, but his rank has not changed yet.

The two returned to the office.

Peña remained dutiful: "You're now a full member of the Fourth Squadron. Go back to your position later to familiarize yourself with the system, check your file, and see if Costa has assigned you any specific tasks."

“Okay.” Eric followed behind, adjusting to the change in his role, and entered the office with Peña.

The atmosphere in the office was different from when they left; there were more voices and more life in it.

Except for Costa's office, which remains empty, the other two desks are already occupied.

Behind a table near the door sat a female detective who looked to be in her early thirties with neat short brown hair.

She was typing rapidly on her computer screen when she heard the door open. She looked up, her gaze first falling on Peña, then immediately shifting to Eric behind her, a hint of undisguised curiosity and scrutiny flashing in her eyes.

My first impression was that he was very handsome, extremely handsome, handsome enough to be a star. You couldn't tell at all that he was being fierce in his interception.

At another table, near the conference room, a tall, somewhat lazy-looking man wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants was drinking coffee while flipping through documents in his hand.

He looked over as well, his gaze lingering on Eric's face for a moment.

“Looks like our new blood has arrived.” White spoke first, putting down his coffee cup and gesturing with his chin toward Eric.

He had heard of Eric, this newcomer, even when he was still in the hospital.

If Eric hadn't discovered the blood scab and successfully intercepted that major case, the Fourth Squadron probably wouldn't be so successful now.

Peña was already used to this scene and simply introduced them to each other: "Joyna, White, this is Eric Stevens, who will be with our Fourth Squadron from today onwards."

Then she turned to Eric, “Joyna Lee, White Jackson, you two get to know each other first.”

Joyna stopped typing and smiled, "I've heard so much about you. Welcome to the team. Just call me Joyna."

His tone was quite gentle, and he seemed to be the kind of person with a kind and gentle personality. Eric was certain that this person was the one who cleaned the office.

"Thank you, just call me Eric."

Joyna smiled and nodded. White, who was quite tall, walked over with a coffee cup and naturally chimed in:

"White, the scab boy looks much more energetic in person than in the photo in the report."

Eric paused for a moment, then realized that the other party was probably referring to the major case of Bloodscar. More importantly, he had also received the reward from the detective department.

"Scabbed boy?" Eric just smiled, after all, the other party's tone was not malicious, but more like a joke.

"Uh," but he really didn't know how to respond.

White patted Eric's arm nonchalantly and said, "You really helped me out last time."

Peña stood to the side, watching their interaction with a smile: "Eric, you already know your position, make your own arrangements."

"Joyna, White, give him a hand." With that, Peña walked to her workstation, leaving them alone.

“No problem, Peña,” Joyna replied, then turned to Eric.

"My computer password is 32455. If you need to reset it or if there's anything you don't like about the system, just call me anytime."

“Okay,” Eric nodded.

White, holding his coffee, leaned against the filing cabinet next to him and asked with a hint of curiosity, "So, how's it feeling on your first day here? It must be different from being a patrol officer, right?"

“It is indeed different, it feels like I’m more free?” Eric said.

"And the environment is more comfortable than I expected."

White scoffed, "You won't think that way once you see what it's like when we're stuck in this godforsaken place for 48 hours straight before the case is closed."

As he spoke, he walked toward his workstation and said, "Alright, I won't disturb you from setting up camp, newbie. If you don't understand anything, ask Joyna, or... you can ask me if you're so inclined."

Eric nodded and walked to his seat, sat down in front of the computer, pressed the power button, and watched the screen light up, filled with anticipation.

Upon seeing the password field, he entered the temporary password provided by Joyna and successfully gained access to the LAPD's intranet system.

The desktop is a standard dark blue, but besides the standard software, there are a few key icons and folders neatly arranged on it.

Eric knew what CAL-ID and CLETS were; they were the icons for California's law enforcement communications system, which allowed users to check statewide criminal records, driver's license information, vehicle registration data, and protection order status.

There is also the VICAP, a national database maintained by the FBI for comparing and tracking serial violent crimes, particularly homicides, sex crimes, and missing persons cases.

And so on, various software, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), and the Regional Judicial Information System (ARJIS).

This made Eric intuitively realize that the detective's authority was indeed very great.

Eric looked at the Los Angeles Police Department's internal Case Management System (CMS) icon, clicked on it with his mouse, and logged into the new account he had obtained from the Information Department.

It was filled with a dazzling array of items.

There are tabs for my pending cases and shared cases in the squadron.

"You can handle cases on your own? That's a lot of freedom!" Eric raised an eyebrow, feeling he had chosen the right department.

But he hadn't had time to get used to it for long.

Joyna then spoke up and sent several folders: "Logged into CMS? I suggest you look at these first."

The next second, a file named after him was being transferred, clearly the work of Joyna.

“OK!” Eric accepted the document, opened it, and found so-called internal regulations and requirements, as well as report templates.

A dense list of terms immediately popped up on the screen, and Eric couldn't help but twitch his lips.

White seemed to sense something, took a loud sip of coffee in his seat, and mumbled, "Don't be scared. There are a lot of rules, but you can figure it out yourself. At least you won't have to wear a uniform and stand in the sun on the street every day."

"And our boss is very easy to talk to. Although he looks calm and expressionless, as long as you're capable and can solve cases, he'll take the blame for you!"

The next second, Peña coughed.

“Never mind,” White said.

Eric couldn't help but chuckle: "Okay, I've forgotten what you just said, so I'm watching now."

He felt very good.

This fourth squadron seems pretty good, huh?
(End of this chapter)