GCPD Commissioner Pressured in Face of Scandals (Gordon)

[Deleted]

Clark Kent was an awkward man, pleasant and hokey enough on first meeting, quick to smile, and a little flustered while he was getting his things together. He'd looked wide eyed and lost when he'd first entered the Police Department, but had been very polite with the duty officer, telling jokes and looking rather impressed with the bullpen in general. His clothes didn't fit quite right, the cut was wrong, the tie just off center, he had poor posture, really, but underneath it all, he might be handsome if he ever cleaned up a bit. He looked like a rube, in that cheap suit and with the slick back hair, he smiled too much to be used to a big city. Frankly, Gotham would eat him alive, but then again, he was a Metropolis Native, so maybe he had some hidden depths.

Sergeant Hall had been unimpressed at first, but Kent was so damned earnest and polite, that they'd exchanged smalltalk, then a few war stories and after a few exchanges, they were starting to get a genuine rapport.  Kent had worked a police beat for a while, and was recounting a story of a carjacker in Metropolis who got lost on the way out of town "So the guy just . . . drives around for a while, and then he decides to go inside to ask for directions. He . . . he decides to walk into what he thinks is a gas station, but he accidentally walked into the police station next door." Clark gestures to show it. "He was so surprised, that he tried to draw his gun. . . only to realize he'd accidentally left it on the dashboard on the car." 

Hall laughed at that, and shook his head said "That's the thing with criminals. While we get some of our super geniuses in this town, most criminals are dumb as posts. That's why their criminals. Hell, it's why so many of them dress up in weird outfits and decide to follow complete homicidal maniacs. Like. . . okay, here's the thing. The Joker, right?" 

Clark nods as he listens. There was something in his face that looked very attentive, and Gordon could see looking at him, that he was a damned good listener. That's probably what made him a good reporter. 
Hall didn't notice, though, he was talking to the good natured reporter. "The Joker's nuts. I . . .I saw him once, he doesn't look like much when you look at him, sort of has this crazy clown getup, this sort of weird suit, the makeup, big creepy smile is the only real thing that just . . . is offputting. . . and his eyes, but that's another thing, and you don't see those until he's looking at you. I'm happy that he almost never ends up here, I'll tell you what, he's . . . anyway. The thing is, he's crazy. One of the freaks out there, so even when he doesn't make a damn bit of sense? That makes sense, he's crazy. The ones I never understand? The guys who decide to dress up like clowns and follow his crazy ass. Did you know, sometimes he just tortures and kills everyone working for him in the middle of a job? Just sets em up to get electrocuted, or shot, or . . . I was at one crime scene where they were all just melted, skin cleared right off." 

Clark blinked and nodded saying "Wow. That's terrible." He sounds appreciative of the story but has a concerned and very focused look on his face, as if scanning something in Hall's voice, he was a damn good listener. If this reporting business didn't work out he'd have a future as a therapist. 

Sgt. Hall continued "I know, right? Just gives me nightmares to this day. Some of the things you see in this town, turn your hair white."

Clark nods as he says "I can only imagine. I mean, we've got some things in Metropolis that can really surprise you, but nothing quite like in Gotham for the police. I mean, how do you do it? How do you keep going in a place like this?"

Hall thinks for a moment and then says "You know, that's a good question. Cops die, a lot. I mean, we've got one of the highest fatality rates for police in the country, just due to some of the shit you see here. Used to be that a lot of us were in it for the perks. The little perks of the job. We kept our heads down, enjoyed the perks, got a comfy retirement. In the old days, that was sometimes the only real way to get ahead. You grow up on the streets, you died a nothing, or you joined a gang. For a lot of people who came into things in the old days, the GCPD was the biggest gang out there, and you took what you could, and you held onto it, and you tried not to die a hero. . . but that was the old days." 

Clark nodded and said "What changed?"

Hall answered quickly, the answer was obvious "The Commish. See, Loeb was a monster. He was worse than some of the bastards out there on the street. Gordon? He's a Hero. War Hero, street hero, worked his way up the ranks. Did it legit, not through favors. And you know what the weird thing is? He actually believes in this law and order stuff, the whole justice thing. And some of us get in there and we start thinking 'Maybe we can make things better.'" He shrugs as he says "For me? I got a kid. At first, I got tempted to go the easy path. Got some nice offers too. A nice fat bribe that would set me and my wife up good. And you know what? The Commish walks up to me . . . congratulates me on the kid. See, he knows his men. He knows his people, knows when we got the family stuff. And then he talks to me, says that I'm the kind of man that a son could be proud of. And you know what? I realized I wasn't, but I wanted to be." 

Kent nodded at that, he wasn't writing anything down. This was strictly off the record. "And so that's what you did." 

Hall nodded as he said "And that's what I did. I went straight, turned down the perks, and it's been a stretch with the pension and the pay, but you know what? I'm the kind of guy that a son can be proud of, and maybe it's harder, but my neighborhood is safer than it's ever been. And . . . maybe Gotham can be the kind of place that a kid might want to grow up in." 

Kent smiled as he said "That's a hell of a story. I suppose not everyone sees things that way."

Hall shook his head and said "No. Not everyone. Some people still wish it'd get back to the old days. But then again, there's less of them every day." 

Kent nodded, the next question was the tricky one. "And the officers that were killed? What were they like?"

Hall looked up at Kent for a moment "I think the Commish is ready to see you now." 

Kent nodded and said "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." 

Hall shrugged and said "S'okay" as he showed Kent to the Commissioner's office. 

Clark Kent was let inside, and smiled as he approached the Commissioner, hand extended "Commissioner Gordon, thank you for letting me meet with you today." He had a strange handshake. Limp wristed, as if he had never really learned how to do a firm basic handshake. He smiled showing his teeth, and big glasses and big blue eyes. Kansas Cornfed boy, all feet and hands, broad shoulders and broad legs and no idea where to put any of them. "I know you've been busy what with . . . everything. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for your loss." He seemed serious for a moment about that. Like he was genuinely sorry for everything happening. 

"How are you handling everything? That's going on?" It didn't seem like an interview question. More of a question of concern, like he was a concerned friend who understood how hard it was and just wanted to help. 

[Deleted]

Commissioner Gordon was positioned at the large window in his office overlooking Gotham city. The lights were off in his office, the only light came from the natural light outside. Even with natural light the office was very dim, the shutters were only open on the very window Commissioner Gordon was looking out. He stood there and stared, a glass of bourbon was in his hands. The half empty bottle was on his desk. The office was more cluttered and messy than it normally was, personnel files and employee reports were scattered all over his desk. The room reeked of cigar smoke. The commissioner hadn't smoked for over seven years but this week seemed to break that streak. Other than the smell of stale smoke and coffee the room didn't smell all that bad, it was just dark and messy. The Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department was still staring out of his window. Even when Daily Planet news writer Clark Kent entered the office. The public outcry was very evident, protesters were already outside of the GCPD building. That is what Gordon was looking out. Even if they didn't notice or acknowledge him. Their focus was on the woman that had her life cut short. The so called 'protectors' that did that to her. 

Not about the Commissioner that was in charge, not about the man that thought it happened on his watch. The man that thought he was to blame. They didn't focus on him. That's what hurt the most. The public didn't blame him, not at all. In fact some still thought he was a hero. Gordon knew better, he knew he let this happen. He now had to deal with the consequences. 

When Clark started talking to him, that finally broke the silence. However the Commissioner still didn't move from his chosen spot. He simply took a sip of his drink. 

"You know what Commissioner Loeb told me once? The man that was the face of corruption in this city for years? He said... If you fight monsters long enough, you become a monster." Gordon paused for a moment, staring at the protesters outside of the station. "I feel like I finally get it. I finally understand what that evil bastard meant." He then turned around to face Clark, moving to his seat behind his desk. Now the Commissioner was in a bad state, however he still took care of himself. Even when the man felt like giving up he still did the every day necessities. That is because he couldn't let this beat him. He wouldn't let this beat him. 

"I get it now, but Loeb and I are different. I will never become a monster. Especially a monster like him. I will fight back. I've fought monsters my entire life. Do you know what separates me from the so called monsters?" 

He paused again, seeing if the writer could come up with an answer. "Part of me doesn't know anymore. Part of me believes that the reason is that I will fight for this city no matter what. So to answer your question Mr. Kent I've been having a hell of a time. But I'm managing." 

The commissioner did his very best to force a smile. 

"So if you have questions I will be happy to answer them. I've got a lot of work to do. But I might as well start here."  

[Deleted]

The protesters took to the streets in a confusion, they came out in desperation, out of an urge to try to gain a sense of control. They came out in anger and they came out in a trickle and then in droves, organized by rage and social media, a single message went out into the aether: gather and occupy. Stand together in front of the police, stand combined the face of the people, and demand a better future. It was a cross section of the people, students, retirees, homeless and middle class. Some came dressed in rags, others in masks, quite a few had symbols of the bat on them. "The Bat represents the people taking back the city from crime, criminals in the police and outside." Another protester added "We just want Gordon to keep his promises. We just want our city back." 

"You have to understand, the protesters saw themselves as part of the powerless, they knew where they stood in Gotham, at the bottom. They were the faceless, the forgotten, and when the killing happened it was as if something broke. Cops have killed before, they'd killed the guilty, and when they went to far and killed thugs, no one cared." Chief O'Hare was the Chief of Patrols at the time of the shooting, in the area just a half hour before the incident happened.

 

"The thing you have to understand, though, is that only one person blamed the Commissioner, and frankly that was the hardest and most unforgiving of the commissioner's critics. But then again, anyone who sees themselves as a hero ain't no hero" O'Hare added. 

According to his men, Commissioner Gordon is part of a unique breed of officers that honesty seem to believe in the old fashioned things that are often forgotten in the rush of civic politics: Things like justice, service and the idea that a police department is meant to serve the people. When the shooting happened, a lot of people took it very hard, but honestly Commissioner Gordon seemed to take it harder than anyone else in the city. Reportedly he started smoking again after the incident. 


"I never saw the commissioner smoke before, not until then. He'd tried to be healthy, but he took the shooting hard. When the protesters came, I think that if he hadn't have been the boss in charge of it all, he probably would have been out there with them" said one patrol officer. 

Clark nodded to the commissioner's statement and said "I understand, and I know you're busy. What's the next step in the face of all this? Where does a department go to investigate a murder, investigate its own people, and then offer justice to a city in need? How does the GCPD rebuild trust after an incident like this?" He stood in the background of the room, the shadow casting over his face. He could see the Commissioner in pain, the heartbeat of the commissioner was clear, and there was depressed contrition on his face. Clark could smell the alcohol from here, Commissioner Gordon was a strong man, but this hit straight at his heart. 

It was a personal failure to the man, one that no one seemed to blame him for,but seemed perfectly suited to cut straight to everything he cared about. Clark knew that there were many powers in Gotham City that didn't want him to get involved with these sorts of things. He'd made arrangements to stay out of the city, to not interfere with how it was put together. These were demands placed on him with threats and pleas, but Clark was seriously rethinking his previous promises, watching the Commissioner staring at the crowds. All that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing, and while Clark knew that he wasn't sure what could be done, but he knew that he couldn't just let things sit as they were. 

"I know the investigation is ongoing, but is there anything you can say about the incident? The officers involved? The victim? I know there have been previous complaints about the three officers involved in the shooting."

"They were monsters" said Amelia Mondae, a store owner on Yancy Street, just three blocks away from the location of the shooting. "They'd come in and demand 'considerations' from my workers, free samples, free food. They demanded money for 'donations' for the 'police fund' and again for 'extra protection.' Some of us said no, some of us ended up robbed. Others ended up dead, no one proved anything. The police came and found no evidence. We all knew. Maybe I'll end up dead myself, another accident. If I do, it just proves my point. Accidents happen when those monsters were called out." 

Amelia Mondae, outspoken critic of
slain officers from her storefront

Clark nodded and said "I'm not a local, Commissioner. I don't really understand Gotham's culture, history or it's people. Whenever I talk to people in this city, they tell me I'm naive. That becoming the monster is necessary to get anything done, and that compromises are necessary when dealing with a city like Gotham." He considers his next questions carefully. "How do you keep from crossing that line, in the face of things like this? What do you think drives a man into becoming a monster, and how is it that you can stop yourself from becoming that? What is it that you're fighting for?"

[Deleted]

20 Years Ago: Same Office-Different sides of the desk. 




"What the hell are you fighting for Gordon? They're not going to thank you. You want to be a hero? You want to have them love you? Who the fuck cares what they think? They don't know what they think, they're stupid. They love their heroes and then when the shit hits the fan, they destroy them. There's no loyalty there, nothing at all. What the hell is it you're trying to do? Turning on cops who would take a bullet for you. It's  a good way to get yourself killed in there. Gotham's not a city for a hero, not a glory hound, not someone who wants to rock the boat and twist the GOD DAMN KNIFE INTO HIS FELLOW OFFICERS." 

Commissioner Loeb was fat, the heat of the office sank on his sweaty body to give a corpulent smell that mingled with the cigar smoke and the stale lies that filled the GCPD. The office was always in shadow, the only light came through slats in the window. It's structure hadn't changed much in 20 years, in the future, when Gordon took it over. Right now it settled as a repugnant nest at the center of Gotham's corruption. The Cigar in his hand bent as he squeezed  his hands into a fist and struck the table. Ash flew towards Gordon. 

The Commissioner glared at Gordon and then breathed for a moment, tapping the cigar into an ashtray, and leaving it there. He leaned forward on the desk and looked at the Captain. 

"You ever read your philosophy, Gordon? You're a college man, educated. If I've learned anything in this city, I've learned this . . . If you fight monsters long enough, you become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you. The only heroes this city has are martyrs. And if you're not careful, this city'll make you a hero." 

[Deleted]

"The next step to investigate. This is exactly what everyone is doing now, including myself and including you. I've been a detective most of my life. When I first received the badge and caught my first case. I thought being a detective was fighting criminals. Monsters that didn't know right from wrong, those that would do anything to make money. Those that didn't care about the lives of others. What I thought I'd never be doing is investigating other cops. There came a time when I had to do that. I had to turn against other cops because what they were doing? That isn't what cops should be doing. I had to stop it." The commissioner stopped for a minute with a sigh. The shooting is what made the commissioner realize that maybe what Commissioner Loeb said so many years ago was true? Could it be that the man actually was right about something?

Gordon went silent when he was thinking about his former superior. The times he had on the other side of the desk as a lieutenant or even a Captain. The first time he went against other cops. He thought after getting rid of Loeb and those under Loeb he had gotten rid of most of the corruption in the GCPD. It seems that Commissioner missed something. He had to miss someone or some small detail. He didn't look hard enough and now he was paying for it. The commissioner lost himself in his thoughts more than once. It often did happen in front of people but it wasn't usually as long as this. Gordon cleared his throat with a smile. 

"Mr. Kent I apologize. I know you asked me a lot of other questions. To build trust after an occurrence like this? it will not be easy. Some might say it can't be done. Those would be similar to what people said about the police department when it was under Loeb. The fact of the matter is that it can be done. And it will be done. The road to get to that point? it will be long. I just hope more blood isn't shed on the way. Gotham has already lost too much. Some of the officers had already lost too much. The incident itself? It is now clear to me and others in the Police Department that there is still corruption out there and it is still eating away at the insides of Gotham. Those three officers that committed this crime? I was there when it happened. I can't help feeling like this was planned." 

The commissioner had to watch his words, he knew Clark Kent wasn't a  bad person. But he still did write for a newspaper. If it got out that the event might have been planned? Everyone in Gotham just thought it was a sense of mindless violence. Gordon knew better. That man that talked to him after O'Hare left. There was a connection. 

He just couldn't prove it yet. 

"The question about crossing the line? When you first start the job you have a sense of right and wrong. I did and a lot of the corrupt officers did when they first joined. When you receive your first offer? Do you refuse it? Even if it might mean you'll lose your job, or worse? Get killed? If you think deep down that what you might do is wrong? Don't do it. Do not do what conflicts your sense of right and wrong. There is an awfully thin line when it comes to stuff like that." Gordon paused for a moment, taking a breath. 

"In the end it is your life. Do what you think is right, not what others think is right. Even if what you think is right might get you killed. If you can't live in a world where you don't think there is hope? Where there isn't a shred of sense of right. Then that isn't a world worth living in."

[Deleted]

"With all due respect 'Commissioner' Having a badge doesn't make you above the law. Being an officer of the law only means you enforce the law. Not make it, not bend it." Gordon sighed, he knew he had to watch what he said to the commissioner. Becoming mad and shouting insults wouldn't accomplish anything. He did want Loeb to get so angry that he'd fire him on the spot. Captain Gordon had to prove that Loeb was corrupt. He'd have to prove that Loeb was just as bad as the other criminals in the city. That he wasn't fit to have such a high up role in the Police department. James Gordon needed time more than anything else. Any evidence that points the finger at Loeb or other officers was buried so deep that anyone had an extremely hard time making their way to it. 

However to Gordon he knew that he couldn't sit behind the desk and take Loebs abuse forever. There would have to be a point where he had to fight back. A point where he made it clear to Commissioner Loeb than himself and the others under him were just thugs with a badge. They might be police officers officially but they are not real police officers. At least by Captain Gordon standards. A real police officer did their job. Served and protected the populace of whatever city they worked for. That was the meaning of police officer that Gordon was taught at the academy. The type of police officer you only read about in books. 

The dark truth was that those kind of police officers didn't exist in Gotham. Not under Loeb that much was clear. 

"Sir, how many times have we been in this position now? No matter what you say I will continue doing what I think should be done. What was being a police officer like in your first year, Loeb? Do you have any part of you left that wants to make Gotham a safe place to live? We have a badge and a gun for a reason. We're held at a higher standard for a reason. We're not supposed to abuse those privileges. We're supposed to prove that we're worth them.

[Deleted]

Loeb looked with a slack jawed amazement at Gordon's statement, his mouth open as if to make a statement, and then closing it. "I get it. I understand now. You're nuts." He raises his hands into the air as if he's totally done with this situation, blinking in amazement as he turns to face Gordon. He picks up a book from his desk, one of the Criminal Code books, "You. . . you honestly think it's a real thing. You think that laws are something that really exist, like they're something more than just words in a book." He blinks as he says "You go out into those streets, you face down the thugs we're dealing with, and you read them the laws. I'll tell you how far that'll get you Gordon, it'll get you shot and dead in the street, or worse, because that's not so bad honestly. It'll get real cops shot in the street, it'll get your coworkers dead, bleeding, because they tied their hands behind their back with a psycho killer gunning for their head." He points at Gordon, making his hand into a gun and then letting the thumb fall down, making a gun sound. "Dead"

"These laws," He picks up the book and waves it at Gordon,  "They're words on paper, they're not real. They're made up by a bunch of guys who sit around a back office, talking things out, coming up with ideas, giving backpats and blowjobs to eachother in exchange for money, sometimes they're good, sometimes they're dumb, but they're not a real thing. They're words, we make them real, we make them exist. You go out there holding them up like a shield, you're going to find that they're not worth the paper they're written on. If we don't enforce em, they don't exist. We exist to protect the law, to protect society, to make the city run smoothly. We don't bend the law, we don't break the law. We are the law, Gordon. If you don't believe me, go out there with that book of laws, go out there with a judge, with lawyers, and go protect and serve the citizens. The Badge? It's not a shield, it's shaped like a shield, it looks like a shield, but go wear it and try to stop a bullet, you'll end up dead. What that badge represents is more important. Because it represents brotherhood. It represents the men who wear it. Men who have to depend on their brothers to keep them alive, because the law won't bring them home, and it won't keep things moving smoothly." He shakes his head again as he puts the book down. "We're here for a purpose, we make sure that society survives. We keep the world from descending into fire, Gordon." 

He shakes his head as he says "You don't cuff your brothers, tell them to play nice with madmen and thugs, and then let them die while talking pretty out of a book, Gordon. You go out there with guns, and you go out with men, and you go out there and you put the fear of that badge  in the minds of those bad people, so that they know that you're the biggest and baddest son of a bitch out there, and that way maybe they don't shoot you or your brothers. You show them that when they take out one of your brothers, you don't play nice, you come down with the full weight and mass of authority and society to keep things running smoothly. Because this city is a thresher, and if you step out of line, it will eat you. I don't want to get eaten, maybe you want to get eaten by it, but I promise you, your coworkers and your brothers don't want to get eaten, so why do you want to feed them to a city? My conscience is clear, Gordon. I'm keeping my boys alive. I'm out there every day helping them live a better life and make sure they keep the scum that's trying to eat the city down under the boot so that decent people can make a life."

He shakes his head as he says "You come in here and try to tear down those pillars of the community? You go out there trying to protect the scum and sacrifice your family? You got policing backwards, Gordon. And if you don't protect your brothers, don't be surprised when they protect themselves, and don't expect them to protect you when those principles fail to stop a bullet from making tunnel through your brain and you end up dead on the street. You've got a kid, you want her to grow up an orphan? Have people explain "Your daddy died for what he believed in?" Fuck it, dead is dead, you got a family, they deserve a good life. Why don't you want to give it to them?"

[Deleted]

"You're right Commissioner. We are here for a purpose. However I believe that purpose is different than what you might think it is. I think our purpose is to enforce the law. Is to protect those too weak to protect themselves. We got our badges for a reason. We are held to higher standards than the public for a reason. We aren't meant to judge, we are just meant to enforce. To protect those who live in Gotham. Protecting your fellow man? Isn't that what everyone should want to do? Why should it be left to police officers to get the task of looking over those that need it the most? Its our burden. It is what we're tasked with doing by the city. While I believe that you're right about some things, I also think you're wrong about others. Just because you have the badge, the job. The uniform and the car and even the gun. That doesn't make you a police officer." Gordon took a breath for a moment. This wasn't the only time he had an in depth conversation with Loeb. His greatest foe in the entirety of his police career thus far was another cop, go figure.

"What would make someone a police officer then? If it isn't the badge or the uniform, or the gun? What I think makes someone a police officer is that someone believes that everyone, truly was created equal. They believe in that. They believe in it so much that they want to protect it. So they take the extra step and put their life on the line to make sure everyone else can have their comfy way of life. To make sure no one gets hurt, or is scared in their own home. To feel safe in the city they call home. This city is a monster, you're right. It uses people, it abuses people and spits them out worse for wear. You're entirely right about that, Commissioner. But something you forgot to mention is that it makes some people stronger. Those police officers that aren't afraid of corruption, or being killed by the mob. The ones that do what their job entails. They stay within the law. They do things by a higher standard. That is how a real police officer should act. Those that have badges. Those that abuse their power. Accept bribes, look the blind eye to felonious actions. Hell Commissioner I know there is at least one murderer in this building right now as we speak." He paused again. Staring straight at Loeb the entire conversation. Not moving an inch, or looking somewhere else. 

"Doing such an action with a badge does not make it go away. It still happened. No one is above the law commissioner. Even the police officers. That is what I'm trying to fight for. A city that has police officers that know they are just the same as everyday civilians. Because they are, even if they are held to a higher standard as they should be. That doesn't mean they get to do whatever they want. No one is above the law Commissioner, I cannot stress that enough. Not me, not the entire GCPD, not the mayor." That's when he took a deep breath, inhaling the stuffy office air before exhaling. 

"And most of all, especially not you. Commissioner."