New York City Police Captain Sarah Johnson was heading home in a taxi. The taxi driver had no idea that the woman sitting in his vehicle wasn’t just an ordinary woman, but a high-ranking police captain in the city. Sarah was wearing a simple red dress and looked like any other civilian.
She was on leave, heading home to attend her brother’s wedding. Sarah decided she would attend the wedding not as a police captain, but simply as a sister. As she was driving, the driver said:
—Ma’am, I’m taking this route for you. Otherwise, I rarely use this road.
Captain Sarah Johnson asked the taxi driver:
—But why, brother? What’s wrong with this path?
The taxi driver replied:
“Ma’am, there are some police officers stationed on this road. The sergeant in this area hands out tickets for no reason and extorts euros from taxi drivers even when they haven’t done anything wrong.
And if anyone disobeys the sergeant, he beats them up. I don’t know what’s in store for me today. God forbid I run into that sergeant right now, otherwise he’ll take money from me even though I’m completely innocent.”
Captain Sarah thought to herself, “Is what this taxi driver is saying really true? Does the sergeant at this precinct really do such terrible things?” After driving a short distance, she saw Sergeant Tom Davis standing on the side of the road with his colleagues, checking vehicles. As soon as the taxi reached them, Sergeant Tom signaled for it to stop.
Then Sergeant Tom said angrily:
“Hey, taxi driver, get out. Do you think you own the road driving that taxi at that speed? Aren’t you afraid of the law? Come on, pay a €500 fine right now.”
Saying this, the sergeant pulled out his ticket book. The driver, Mike, panicked and said:
—Officer, I haven’t broken any rules. Why are you giving me a ticket? Please don’t do this. I haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t have that much money right now. Where am I going to get 500 euros?
Upon hearing this, Sergeant Tom became even angrier. He raised his voice.
—Don’t argue with me. If you don’t have euros, are you driving the taxi for free? Hurry up, get your license and taxi registration. Is this taxi stolen?
The driver quickly pulled out all the papers and showed them. The papers were perfectly in order. Everything was completely correct. But Sergeant Tom still said:
“The paperwork is fine, but you still have to pay the fine. Give me €500 now, or at least €300, otherwise I’ll impound your taxi right now.”
Standing nearby, Captain Sarah Johnson watched and listened intently. She saw Sergeant Tom Davis harassing a poor, hardworking taxi driver for no reason, trying to extort money from him. Although she felt angry, she remained calm so she could first understand the whole truth and then take action at the appropriate time.
The taxi driver told Sergeant Tom:
“Officer, where am I going to get that much money? I’ve only earned €50 so far. How can I give you €300? Please let me go, sir. Let me through. I have young children. I’m a poor man. I work hard all day to feed my family. Please have mercy on me, sir.”
But Sergeant Tom showed no mercy. He exploded with rage. He grabbed the driver by the neck, shoved him roughly, and shouted:
“If you don’t have any euros, why are you driving a taxi? Is this your father’s road, so you have to speed like that? On top of that, you’re arguing with me. Come on, I’ll show you some fun at the police station.”
Upon hearing this, Captain Sarah couldn’t contain herself. She immediately stepped forward, stood in front of the sergeant, and said:
—Sergeant, you’re doing something completely wrong. When the driver hasn’t done anything wrong, why are you giving him a ticket? Besides, he physically assaulted you. This is a violation of the law and civil rights. You have no right to oppress an ordinary citizen like this. Let him go.
Sergeant Tom Davis was already angry. Upon hearing Sarah’s words, he became furious. He said mockingly:
—Oh, so now you’re going to teach me the law. You’ve got a big mouth. Looks like you need to try the cell too. Come on. You’ll both be in jail together. You can talk all you want in there.
Sarah’s face turned red with anger, but she controlled herself. She wanted to see how low this sergeant could sink. Sergeant Tom had absolutely no idea that the woman in the ordinary dress standing before him wasn’t just any woman, but the city’s police captain, Sarah Johnson. Tom Davis ordered his colleagues:
—Come on, take them both to the station. We’ll see how brave they are there.
Immediately, two male and two female officers stepped forward and grabbed the driver and Captain Sarah. When they arrived at the police station, Sergeant Tom said:
—Sit them right here. Now, let’s see what these two do. They need to be shown their place.
The officers made them sit on a bench. As soon as Tom Davis sat down, he received a call on his cell phone. He answered and said:
—Yes, your work will be done. Your name won’t appear in that case. Just have my payment ready. Don’t stress. I’ll take care of everything for you.
Captain Sarah Johnson and the taxi driver sat there listening to all of this. Sarah thought to herself, “This sergeant doesn’t just harass people on the streets. He also takes bribes within the department to do jobs.
He’s ripping off ordinary people.” Sarah suppressed her anger. She knew that getting angry at this moment wouldn’t help. The real battle had to be fought with evidence and proper procedure so that the entire police department and the city could see it.
She was internally plotting how to expose him in front of everyone. Sitting next to her, the taxi driver, Mike, was worried. He was thinking about his home and his children. Sarah looked at him and said calmly:
“Don’t panic. This sergeant can’t do anything to you. I’m with you. I’ve seen everything, and I’ll expose it. Rest assured, you’re not to blame. You’re safe. I’m not an ordinary woman. I’m Police Captain Sarah Johnson. I’m uncovering all of this sergeant’s corruption. That’s why I’m observing everything silently now. Later, I’ll clear everything up and show people what he’s really like.”
Upon hearing this, the taxi driver felt some relief. He took a deep breath and said:
“Are you really a police captain, ma’am? But when all this was happening to me, why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you save me? You’re not lying, are you? Or are you involved with them?”
The driver was a little shaken up. Sarah calmly reassured him.
“No, I’m not involved with them. I’m just sitting here quietly to expose this sergeant. I’m only watching to see how many more illegal things this man does. That’s why I’m keeping quiet now. Otherwise, I could get him suspended right now. Just wait a little while, then see what I do to him.”
After a while, Sergeant Davis went into his cabin. Then he called an officer and said:
—Bring that taxi driver here.
The officer immediately got out and said to the driver:
—The boss is calling you inside.
Upon hearing this, the driver became frightened. But Sarah encouraged him and said:
—Don’t worry. Whatever happens, I’ll take care of it.
He went over to the sergeant. Upon seeing the driver, Sergeant Tom laughed and said:
“Look, if you want to save your taxi, you have to pay €300. Otherwise, I’ll confiscate it. On top of that, you’ll become my enemy. My rules govern this entire area. I can do whatever I want. Don’t mess with me. Do as I say. Pay the €300 quickly.”
The driver’s heart began to pound. He shouted:
—Sir, please don’t do this. Look at my situation. I don’t have that much money right now. How can I give you €300? Please, let me go. I have young children at home. What will I feed them?
The sergeant said angrily:
“Look, I won’t listen to a word. Give me the euros or you’ll be ruined. Your family will suffer too. Now you have to pay the money.”
