“It was almost like for two years I couldn’t breathe because I didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Chief Williams said. She sought advice from an advisory board made up of people from the business and religious sectors, and said she made sure her department held itself accountable for its actions.

During this time, Alan Williams was about 40 miles north of Oxnard, at Santa Barbara, the university he had settled on before his mother got the chief’s job. She tried not to let what was happening in her workplace affect his world, but headlines critical of her department cast a long shadow.

“I always tried to be there for her as much as possible,” said Williams, who starred on the Gauchos’ basketball team. “She understood I was on my journey, too.”

He signed with the Suns in 2015 as an undrafted free agent and appeared in 10 games last season. His value to the team, Coach Earl Watson said, goes far beyond statistics.

“I can go on and on about how much we love him and his energy on the bench,” Watson said, adding: “He has an edge to him, so he is not just a nice guy. He has toughness to him, changes the tone and kind of the energy in practice.”

Williams and the Suns were in Oklahoma City for a game on Oct. 28 when his mother was sworn in as police chief.