THE POLICE STATION WASN'T like anything I would have imagined. Near the entrance, a circular driveway with lush green landscaping separated the building from an ordinary parking lot. A bowl-shaped water fountain with an abstract art design stood in the center of the grassy area. The building wasn't just the police station. It acted as City Hall, too, which might explain the beautiful landscaping.
As we headed to the police department on the first floor, I was surprised by the lack of criminals being manhandled in handcuffs like I expected from my tv experience. Were it not for a couple of uniformed policemen heading out, it could have been mistaken for any other business. In fact, the reception area looked like a hotel lobby.
We approached the sleek-looking front desk where a woman wearing a brown pantsuit was speaking into a phone. She had a pen sticking out of her gray-brown hair, which was pulled tight into in a bun at the base of her neck.