"This damned world… sixteen registered sex offenders living in a regular neighborhood!" Danny complained loudly, entering the office with a thick stack of files in his hand.
"Any news on the white van lead?" Jack asked.
"A false alarm in Astoria—a case of mistaken identity involving an Asian family. Once this case is over, I'm having a talk with that racist informant."
Danny distributed the files on sex offenders to waiting officers, urging them to verify the whereabouts of these suspects as soon as possible.
"Jack, come with me," Dana Mohay appeared at the doorway, nodding slightly at Jack.
"Uh, sure," Jack put down his investigative reports and followed her.
Dana strode out of the precinct and headed toward Police Plaza. "Frank worked his way up from a regular patrol officer to his current role, but his support among the upper echelons isn't as strong as it is among the public."
Jack walked quietly behind her, listening. He didn't entirely understand why his supervisor was telling him this, but he knew that as he interacted with more parts of this world, politics would inevitably play a part.
When Jack had gone to Washington, D.C., for an award ceremony, he realized that the FBI Director here wasn't the one he'd seen in photos from his past life. It reminded him that this world differed in some unexpected ways, and if he wanted a status as solid as Rossi's in the Bureau, he had a lot to learn.
There's an old saying, "The skilled swimmer is drowned in water." Not knowing the currents at all, however, could get you killed even faster. Although Jack was still just a senior agent, unburdened by political allegiances, he knew he couldn't stay in Rossi's shadow forever.
As someone with special abilities, Jack hadn't given eternal life much thought, but he intended to live longer than anyone he knew and had to consider the long-term. He didn't know if he'd stay in the FBI forever, but he understood that if he wanted to live a fulfilling life here, money alone wouldn't cut it. A degree of social standing, or even a network, was essential.
He wasn't interested in playing puppetmaster, but he didn't mind making friends with capable, well-connected individuals. Many figures he encountered felt familiar, as though he knew them in some way.
Danny Reagan, for instance, and his family—a family he vaguely remembered from a drama about a New York police family. And Danny himself, whom he recognized from Band of Brothers as Lieutenant Carwood Lipton. After looking up Danny's father, Frank Reagan, Jack chuckled. Wasn't this the same actor who played Monica's much older boyfriend, "Uncle Richard," in Friends, with those well-groomed mustaches?
With these realizations, Jack felt at ease befriending these positive "characters," much like how he'd eagerly extended an olive branch to a certain "accountant-assassin" he recognized.
Following Dana across the street to Police Plaza, they saw a crowd of reporters and photographers on the steps, surrounding a podium marked with the NYPD insignia and bristling with microphones from various media outlets. At the podium stood Commissioner Frank Reagan.
From Dana's comments, Jack gathered that Reagan was her ally within the NYPD. They shared the belief that leveraging each other's resources to lower crime rates was a top priority, leaving power struggles to the politicians.
In a sense, they were allies. Despite Frank Reagan's solid reputation and the network he inherited from his father, a former commissioner, his political base was shaky. The elder Reagan had retired nearly two decades ago, and his colleagues had long since left office, so Frank had mainly relied on his abilities to climb the ranks.
Frank Reagan held the highest rank within the NYPD as Chief of Department, overseeing all police operations. However, he technically had a superior, the Police Commissioner, a civilian role appointed by the mayor for five-year terms. This position was meant to keep NYPD in check and did not require prior policing experience, limiting their authority and barring them from wearing the NYPD uniform if they'd never served.
This system meant that not only was Frank Reagan's relationship with shifting political leaders complex, but even regular officers had often been at odds with politicians. There had been occasions when NYPD officers had staged protests, demanding higher wages, and even turned their backs on the mayor during speeches at fallen officers' funerals.
The current mayor had come into office pushing for budget cuts for the NYPD, which strained relations further and created a delicate dynamic with Commissioner Reagan. The mayor sought approval ratings and campaign donations while covering up scandals, while the NYPD, the largest police department in the country, required funding, authority, and leverage for negotiation.
Their interaction was thus a game of political give-and-take, where pressure, support, compromise, and maneuvering—and outside allies—played key roles.
Jack was starting to feel a bit dizzy from all the politics. It wasn't that he couldn't understand it, but rather that he simply found it unappealing. Behind all the supposedly intricate strategies lay plain self-interest. Jack didn't want to swim in that "sewage," nor did he want to become someone's stirring stick.
Luckily, Dana didn't need a stirring stick, but a sharp blade. They stopped a little way from the crowd, within earshot of Frank Reagan's speech.
The reporters were in an uproar, raising their hands and shouting the Commissioner's name, eager to ask questions. Frank Reagan ignored them, cleared his throat, and began, "Before I take any questions, I need to make a statement.
"As you know, the first few hours in a case like this are crucial. I'm calling on the media to help us by repeatedly broadcasting Theresa's photo to the public.
"The task force will pursue every lead. I want to assure citizens that the entire NYPD is working around the clock until this girl is found."
Before he finished, the reporters clamored again. Reagan pointed to the loudest male reporter at the front, with a resigned expression. "Miguel, go ahead."
The reporter, Miguel, held up a notepad and asked, "Commissioner Reagan, some people online claim that the police response in this case is one-third less than the resources deployed in last summer's missing child case in the Upper East Side. What's your response?"
Frank Reagan sighed. "Miguel, you're a professional reporter, and you're choosing to believe a random blogger making things up online?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd, but before Miguel could respond, a poised female reporter interrupted with a smooth broadcast tone.
"Commissioner, how do you respond to surveys showing that the Latino community generally lacks trust in the police, with crime rates rising slowly in these areas?"
The reporter, an older woman with a sharp, well-dressed appearance, looked familiar to Jack. Reagan addressed her directly by name. "I won't respond to public opinion polls, Ms. Davidson."
"But since I took office, crime has decreased in all New York neighborhoods. That's a fact."
The seasoned reporter, Ms. Davidson—whom Jack vaguely remembered from watching Taylor Kelly host the news—immediately countered with a tough question.
"So, are you suggesting that the Mayor's budget cuts won't affect the NYPD's ability to protect citizens?"
With well-honed rhetoric, Frank Reagan dodged the question, keeping his focus on the missing child. "Today, we're not here to discuss budget issues. A nine-year-old girl is missing, and every second counts. Our priority is finding Theresa.
"I ask the media to do its part and show her photo to as many people as possible."
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