Sheriff Dwight Coleman was less willing to examine his role. He began by insisting that the interdiction unit's work had been accepted practice for years. He said he could not review every traffic stop personally and had relied on experienced supervisors. When asked about the complaint letters, he said that handling constituent concerns was a responsibility he took seriously.
Porter requested the files attached to each complaint. Coleman's administrative assistant found the letters, printed with receiving stamps and attached to short internal responses. Some had been assigned to Hollister for review, and in several instances Hollister had effectively investigated his own conduct. The resulting memoranda said the seizures were within policy and recommended no further action.
One of the complaints from Pastor Colton had included Denise's bank receipt and a clear description of what she said occurred. Coleman's response stated that the matter had been handled according to policy without explaining how the review had addressed the receipt. Another complaint listed six unrelated drivers who had lost cash along the same corridor. It received a response within three days, a speed that looked impressive until the investigators discovered no underlying interview notes or footage review.
Coleman explained that staffing limits prevented exhaustive investigations. Porter asked why the department had found funds for new interdiction equipment and recognition ceremonies but had not devoted enough resources to reviewing whether the unit's tactics were lawful. The sheriff shifted to a familiar speech about the difficulty of rural policing. Porter waited until he finished, then returned to the original question.
"Who decided that an allegation could be resolved by asking the officer accused whether he had done anything wrong?" she asked.
Coleman looked toward county counsel. "That was the established procedure."
"Who established it?"
No one answered immediately. Counsel requested that the question be addressed after they had a chance to examine the records. Porter agreed and noted the request. She did not need to argue with a man who had signed policy memoranda for years. The documents already carried his name.
The county commission became restless as the investigation continued. Some members had celebrated the seizure program as a budget success, and one had used it as a campaign example of fiscal responsibility. They began receiving phone calls from residents who wanted to know where seized money had gone and why people they knew had been treated as criminals for carrying it. A commission meeting that normally drew half a dozen observers filled the room before the clerk finished arranging the chairs.
Denise attended with her mother, who used a walker and insisted on coming despite Denise's objections. Earl Sutton sat near the front with his old delivery jacket over his knees. Marcus Green took a seat toward the back beside two college friends. Pastor Colton brought a copy of his notebook because the original was still part of the investigation.
At the public-comment period, James spoke first. He did not shout or accuse the commissioners of crimes they had not been charged with. He explained how long he had been asking for a review and how many letters he had received bearing the word received. Then he held up the copied pages.