US police: outlaws

Chapter 39: Conflicts of Law Enforcement Jurisdiction

"Waaaaah."

Instead of being comforted, the girl burst into tears, hugging the man much tighter, and the emotions of the abducted victims around her were also stirred up, causing them to cry as well.

For a moment, Lee Ethan found it extremely jarring, as his police uniform was stained with Sophia's tears and snot.

The man's gentle smile became forced, and he could only signal to the policewomen to take the person away quickly, as this kind of work was usually done by the policewomen.

More than 20 female police officers comforted the victims, especially those under the age of 15.

Lee Ethan also spotted his temporary partner, Ottilia, who was shot on her first day on duty.

He'd been working there for almost two months, and the other person really should have been discharged from the hospital by now. Moreover, he was still on the same team as Evelyn during his vacation.

"Ottilia, help me..."

Before Li Yisen could finish speaking, a blonde policewoman volunteered to take on the important task, squatted down, and said in a calm manner.

"Little sister, come here to your big sister, okay?"

Sofia glanced at the policewoman, especially at her ample bosom that couldn't be contained by the bulletproof vest, then shook her head and continued to sob in someone's arms.

"..."

Li Yisen was speechless looking at the policewoman. Is this how you comfort people?

Evelyn could only continue to smile.

"I'll contact your family. Please come with your sister, okay?"

The girl continued to shake her head.

Evelyn changed the subject.

"I know you're very sad right now. It's okay to cry first. I can wait for you."

Li Yisen was numb, and he just didn't want to get his eyes wet with tears and snot, so his glare at the policewoman turned fierce.

Are you up to the task? If not, we'll find someone else.

Evelyn steeled herself, forcefully embraced the girl, and made her rest her head on her ample bosom.

"I'll help you, don't worry."

"Um."

Ethan Lee was finally free. Just as he was about to have a chat with his boss Andrew, two groups of people suddenly arrived.

One team was the criminal investigation team, and the second team was from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, led by Isaiah Cooper, the same head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Crimes Investigations Unit, and they came in with an imposing air.

The other party went straight to the commander-in-chief of this operation, Director Jason Garcia, with the patrol department chief, Nicholas Bailey, standing next to him.

"Chief Garcia, you should know very well that this case is under the jurisdiction of ICE, it's clearly stated in the documents."

The old man nodded.

"It is indeed your responsibility."

"Having evidence but not notifying ICE, instead taking matters into your own hands, is against regulations. Is your Northern Police Department trying to cover something up?"

Jason remained calm and collected in the face of the aggressive man; after all, he had been in the police force for 66 years and had seen it all.

"Didn't I notify you, Team Leader Cooper? Otherwise, how did you get here?"

Isaiah said in a muffled voice.

"We were notified, but it's proper procedure to hand over the conclusive evidence to us. ICE has federal priority jurisdiction over immigration crimes."

"I know, that's why I notified you to come over. As a local police department, once we control the scene, we immediately notify ICE to take over. Even if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, there won't be any problem. Of course, if you find evidence that our department maliciously interfered with the federal investigation, feel free to do so."

"you......"

Jason gestured for Ethan Lee, who was eavesdropping from a dozen meters away, to come over, leaving the gossipy guy a little bewildered.

Don't drag me into this.

Although Li Yisen was quite resistant, he still went over. His direct superior called out, "Can you refuse?"

"Good morning, officers."

Jason patted Ethan Lee on the shoulder.

"Ethan Lee, our department's rising star. I'm sure Chief Cooper knows him, since he's the one who's driven most of the progress in human trafficking cases."

Isaiah nodded with a forced smile.

"Of course I know. I'm curious why Officer Ethan didn't hand the evidence over to ICE. You have that obligation."

Jason interjected.

"Ethan, which victim are you investigating for?"

victim?

Li Yisen quickly realized what the old man meant.

"Sophia Hamilton, my neighbor's child."

"If I'm not mistaken, Sophia should be a local citizen, and the 13K is a local gang, right, Chief Cooper?"

"..."

Isaiah understood what the other party was saying: the perpetrator was a local gangster, the victim was a local girl, and Ethan Lee's investigation of local cases was barely reasonable.

Jason pressed his advantage, asking further questions.

"I'm quite curious, you were notified 30 minutes ago, why are you only arriving now? Could it be that the investigation team in charge of this case did not arrange for anyone to stay in the city? That would be quite unexpected."

Isaiah, his face grim, stared at the old man. This guy dared to say he had a problem. Even if he did have a problem, it wasn't up to a local police chief like him to question him. Theoretically, they were on the same level, but ICE was a federal agency. How could they be the same?

"Hmph, I understand your police department has a valid reason. Everything from now on will be handled by ICE. All victims and perpetrators will remain."

Jason nodded.

"Minister Nicholas, you stay here to assist Team Leader Cooper in getting the local residents home as soon as possible. Their families must have been worried for a long time. Also, check if the illegal immigrants are eligible to apply for T/U visas."

This is the best arrangement Jason can make. Those illegal immigrants are indeed under the jurisdiction of ICE, and it is legal and compliant for ICE to deport the girl before the case is closed.

The so-called T/U visa is indeed quite suitable for the victims' situations. A T visa requires proof that the individual has suffered harm due to trafficking crimes and is willing to cooperate with the investigation. A U visa, on the other hand, requires proof of suffering from violent crimes and willingness to assist law enforcement.

Although the two visas largely overlap, both can indeed be applied for.

The Northern Police Department officers arrived quickly and left just as fast. Before leaving, Jason patted Ethan Lee on the shoulder.

"Ethan, you're the one I have the most faith in in this police department. You don't need to take the promotion exam; I'll write a special promotion application and submit it."

Li Yisen looked grateful upon hearing this.

"Director, thank you very much for your appreciation."

Although he believed he couldn't possibly mess up the exam, he figured he'd rather not take it than study and not have to look through his study materials at home.

.

In the Northern Police Department, in the Third Division office, Lee Esen was writing a report when a beautiful figure kept pacing back and forth beside him until he became impatient.

"Evelyn, what are you doing?"

Evelyn smiled, making her shoulders even more prominent.

"Senior, have you noticed anything different about me compared to before?"

Li Yisen asked calmly.

"I can't see any difference. You've grown taller, gained weight, got your nails done, changed your hairstyle, or maybe you had a second puberty and your breasts got bigger. If it were me, I'd advise you not to be a police officer. It's not suitable. No, I used to think it wasn't suitable either."

Evelyn exploded instantly.

"Senior, this is sexual harassment. I'm going to file a complaint against you, I absolutely will."

"Yes, yes, go to the Internal Affairs Department and complain about me, go now."

Seeing that the other party was ignoring her, Evelyn could only point to her epaulettes and speak.

"Ethan, I'm not a newbie anymore. From now on, I'm your classmate, hmph."

Ethan Lee had noticed this long ago, but he didn't want to cater to the policewoman's feelings.

"I'm sorry, my promotion application has already been submitted. I'll still be your superior in a couple of days, Evelyn Hill."

"How could you do this?"

Evelyn lay limply on the table, her enormous breasts forming an exaggerated silhouette.

She thought she had caught up with Ethan, but then she was pulled away again.

It's worth noting that her two months as a police officer were quite eventful, involving shootings, murders, and major cases.