She did not stop speaking with county counsel.
But something in her shoulders eased once Jordan was out of the room.
Board Chair Hart turned toward Patricia.
"Ms. Brennan, you were invited to respond."
Richard Walsh stood.
"My client will not offer substantive testimony while criminal referral is being discussed. We strongly dispute the suggestion that she knowingly filed a false report. Residents have a right to contact law enforcement when they observe activity they consider suspicious."
Board Member Joseph Lang leaned toward his microphone.
"Counsel, did your client see the boys come out of the residence?"
Walsh looked down at his notes.
"The recording reflects that she observed them near the residence."
"That's not what I asked."
Walsh's jaw tightened.
"She observed them exit."
"Did she then tell 911 they were stealing from that residence?"
"She reported what she believed to be suspicious activity."
"Did she say on body camera that she wanted the family made uncomfortable enough to reconsider staying?"
Walsh paused.
"We dispute the characterization and context."
Lang looked at the screen where the transcript remained visible.
"I'm not asking for characterization. I'm asking whether those words are her voice."
Walsh glanced toward Patricia.
"Yes."
The room stayed silent.
Another board member, Lydia Chen, asked, "What context makes those words consistent with a good-faith theft report?"
Walsh took a breath.
"Ms. Brennan had longstanding concerns regarding what she viewed as repeated HOA noncompliance and neighborhood conflict. She expressed herself poorly. Poor expression is not criminal intent."
Tanya wrote one sentence on her legal pad.
Poor expression is not the same question as false report.
She slid the note to Malcolm Pierce.
He nodded.
Board Chair Hart moved on before the exchange became a cross-examination.
Gerald Price spoke for the police union.
He was more careful than he had been at the press conference.
"The union does not defend discriminatory conduct," he said. "We defend due process. Officer Hayes was dispatched to a reported crime."
Price continued. "He did not use force. He did not handcuff the children. He did not arrest anyone. He attempted to verify identity and left once their mother arrived."
Diane Foster shook her head from the front row.
Price continued.
"If the county wishes to revise training, we will bargain where required. If the county wishes to change progressive discipline, we will bargain. But we will not accept a standard where officers are punished because a caller later proves biased."
Tanya requested recognition.
Hart nodded.
"Mr. Price is correct about one point. An officer cannot control the bias of every caller. The issue is what the officer does when the bias becomes visible. In this case, the caller told Officer Hayes she saw the children exit the home and then explained her disbelief by referring to how they looked. That information existed before he approached them."
Price answered, "Officers still have a duty to investigate."
"Yes."
Tanya's agreement surprised him.
"Investigate. Not inherit the caller's conclusion."
Price sat down.
The board recessed at 4:02 for closed legal consultation.
Tanya remained in the staff room with Malcolm and two department heads.
She did not join the board.
Her recusal mattered most when decisions became difficult.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then forty.
At 4:49, the board returned.
People stood from hallways and overflow rooms to hear the result.
Evelyn Hart read slowly from a written motion.