Transfer List: Selection
May 19th
Captain Cragen's Office
The report hit the desks of all NYPD commanding officers by 8:30 a.m. By 8:31 a.m., all COs were pouring through its bureaucratic boilerplate, searching for clues, hints, and broad signposts pointing to the futures of their commands.
Don Cragen found his buried deep inside in a chart set in Arial 8-point and denoted by the exciting heading "Table 17: New York City Police Department Roster Counts by Precinct for the Coming Fiscal Year."
Precinct: 16th
Detectives: Special Victims Unit: 16
Average Salary: $55,113
His usual hang-dog expression brightened.
Two more detectives... it's about time.
Manhattan SVU had been running short-staffed since the loss of Briscoe, Cassidy, and Jeffries in relatively quick succession a few years earlier. Budgetary belt-tightening prevented Cragen from replacing Briscoe and Cassidy and only by calling in numerous favors had he managed to snag Tutuola to counter Jeffries' sudden suspension. Two new detectives would bring the squad back up to its listed roster count.
Yes--we'll go from completely overwhelmed by our caseload to merely overwhelmed. Talk about a great improvement.
His phone rang.
"Don?"
Cragen's posture straightened in his chair. Despite years of his own command, the voice of the Chief of Detectives still had that effect on him.
"Yes, sir?"
"See next year's budget report?"
"I have it in front of me now, sir."
"Have you read page nineteen?"
When he heard Cragen's affirmation, the Chief's tone softened.
"How fast can you get me your picks for those two slots?"
"How fast do you need them, sir?"
"If you get me two names by 9:30 a.m. today, I'll see that they're in your squad room before the beginning of next week."
The canned "Yes, sir" dried on Cragen's tongue.
That soon? Not "...after the fiscal year starts" or "...as soon as we can arrange it? Not even "...after everyone else gets their choice, you can have what's left"?
"Pardon me, Chief-but what's the catch?"
The Chief chuckled. "I spotted eight reindeer on the roof of the One-Six. Seems Santa's come early this year. You and your squad have been doing a great job and it's time you reaped some reward for your efforts."
Cragen swung the phone's mouthpiece away from his mouth, just in case he accidentally voiced his reaction.
Bullshit. If he thinks years of putting up with IAD hounding us, One PP hamstringing us, and his own petty interference can be wiped away with two new bodies in my squad, he's not only short-sighted-he's senile.
Cragen returned the mouthpiece to his face.
"Thank you, Chief. I'll e-mail those names to you by 9:30."
He said his good-byes and hung up. Doing his job meant knowing when to fight NYPD's bureaucracy and when to use it. As good as it would feel to tell the Chief what to suck and how long to suck it, better to save that for when the Chief wasn't bearing gifts.
Cragen tossed the budget report aside and displayed on his computer screen the list of detectives available for reassignment. A few clicks and he had the names of the seventeen detectives volunteering for SVU placements. He scrolled down the list.
I need people who can put the victims first without destroying themselves or the team. No one like Cassidy; he had only a "High" setting on his compassion level. No one like Briscoe; he didn't yet have the experience to run a high-visibility investigation. No one like Jeffries...
He frowned as he thought about Monique Jeffries. Not only had he failed to see any signs of her pending meltdown, but he had completely botched his handling of it and her, a failure that cost the department a good cop.
But I didn't pick Jeffries or Ken Briscoe-they were here when I took command. Now Brian-hell, I transferred him in and I hated forcing him out. It was too much like kicking a puppy so it wouldn't follow me any more.
That Brian Cassidy had been very successful after his move to Narcotics was scant comfort. The damage had been done, both in time lost to Cassidy's career and to the victims poorly served well by Cassidy's misplacement.
Cragen turned his attention to the transfer list. He had thirty-five minutes to winnow the names and find the right two detectives for his unit.
His first pass eliminated anyone from Forensics and the Special Investigation Divisions; their detectives rarely dealt directly with living, hurting victims. He also dropped those who didn't have at least four years at detective rank or whose only street experience was in uniform.
It's not SVU's job to provide on-the-job training. Brian and Ken proved that.
Cragen also dropped two because of rumors that both were in the middle of divorces. Before doing so, he glanced at the squad room where Stabler, the senior detective on this shift, was talking to a uniformed sergeant.
This job takes enough out of a person. No sense choosing a person who's already chin-deep in personal problems.
This left him with six names:
Charles, Louis J., 65th Precinct Detective Squad
Languages: None
Born: Tonawanda, NY
College: SUNY-Buffalo
Military Service: None
Commendations: Commendation (1), Meritorious Police Duty (1)
Guerrero, Gilberto Palomino, Central Park Precinct Detective Squad
Languages: Spanish
Born: San Diego, CA
College: None
Military Service: USMC
Commendations: Commendation (1)
Loudoun, Donna Jo, Special Frauds Squad
Languages: None
Born Walnut Grove, WV
College: West Virginia University, Morgantown
Military Service: None
Commendations: Commendation (2), Excellent Police Duty (1)
Otten, Judith F., Brooklyn South Homicide Squad
Languages: German, French, Hebrew, Italian
Born: Basel, Switzerland (U.S. Citizen)
College: Williamsburg College
Military Service: None
Commendations: Commendation (3), Excellent Police Duty (1), Medal of Valor (1)
Packer, Tarquin, 112th Precinct Detective Squad
Languages: Creole, French
Born Brooklyn, NY
College: CUNY
Military Service: USCG
Commendations: Commendation (3), Police Combat Cross (1)
Sofarelli, Alphonse, Manhattan Robbery Squad
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Spanish
Born: Houston, TX
College: Hudson University
Military Service: None
Commendations: Commendation (2), Meritorious Police Duty (2)
Each name came with a link to the detective's online file.
Okay-twenty-eight minutes to pick the best two of these six. Should I draw them out of a hat or throw darts at my screen? How about reversal alphabetical order?
He read through Alphonse Sofarelli's file. It looked very good-time in Vice, time in Robbery, useful language skills...Cragen noted Sofarelli's lack of military service and his birthplace.
Maybe his dad was in the oil business. If so, gutsy of him to take his family overseas with him. We're seeing more Arabs both as victims and perps; having someone who understands the culture and language would be a big help..
It also was one of the points Stabler had brought up in his recommendation. Cragen thought back on that conversation. After Elliot laid out all the reasons that his former partner should join the squad, Cragen asked a question.
April 30th
Captain Cragen' Office
"Look, Elliot-you make a good case for Sofarelli, but he sound like a crusader. Is he?"
Cragen glanced through the office blinds to Olivia Benson, seated at her desk. Elliot followed the glance and shook his head.
"He doesn't have anything like Liv's background. Couch sees the need and wants to fill it."
Cragen sighed. "I have enough people who want to fill needs. What I need are detectives who can solve cases and stay sane doing it."
Stabler's lopsided grin matched his rueful tone.
"I can't vouch for Couch's sanity-hell, he wants to join us. Suppose I told you that I've never seen him lose his temper, no matter how far some skel tried to push him. Would that make you feel better?"
Cragen straightened in his chair.
"Now I believe he's insane. Everyone gets mad sooner or later."
"Not Couch. I think it comes from his martial arts training-he's a third-degree black belt. He said the discipline teaches control."
"Which martial art?"
Stabler shrugged. "Dim Sum Do? I don't remember. Couch teaches three days a week somewhere off Houston; there are a lot of cops in his classes."
Cragen gave Elliot a "maybe you should study with him" look. When Stabler didn't rise to the bait, he wrapped up the conversation.
May 19th
Captain Cragen's Office
Okay, he's got the experience, the languages, the kung fu moves-I'm convinced.
Cragen wrote Alphonse Sofarelli's name on a piece of scrap paper. He then considered Tarquin Parker.
I know Tarq-he wants to move to the 'burbs so bad that a posting here would get me fragged.
He next read through Judith Otten's info. She also looked good-serious commendations, thirty-two years' on the job-three with Vice, five with Organized Crime Investigation Division, sixteen with Homicide.
With that background, she'll be meticulous in her investigations. Good close rate, too. Fin was as enthusiastic over her as he ever gets. "Professional, no-nonsense, and she's got experience with troubled kids. Think about her, Cap'n-she'll do good here."
Cragen glanced at Fin, who stood by his partner's desk watching Munch wave his arms over a tall stack of manila folders. Judging from the sour expression on Fin's face, he was in a deep philosophic discussion about who should file those folders.
Sorry, Fin. Munch already has Otten's knowledge and experience. He might be a pain as a partner, but he's so good a detective that I don't need another like him.
He moved on to Donna Jo Loudoun. Nothing in her info excited him and Liv's words touting her had been as noncommittal as they come.
It's as though she felt obligated to her friend, but really didn't want me to pick her. My apologies if I read you wrong, Liv.
He next read through the info on the remaining two: Louis Charles and Gilberto Guerrero. Both seemed good from their info and Cragen knew of no dirt on either of them.
But Gil can't tell a joke and he never stops trying. The last thing a vic needs is a bad comedian. It's a stupid thing to ding a guy on, but all it takes is one inappropriate comment and all hell breaks loose.
Cragen reread Charles' info-four years with Auto Crime Unit before the Six-Five, no red flags, sufficient experience and commendations, nothing to prevent his being chosen-but nothing to make anyone jump up and down with glee when he walked into the squad room.
Well, there is nothing wrong with competency. He'll undoubtedly do.
He wrote Charles' name under Sofarelli's then looked through his window at the SVU squad. Olivia and Elliot were standing over her desk. By craning his neck, Cragen could see crime scene photos scattered over the desktop. Both detectives were considering a photo pinned by Benson's index finger.
They both combine pure energy and painstaking police work. It amazes me that those two hold it together, but they manage to do so. I'm glad to have both of them, but I wouldn't want any more like them.
Fin now sat at his desk with a satisfied smirk on his face. Across from him scowled Munch. As Cragen watched, Munch gathered himself and stood up slowly. Cragen almost could hear the joints crackle and pop as Munch reached for the stack of folders.
Nothing new there-anyone who had seen John lose an argument had witnessed this sympathy ploy-"How can you make a poor, worn-out detective do so much hard work?" He even tries it on me and we're contemporaries.
What was new was the look of concern on Fin's face as he watched his partner carry the folders to the file cabinets. Cragen shifted his attention to the older detective. Yes, he was favoring his left leg again. Yes, he had gone gray awfully quickly. Yes, Fin was watching him, eyes hooded and no sign of his triumphant smirk.
John turns sixty this year-that's three years to retirement. Getting shot didn't help that limp of his any. If Fin is worrying, then I need to worry-John's my friend and he's a big part of this squad. We'll lose a lot if he leaves.
Cragen looked again at the six names on his computer screen and the two names written on the scrap paper. He sighed once then drew a line through Louis Charles' name and wrote Judith Otten's name under it.
This better not jinx John. I'd rather he made it all the way to retirement with no more than a few aches and pains. But, just in case he ...
Cragen cut off that thought and composed his e-mail to the Chief. It went off with four minutes to spare.
Next Chapter: Getting to Know You