21 Jump Street (Tom Hanson)

Moving On

March 1992

It's been just two years since Tom left Jump Street. Many officers have come and gone since then, but me, Judy, and Fuller have all stayed. Ioki moved on from the precinct a couple years ago, he met a girl and they moved to California. Doug left Jump Street in 1990 after his near-death experience so he could be there for Clavo, his nephew that he adopted from El Salvador. Even Judy doesn't take field assignments anymore, she usually stays at the chapel behind her desk. She destains it, but I think she enjoys helping to train the newbies.

I stopped taking high school cases last year and I began to focus on assignments based in colleges. I'm twenty-four years old, I cannot stand high school cases anymore so Fuller has only been giving me college assignments. Fuller wasn't very happy with me about it at first, but I think that nine years in high school is more than enough... six of them were spent undercover.

I wish I kept track of all my cases at Jump Street. This one that I was assigned to was textbook: infiltrate the dealers, find the supplier. I had the entire case memorized. I had to attend Trinity University, a private college a couple districts away. I was going in as Michelle Collins, a science prodigy who graduated from Jefferson High School. I've had this assignment a million times, it should have been easy.

It was my second or third day on the case, and there was one kid in a few of my classes that I recognized but I could not pinpoint how I knew him. I kept feeling his eyes on me, even though I tried to ignore him. Turns out, he recognized me too. I attended a high school with him nearly five years ago, and he was still pissed that I arrested one of his friends. He was a sophomore at the time, and an underclassman at this university now. He pulled me aside and threatened to tell everyone at the university that I was a cop.

I couldn't even finish out the rest of the school day with that hanging over my head. I made a quick call from the main office to one of my other team members to take over for me, and I marched out to my car. I was cursing under my breath as I drove straight to the chapel.

I ignored everyone in my anger and headed straight for Fuller's office. I gave him a couple knocks as a brief warning before I opened the door and found him talking on the phone while sitting in his chair.

He paused mid-sentence to whoever he was speaking with on the phone and looked up at me with an expression of both confusion and concern. He said into the receiver, "I'll have to call you back."

I paced the office and cracked my knuckles as I heard Fuller hang up the phone and stood up from his chair. He asked me, "what's going on?"

"I was recognized. Again," I huffed. I stopped pacing and continued, "that's the third time this month."

Fuller exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. He asked, "what about the assignment?"

"I got McCann to cover for me," I said. I took a breath to calm myself down, but I was upset. Every time this happens, I'm kicked off the case and assigned a new one.

"That's good. He hasn't worked in that district yet so he's a fresher face," Fuller nodded.

"I'm becoming too well known throughout the districts. The students all know me as the cop who busted them... or their friends... or their siblings. What should I do?" I asked defeatedly.

"What do you think you should do?" Fuller asked.

I slumped down in the chair and bit the inside of my cheek. I had been thinking about this for a while, but I didn't like the conclusion that I always came up with. I exhaled softly before I mustered up the courage to say it. "I think I should resign from Jump Street."

Fuller sighed and said, "I was afraid you'd say that. I don't want to lose you."

"If you keep having to replace me, I'll become a risk to the entire operation," I stated.