North America Gunman Detective

First, let's go over the ranks and insignias of the county police again.

Officers are divided into 3 levels, with the First Level having plain sleeves, no chevrons, generally for probationary officers and trainees. These officers usually patrol with an FTO (Field Training Officer), receiving on-the-job training. The Second Level has one chevron and corresponds to a Deputy Sheriff, responsible for solo patrols and handling general cases. The Third Level has two chevrons, designating either a Detective or an FTO. Detectives usually don't need to wear a uniform and spend most of their time in plain clothes, handling major cases, while FTOs are in charge of training probationary officers.

Sergeants have three chevrons and are primarily responsible for managing deputies and detectives, already being part of the managerial level.

Further up are Lieutenants and Captains, with a Lieutenant having one vertical bar, usually in charge of a division, such as the Homicide and Serious Crime Division. A Captain has two vertical bars and, depending on the Sheriff's needs, typically oversees a precinct or, in the case of larger county police forces, an entire department, such as Criminal Investigation, and is also involved in recruiting new personnel.

Above the rank of Captain are the Deputy Chief, Chief Deputy, and Sheriff, distinguished by three stars, four stars, and five stars, respectively. They are the highest echelon in the county police.

Due to varying sizes and scales of county police, not all departments have all these ranks; many agencies may only have a Sheriff leading a dozen or so officers, and hence, some ranks might be absent.

Currently, Jimmy is a Deputy Sheriff with one chevron, while Chief James is a five-star Sheriff.

After exchanging a few words with Sam, Jimmy drew his gun and looked towards the factory,

"How many exits does this factory have?"

"Just this one in the front, but the fence isn't high, so it's possible to come out from the inside."

"You guys keep guard at the front; I'll check out the side." Jimmy walked to the side of the factory, planning to circle it and see if there were any other gaps.

The four people being surrounded had a car, and with the hostage, one car was enough to take them all. If it weren't for three rural cops blocking the gate with guns, they probably would have just driven through the gate by now.

Jimmy slowly reached the back of the factory when suddenly he heard a gunshot from inside the building; it was unclear if it was fired at the main gate. He quickly ran towards the gate, but stopped after a few steps. The gunshot had only sounded once without following shots; it was likely not aimed at the police at the gate.

Arriving at the factory's left side, Jimmy found a tree about 3 meters from the wall. The branches were high enough that he should be able to see into the factory.

Jimmy went under the tree, ready to climb up, when he heard the chief's voice in his earpiece.

"Jimmy, head to the front and regroup."

With no other choice, Jimmy abandoned his plan and ran towards the main gate. Chief James, Noah (car number A47), and Kage Bergman (car number A7) were already there, standing with Sheriff Sam.

"Chief James, I've checked all around; the walls are intact. There's a tree on the left side that should provide a view inside the factory, but I haven't checked it yet."

"Thank you, Jimmy. Noah, take a rifle and scout from that tree, report back on the hostage situation and particularly look for Reina's position."

"Understood." Noah immediately grabbed an M16 and went to the left side. After a while, Noah's voice came through the radio.

"The position isn't good; I can't see the suspect or locate the hostage, they might be in a room. There's a sedan parked outside the building, with no one in it." After a moment, Noah continued, "I've identified three exits on the factory, all closed, can't see inside the rooms."

"Noah, stand by as assigned." After the chief made arrangements, he and Sheriff Sam moved aside to communicate.

Jimmy took the shotgun out of the car, a 12-gauge with an effective range of 40 meters, although typically police only use it for targets around 20 meters; anything further would definitely call for a rifle. Police Shotguns are generally loaded when mounted in a cruiser; some officers even like to chamber a round directly. Jimmy just loaded the shotgun, chambered it with a click after taking it out, and positioned himself off to the side of the main gate, aiming at the factory entrance, ready to confront anyone who might charge out—the spread of the shotgun pellets would surely give anyone in the car a hard time.

Chief James and Sheriff Sam returned after talking for a while, and it seemed that Chief James had taken over command. He picked up the police car's megaphone and turned on the loudspeakers at the front of the car.

"Reina, this is James, James Baldwin, Sheriff of Plaskey County; come out, let's talk."

After calling out, the chief walked to the main gate and waited.

All the responding officers had donned Bullet-Proof Vests, with added ballistic plates in the front. Although quite heavy, they offered better protection.

Jimmy and others waited anxiously for a few minutes at the gate, and then a voice was heard from inside the factory. The factory door opened slightly, and a big-bearded man stepped out; this was Reina, empty-handed, but his clothing had an abnormal bulge, likely carrying a weapon near his waist.

"James, you got here fast. What do you want to say to me?"

"Reina, what you did today was excessive. Kidnapping is a serious crime, and you've taken a cop."

"James, I don't want to argue with you. I didn't come back for you."

"I don't care about your motives or your affairs. I have no interest in your bunch of scum! Let Jina go; you know if something big happens, no one can save you."

"Okay, no problem, give me a few minutes."

Reina returned to the factory. Noah could see him entering the building, and after a while, Reina and his three associates brought a woman into the car and drove toward the main gate.

After getting the notification from Noah, the chief used the radio to instruct everyone to clear the main gate. Once Reina opened the gate, the car came out, the back door opened, and Jina was pushed out, Reina took the passenger seat, and the car sped away.

Sam and his team took over Jina, checking her on the side for injuries. Jina's mouth was still wrapped with tape, and after the check, Sam unwound the tape.

"Sam, they killed a man, in the plant; there were only three people in the car." As soon as Jina was freed from the tape, she spoke out—having a casualty was a serious matter.

"Don't talk now; we'll discuss it when we get back." Sam stopped Jina, and no one else proceeded to check towards the factory.

"Sam, handle the rest; I'm heading back." Chief James said, and then got into his cruiser and drove away.

"Jimmy, follow me in the car," Noah called out to Jimmy, and then both of them left in their respective cars.

Jimmy was confused, feeling that today's events were especially strange. He hoped Noah might provide some answers later.