Things were different domestically.
In California, police officers could have part-time jobs.
Many officers worked as security personnel or detectives during their vacations.
Luke had no qualms about receiving consultancy fees.
Investigating whether Val acted in self-defense wasn't too difficult for him, it just required wasting some time.
Luke reviewed the surveillance video again and discovered some new clues.
Although the fight occurred in a surveillance blind spot, that didn't mean the surveillance was useless.
The cameras didn't capture Val and the suspect, but they did capture the onlookers.
These spectators could serve as witnesses, provided, of course, they saw the entire conflict.
If they didn't see the suspect choking Val but only saw Val hitting the suspect, that would be disadvantageous for Val.