"Review the timing, too."
"The timing?"
"He began writing before he completed verification. That matters."
Benton nodded. "I'll include it."
Across the building, Reed was giving his own statement. He sat with his court security supervisor and a departmental representative. His account was more defensive than his report.
"She kept challenging instructions," Reed said. "Every step became an argument."
The representative asked, "Did she identify herself as a judge?"
"No."
"Did she provide her name?"
"Yes."
"Did you check it?"
"I was trying to."
The supervisor looked at him. "When?"
Reed hesitated. "I was handling several things at once."
"That wasn't the question."
Reed looked down at the table. "I checked after the dispatcher repeated the name."
The representative continued. "Why not when she first gave it to you?"
"Her credential had already failed."
"That still doesn't answer the question."
Reed shifted in his chair. "The protest had everyone on edge. We were told no exceptions."
The supervisor answered immediately. "No exceptions does not mean no verification."
Reed said nothing.
The representative opened the preliminary report. "You wrote that she tried to push past you."
"She moved toward the door."
"Did she touch you?"
"No."
"Did she touch the baton?"
"No."
"Did she strike you?"
"No."
"Then what exactly do you mean by push past?"
Reed looked frustrated. "She was moving toward the exit after I told her to sit."
The representative wrote something down. "That is different from attempting to push past an officer."
Reed leaned forward. "You weren't there."
"No, which is why we're asking you to describe it accurately."
The room went quiet.
Then the supervisor asked, "Tell us about the recording system."
Reed's face tightened. "The camera had been unreliable."
"Was there a maintenance ticket?"
"I don't know."