13_Hospital Chaos

Mason, do you believe in religion?" When Mason drove the woman to the police station and locked her in the detention room to resume patrolling, Jimmy asked him.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Just now that lady scared me. I didn't expect a mother to abuse her child like that just because she suspected he was possessed by a demon."

"Oh, possessed by a demon or a crazy mother? You should get used to it because this isn't the first time it's happened, and you'll definitely encounter it again in the future."

Mason parked the car on the side of the road, got out, took out a pack of cigarettes, gave one to Jimmy, and they stood on the roadside smoking.

"All units, shooting at the downtown hospital. Nearby officers, please support immediately. Repeat..."

Mason and Jimmy flicked their cigarette butts on the ground, stomped on them, got back into the car, activated the sirens and lights, and rushed towards the hospital. Jimmy pulled out his baton in advance, and when the car stopped at the hospital entrance, he got out and walked to the outside of the hospital, extending his baton and starting to guard.

Mason drew his gun, communicating on the walkie-talkie as he rushed into the hospital.

Jimmy glanced and saw that eight police cars had arrived, all empty, probably inside the hospital. Doctors, nurses, and patients had come out of the hospital and scattered outside. Unable to run away directly, he huddled behind a pillar, watching the hospital doors closely.

Apart from occasional gunshots, there was little noise inside the hospital. After waiting for over ten minutes without seeing anyone coming out, Jimmy grew impatient.

"Where are the hospital security guards? Who can tell me where the back door is?" Jimmy shouted to the people outside.

"Go to your right, there's another exit and a back door behind the building's parking lot."

Following their directions, Jimmy rushed towards the back door.

Upon reaching the back door, he found it open from the inside, and a man in blue hospital scrubs rushed out, holding a handgun.

Jimmy acted swiftly, swinging his baton horizontally. The man probably didn't expect to encounter resistance when opening the door and was hit on the right arm, causing the gun to fall. Jimmy continued striking with his baton, hitting the man's arms and legs twice each, eventually knocking him down. He handcuffed the man, dragged him to a corner, and placed him against the wall. The gun the man carried was put into an evidence bag by Jimmy and placed in his pocket.

Returning to the back door, ready to continue surveillance, Jimmy suddenly heard shouting from the front. He ran back to the front and saw an ambulance rushing out from the underground garage next to the front entrance, heading towards the main gate. Jimmy ran to the police car, picked up the walkie-talkie to report the situation, only to see several officers running out from the underground tunnel, including Mason.

The officers ran to their respective police cars. When Mason reached his car, Jimmy told him, "I caught one at the back door."

Mason was astonished by this news and followed Jimmy to the back door, dragging the man into the police car.

"We won't go after the others now. Let's wait for the doctors to come back and check on this person first."

"Okay, here's his gun." Jimmy pulled out the evidence bag containing a black 1911 handgun, handed it to Mason, who then opened the trunk and placed it inside.

"Mason, what happened inside?" "Let's discuss it back at the station. I've already contacted Chief James; he should be at the station soon."

...

After the scattered doctors and nurses returned, they conducted a basic examination of the suspect and found no fractures or bleeding issues. Mason took the suspect back to the station and locked him in the detention room.

"Jimmy, come with me to see the chief."

"Chief, the hospital is back to normal. We only caught one suspect, the other two escaped in an ambulance. We found the ambulance but not the individuals."

"Have you informed the other precincts?" Chief James inquired.

"Yes, we have. The captured suspect has been brought in. Oh, Jimmy caught him at the hospital's back door."

"Alright, you two can go now."

Mason and Jimmy left the chief's office. Mason had to continue patrolling, while Jimmy was ready to go back and rest. When Jimmy changed back into his clothes and came out, Chief James was waiting at his office door.

"Jimmy, come to my office for a moment."

Jimmy entered the office, where Chief James was seated on the couch, handing him a cigarette. They sat down, lit their cigarettes, and began to talk.

"Jimmy, are you interested in working at the police station?"

"As a police officer?"

"Yes. You've been with us for some time now and should be familiar with our situation here."

"Chief, I have no issue working as a police officer, but it seems like I can't solve the problems in the department. I can sign up now, wait for the police academy to start, graduate, and at least it will be next summer."

"That's not something you need to worry about. I just need an answer, accept or reject."

"Of course, I accept."

"Okay, find Amy tomorrow morning, listen to her instructions. Remember, don't tell anyone anything."

With the decision made before finishing the cigarette, Jimmy left the station feeling a bit bewildered.

Standing at the police station entrance, the cold wind blew for a while, and Jimmy's mind finally cooled down, starting to ponder what the chief meant.

First, let's clarify the entry process for American police officers. In the USA, there are two starting points for becoming a police officer. One is to first apply at the police station, pass their screening, then go to the police academy for 6 months of training. The other option is to attend the police academy for 6 months, obtain certification, and then apply to the police station, where they would need to pass the station's screening and become a police trainee.

Regardless of the starting point, the process after joining the police station is the same. Train under an instructor for six months, then patrol solo for another six months, during which the instructors secretly evaluate. Only upon completing this process would one become an official police officer. This regulated timeline, with its extensive duration, had at times made him feel disheartened.

Being a police officer was much more challenging than what most people believed. The police academy training included legal studies, both federal and state laws, police codes of conduct, first aid, emergency evacuation procedures, weapon usage, scenario simulations, high/low-risk detentions, equipment handling, vehicle driving, high-speed interception, vehicle inspection, physical training, combat training, and more - all necessary skills for police work.