Two men on the force helped with the tow truck investigation and when it was done he was sure they were perfectly clean.  He wasn’t sure if they were the only ones who were although later he would admit there were at least twenty others.  The two were Bart Donnely and Jack Farley.  These men were opposites in many ways.  Bart was a relatively young by the book officer.  Jack was a slightly more experienced seat of the pants cop.  Although their styles clashed they worked well together because they had an overriding common goal.  Both considered maintaining the integrity of the department to be absolutely essential.  Jack expressed it bluntly.  If you are going to be dirty, at least be honest and be a criminal.  Donnely found himself in the uncomfortable position of testifying against the officer who he rode with on his first night on the force.  The officer was demoted.  For several days Bart seemed in a daze.  Jack pulled him back to reality.  “You have a choice.  You can either have dirty cops or you can clean up the department.”  Bart responded that he didn’t like the alternatives.  It was apparently easier for Jack than for him.  Jack shook his head. “It is as tough for me.  I just know that we don’t have any choice.  I tell you, in case it doesn’t show, doing this tears at my guts.”  Bart walked away knowing Jack was right.

With the kickbacks taken care of the chief took on some of the race discrimination issues.  Without a lot of fanfare he made changes and minority officers suddenly found the playing field got more level.  It wasn’t perfect but he was chipping away at years of problems.  Five years later he would at times ask pointed questions when a promotion was made.  And he questioned some minority appointments.  He would not lower standards to get more minorities on the force but he used his influence to recruit and retain the good ones.  While working on this issue he had heard rumblings that some of the women candidates and officers were given less than a fair shake.  He asked his secretary to pull the records of all of the women who left.  After a review of the records he asked for more information on their service records.  This showed that the first partners all of the women were assigned to were some of the worst of the division.  Many mentors had discipline records that made them marginal officers at best.  They should not have been mentoring new officers, male or female.  After all, why do you want someone with bad habits doing mentoring?  A check of mentors for male officers showed a far different pattern.  He found the names of the women who quit and made some quiet inquiries about their current jobs.  He quickly found where seventeen of the first twenty were employed.  All were in police work in other entities in the area.  Most were in the state police or in the regional police forces that surrounded the city.  They left the city force but not one had left the area for a better opportunity or change in location.  Some still lived in the city, all lived within fifteen miles of the square.  All but one was in police work.  She was a stay at home mom after about five years in a regional force.  They had not left for more money.  The county forces had salaries that were nearly on par with the city and some in fact were slightly lower.  He called three of the county police chiefs.  Twelve of the seventeen women were working on their forces.  He asked about the women.  The worst one of them was rated a good officer.  Most were rated in the top quarter of their force.  One chief noted that if the city had more rejects like the ones he had seen they send them his way he could use a couple more like them.  The chief recognized several of the names from newspaper articles.  All but two had commendations for bravery or service above and beyond the call of duty in their short time with the city.  When he finished the calls he called in his day watch commanders, men he knew and trusted.  He laid out the information he was given and asked, “Is this just a fluke?”