All in a Day’s Work (Pt 2)

[DeJaVu]

[27 May 3072; SBC] Respected Solaran businessman Connor DeLon was today arrested by the SPD on charges of inciting violence and affray. DeLon, long suspected of having ties to organized crime, was detained after a series of raids across the capital which targeted DeLon holdings and those of his known associate Erik Gray. Delon decried the arrest proclaiming his innocence and calling the charges “ludicrous” and the SPD “nothing more than a puppet of the forces of destablization”.
SPD spokesmen Detective Superintendent Kyle Reefman has called the arrest an indicator of the SPD’s commitment to returning the capital to normal in the wake of the Blakist occupation. Reefman also praised the cooperation provided by the Nowhere Police Department’s Mounted Constables who operated in conjunction with the SPD’s own mounted unit. The cross-department action was supported by SPD SRT units raiding several DeLon holdings in Nowhere alongside their NPD counterparts.
The SPD has been criticized for it’s inability to restore order in the wake of the Blakists retreat from the planet, especially in relation to suppressing the Cathay riots and preventing looting in the wake of inter-stable street-fighting. The SPD’s reputation was further damaged with the revelation SPD “snatch” squads had acted in conjunction with Blakist ROM “Internal Obedience” units to detain several hundred influential Solarans during the early days of the occupation.
While Superintendent Reefman refused to reveal which officers or units had been involved in the raid, witnesses have reported the officers involved wore balaclavas or face shield, and did not identify themselves as police when entering the raided premises. Reefman labeled these witnesses as “mistaken” stressing that SPD officers had acted within departmental guidelines, and at no time did any officer overstep his or her boundaries.
Erik Gray, hero of the Solaran Resistance during the occupation, has called for a full investigation into the matter, reaffirming his support for DeLon.
“Connor DeLon is one of the people who held Solaris together when we needed it most. For him to be treated this way is ridiculous. If I know Connor, he’s looking forward to his day in court, and his chance to prove his innocence against these slanderous charges.”
For SBC, I’m Tim Jackman.