History Characters / SawLawEnforcement

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Arguably his own fault, since his reckless actions got his partner killed, but taken to ridiculous levels in the video game, where ''everyone'' he saves blames him for their dilemmas.

[[folder:Edgar Munsen]]
!!Edgar Munsen
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edgarmunsen.jpg]]
->'''Played by:''' Josiah Black

A meth addict and criminal informant for Brad Halloran. He is introduced in the opening of the film in a delirious state claiming he must do what Jigsaw says or he'll die. Edgar is promptly sniped by an unknown figure and put into a coma for the rest of the film.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Halloran does ''sincerely'' raise the possibility Edgar did not murder Logan's wife, but due to Logan's thirst for vengeance against the detective, he does not consider what he says.]]
* AssholeVictim: A meth addict and remorseless criminal who [[spoiler:previously murdered Logan Nelson's wife and got away with it thanks to Halloran]]. Suffice to say, he deserves everything that happens to him. That said, [[spoiler: Logan directly murdering him despite him doing what he was told [[DeceptiveDisciple is the antithesis of John's noble intentions]]]].
* ButtMonkey: He's introduced as a delirious victim of Jigsaw, gets sniped into a coma, and is later [[spoiler: murdered by Logan while unconscious]].
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Logan makes it appear as though Halloran killed Edgar after murdering him. As Halloran is murdered by Logan not long after, he uses Halloran as a posthumous figure to cover his tracks while he continues Jigsaw's legacy.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:His murder of Logan's wife is a main motivating factor to why Logan decides to take up the then-dormant mantle of Jigsaw.]]
[[/folder]]

!!!'''''Spiral'' officers:'''
[[folder:Zeke Banks]]
!!Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks
[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spiral_od_d28_06227_cr3_rgb_scaled.jpg]]
-> '''Played by:''' Creator/ChrisRock

The protagonist of ''Spiral'', Zeke is a detective who's ostracized by the department for his role in turning in Peter Dunleavy after Peter intentionally committed a grave crime. Zeke is reluctantly put in charge of the investigation of a new Jigsaw copycat by being the first on the scene of the murder of his colleague, Marv Bozwick.
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[[folder:Michael Marks]]
!!Michael Marks
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/michaelmarkshd.png]]

->'''Played by:''' Noam Jenkins

A former druggie, now police informant for Eric. He's introduced as the victim of the Death Mask trap in ''Saw II'', kickstarting the plot when Jigsaw calls out for Eric at the scene of his death.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Jigsaw kidnaps Michael because he despises his role as an informant, describing him as a "voyeur." While the role of a criminal informant can be dirty, especially when it concerns someone like Eric, an informant can be invaluable in assisting law enforcement in saving lives and catching criminals. Plus, the fact John describes Michael as such is [[{{Hypocrite}} pretty rich]], [[InsaneTrollLogic considering he spies extensively on his victim's personal lives before testing them.]]
* EyeScream: The key to his Death Mask is hidden behind one of his eyes, which Jigsaw encourages to gouge out with a dinky scalpel given to him.
* RageQuit: He gives up midway into his test, angrily throwing away his scalpel and screaming for help in vain until he dies.
* RapidFireNo: Shortly before the Death Mask closes.
* TheStoolPigeon: He's a criminal informant for Eric.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Daniel Rigg]]
!!Daniel Rigg
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daniel_1.png]]
->'''Played by:''' Lyriq Bent

A supporting character in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', and the main protagonist of ''Saw IV''. He is a cop on the local police force that's been working hard on the case since Eric Matthew's disappearance. Jigsaw takes issues with his obsession and decides to test him. In reality, Mark Hoffman is looking for an apprentice of his own following John and Amanda's passings, and Rigg is an ideal candidate should he pass his test.
----

->'''Played by:''' Chad Donella

* FromBadToWorse: His storyline revolves around this trope. Every time we see him in each of three movies where he appears, he's in worse shape than the last time we left him.

* FromBadToWorse: He's in three of the movies. Every time we see him he is in worse shape than the last time we left him.

* AssholeVictim: Downplayed. While Eric is a deeply corrupt cop that has ruined lives to further his career or out of pettiness, the level of emotional and physical turmoil he undergoes after failing his game is far too much for a man who was only trying to stop Jigsaw and save his son.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Despite everything Marcus has done throughout his career, his death is painted in a somber light. Having made the selfless choice of sending Zeke after catching the fleeing killer over attending to him, Marcus consequently dies and Zeke is completely distraught over his death.[]

* DirtyCop: Revealed to be one during his time as police chief, covering up crimes committed by other corrupt cops.

* AssholeVictim: Downplayed. [[spoiler:While Angie was a CorruptCop deeply complicit in a conspiracy to allow police corruption to run rampant, she is one of the less malevolent of the bunch. Her absolutely ''horrific'' death was fairly disproportionate, to say the least.]]

* DirtyCop: She was the number two of Marcus in a large-scale conspiracy to grant police officers more power regardless of what they did.

* DirtyCop: And how. Besides the murder mentioned above, he also refused to provide backup for Zeke during a shootout as revenge for turning another cop in, which almost got Zeke killed.

--> '''Zeke''': The ''witness'' pulled a gun on you?

* DirtyCop: Ex-dirty cop. He killed Charlie Emmerson to prevent him from testifying against another officer, then tried to make it look like he shot him in self-defense. Zeke didn't buy it and turned him in, getting him kicked out of the force.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:His death at the hands of the Spiral Killer is horrifying, but he previously murdered Charlie Emmerson to prevent him from testifying against a fellow officer. And for all his gestures at atonement, Peter still remained a bitter asshole to Zeke and never realized he was in the right in testifying against Peter. This is even lampshaded by Schenk, expressing Peter had it coming for ruining not only his life but Zeke's as well.]]

* AlasPoorVillain: Despite everything Marcus has done throughout his career, his death is painted in a somber light. Having made the selfless choice of sending Zeke after catching the fleeing killer over attending to him, Marcus consequently dies and Zeke is completely distraught over his death.
* AssholeVictim: While Marcus isn't as openly horrible as some of the other cops in the precinct, he was a deeply corrupt police chief who enabled the corruption of other officers like Fitch and Peter. He also had no qualms about engaging in PoliceBrutality himself. As a result, he is a case of this when he dies, but see AlasPoorVillain above for how his death is displayed like.

* AssholeVictim: Downplayed. While Angie was a CorruptCop deeply complicit in a conspiracy to allow police corruption to run rampant, she is one of the less malevolent of the bunch. Her absolutely ''horrific'' death was fairly disproportionate, to say the least.

* AssholeVictim: The biggest in the whole movie. Fitch was a sociopathic monster that once murdered a man for flipping him off when ordered to raise his hands. He also treated Zeke with nothing but contempt and once nearly left him to die out of spite. It's telling that of all the cops that die in the movie, Zeke feels absolutely nothing for Fitch upon discovering his remains.

* AssholeVictim: His death at the hands of the Spiral Killer is horrifying, but he previously murdered Charlie Emmerson to prevent him from testifying against a fellow officer. And for all his gestures at atonement, Peter still remained a bitter asshole to Zeke and never realized he was in the right in testifying against Peter. [[spoiler: This trope is even lampshaded by Schenk, expressing Peter had it coming for ruining not only his life but Zeke's as well.]]

[[WMG:[[center: [-''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Saw}} Main Character Index]]'''\\

[[caption-width-right:350:`''"I was the one who examined that body. I've examined every victim of the Jigsaw Killer."'']]

* ProperlyParanoid: Having known Strahm for years and the suspicious circumstances surrounding the case of Seth Baxter that Strahm was investigating, he was wary of Hoffman before the latter began framing Strahm.

* ProperlyParanoid: Having known Strahm for years and the extremely suspicious circumstances surrounding the Seth Baxter case Strahm was investigating, he was wary of Hoffman before the latter began framing Strahm.
* SlashedThroat: Courtesy of [[spoiler: Hoffman]].

[[Characters/SawJigsawAndAccomplices Jigsaw and Accomplices]] | [[Characters/SawOtherAntagonists Other Antagonists]] | '''Law Enforcement''' | [[Characters/SawOtherCharacters Other Characters]]-]]]]]

* AssholeVictim: Downplayed. While Eric is a deeply CorruptCop that has ruined lives to further his career or out of pettiness, the level of emotional and physical turmoil he undergoes after failing his game is far too much for a man who was only trying to stop Jigsaw and save his son.

* HeroKiller: Played sympathetically and very justified. [[spoiler: He ultimately kills Rigg in a desperate move to prevent him from failing his game and accidentally killing [[DevilInPlainSight at least]] three people, but it fails to stop him.]]

** Telling [[spoiler:Schenk]] to stay quiet after Pete shoots his father directly leads to [[spoiler:Schenk killing his own father years later.]]

* AssholeVictim: While Marcus isn't as openly horrible as some of the other cops in the precinct, he was once a deeply corrupt police chief that enabled the corruption of other officers like Fitch and Peter. He also had no qualms about engaging in PoliceBrutality himself. As a result, he is a case of this when he dies but see AlasPoorVillain above.

* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: He is visibly shaken upon confronting Schenk as the Spiral killer, calling out his betrayal.]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Apart from being ostracized by the force, his act of turning Peter in also ruined his personal life and his wife divorced him from the strain.
** Telling [[spoiler: Schenk/Emmerson]] to stay quiet after his DirtyCop partner shoots his father directly leads to [[spoiler: Schenk killing his own father years later.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:His murder of Logan's wife is a main motivating factor to why Logan decides to take up the dormant mantle of Jigsaw.]]

The detective was assigned to the Jigsaw case before Eric Matthews. After finding evidence pointing to Lawrence Gordon as the Jigsaw Killer, he began to obsess over arresting him, even after Gordon's alibi proved that he couldn't be the killer. After Jigsaw wounded him and killed his partner, Steven Sing, he was discharged from the force.

[[folder:Eric Matthews]]
!!Eric Matthews
->'''Played by:''' Creator/DonnieWahlberg

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eric_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The clock is ticking, John."'']]

The protagonist of ''Saw II'', and a supporting character in ''Saw III'' and ''IV''. A cop that is pulled into the Jigsaw case when one of his informants is killed in a Jigsaw trap.

* AdultFear: His test ''on paper'' is a joke compared to that of about anyone else in the series, simply needing to sit and patiently listen to John talk for a few hours. No harm to Eric whatsoever. The kicker? He has to watch his completely innocent and terrified son endure a comparatively horrific game within the company of convicts and be told by that same serial killer he is talking to that he'll see his son if he doesn't do anything but sit around.
* AssholeVictim: Downplayed. While Eric is a deeply CorruptCop that has ruined lives to further his career or out of pettiness, the level of emotional and physical turmoil he undergoes after failing his game is far too much for a man who was only trying to stop Jigsaw and save his son.
* DespairEventHorizon: He crosses this full stop between the third and fourth film, being reduced to a sobbing mess begging for death.
* {{Determinator}}: After Amanda leaves him with the same fate as Adam's, he ''smashes his own foot apart with a toilet lid to escape.'' Not even Lawrence or Adam thought of that.
* DirtyCop: All of the victims in the Nerve Gas House besides Daniel were people he planted evidence on and framed for crimes that they never committed. We also see recorded TV footage of him becoming belligerent and violent with a news reporter asking him about his history of using physical force when talking with suspects.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. In the fourth film, he knowingly tries to slip off the block of ice he's forced onto in his game, which would kill him. Fortunately, Art stops him. Once Eric sees Art is also a victim in the game and not a willing accomplice, he doesn't try to kill himself again.
* FromBadToWorse: He's in three of the movies. Every time we see him he is in worse shape than the last time we left him.
* HeroKiller: Played sympathetically and very justified. [[spoiler: He ultimately kills Rigg in a desperate move to prevent him from failing his game and accidentally killing [[DevilInPlainSight at least]] three people, but it fails to stop him.]]
* HotBlooded: Has a lot of trouble keeping his temper under control, which damages his relationship with his son and might account for his habit of rigging investigations to guarantee convictions. It proves to be his undoing in the end.
* JerkassHasAPoint: He may be a DirtyCop and RabidCop, but few can dispute Eric makes a damn good point when he points out that John, no matter how he tries to justify the deaths in his games, is a murderer.
-->'''Eric''': I don't know what [the cure for cancer] is, but I know it's not killing and torturing people for your own sick fucking pleasure.\\
'''John''': I've never murdered anyone in my life. [[NeverMyFault The decisions are up to them.]]\\
'''Eric''': Yeah, well, putting a gun to someone's head and forcing ''them'' to pull the trigger is still murder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He lays out the ''mother'' of all beatdowns on John toward the climax of the second film, one so vicious that it has him writhing in ''horrible'' agony between taunting Matthews. Even though Eric was failing his game by giving in to his rage, it's hard to deny that John deserved every second of it.
* NominalHero: Eric is a deeply corrupt cop who's nevertheless only trying to do right by saving his son and more lives from a complete madman.
* PapaWolf: He was extremely worried when Jigsaw had his son and was willing go to huge lengths to get him back. Unfortunately, all that was required of him was to be patient.
* PartingWordsRegret: The last thing Eric told Daniel was essentially to go to hell, and it's clear that this is a big part of why he's so desperate to get him back.
* RabidCop: It's revealed that he has a very nasty record of violence towards most of the suspects, and near the end of the second film he [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beats John to a bloody pulp]].
* YourHeadAsplode: At the end of the fourth movie, between two blocks of ice.
* YoureInsane: He rightfully calls out John for being batshit insane in their conversation, to which he [[BlueAndOrangeMorality only responds with amusement.]]

[[folder:Allison Kerry]]
!!Allison Kerry
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerryjigsawcaseiii.jpg]]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/DinaMeyer

A major character in ''Saw I, II'' and ''III''. The first cop assigned to the Jigsaw case, and the self-proclaimed "Jigsaw Expert". She has been tracking this case from the beginning. Unfortunately, her unhealthy obsession with the case draws the ire of the killer...

* ByTheBookCop: Even though she's obsessed with solving the Jigsaw murders, unlike other cops in the series, she still adheres to the rules and is incredibly disapproving of Eric's penchant for PoliceBrutality.
* DecoyProtagonist: Is at the center of ''Saw III'' for the first fifteen or so minutes before being quickly killed off.
* {{Determinator}}: She bests Jigsaw's test for her. Unfortunately, it's not survivable through Amanda's handiwork.
* EmotionlessGirl: According to Jigsaw. Subverted in that while aloof, Allison feels deeply remorseful of Eric's disappearance after the second film.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: After two films as a central character, she's the second victim of the third film.
* UnwinnableByDesign: Kerry passed her test, but Amanda has rigged it to where winning is impossible.
* {{Workaholic}}: She admits to being obsessed with solving the case, which has come with the price of ruining her social life.

[[folder:Daniel Rigg]]
!!Daniel Rigg
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daniel_1.png]]
->'''Played by:''' Lyriq Bent

A supporting character in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', and the main protagonist of ''Saw IV''. He is a cop on the local police force that's been working hard on the case since Eric Matthew's disappearance. Jigsaw takes issues with his obsession and decides to test him. In reality, Mark Hoffman is looking for an apprentice of his own following John and Amanda's passings, and Rigg is an ideal candidate should he pass his test.
------
* AntiHero: One of his fatal flaws. To start, he has a temperamental and focused personality, which stems from such situations, where he acted aggressive, and on some occasions, even turned violent, which brought him into conflict with the Internal Affairs Department. Despite this, Rigg is loyal to both his friends and his department, is extremely dedicated to his work and had a strong sense of justice. However, his quest to save and protect everyone turned into an obsession, which proves to be his undoing. See UnwantedAssistance below.
* AscendedExtra: He is a background character in ''Saw II'' and ''III,'' with a total of maybe 3 lines of dialogue between the two movies. In ''IV'', he is the main character.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: The flaw Jigsaw was trying to get him to overcome.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He may have ChronicHeroSyndrome, but he clearly has no sympathy or pity for the cruel serial rapist Ivan.
* FaceHeelTurn: {{Invoked|Trope}}, but {{Subverted|Trope}}. The core of his extremely simple game (which poses practically no harm to Rigg himself) is to subtly brainwash and recruit him into Jigsaw's fold. Rigg rushing in through gets him fatally shot before he can be brainwashed.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The above trope usually results in this. Again, see UnwantedAssistance below.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: He is shot at the end of ''IV'', but is otherwise alive. He is declared dead near the beginning of ''V''.
* SurvivorGuilt: His problem is that everyone around him keeps dying.
* UnwantedAssistance: Invoked by Jigsaw for his test. His test was to watch people suffer in their traps and seeing them get out of there, or try and help them. By the end of ''IV'', Rigg kills several characters in misguided attempts at saving them.

!!Federal Bureau of Investigation:
[[folder:Peter Strahm]]
!!Peter Strahm
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strahm.png]]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/ScottPatterson

An FBI agent assigned to work with the local police on the Jigsaw case. He has a prominent role in ''IV'' and is the main character in ''V''.
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* AscendedExtra: Strahm was a major supporting character in ''IV''. He upgrades to be the lead protagonist in ''V''.
* CaptainObvious: He spends much of his screen time in ''Saw V'' telling the audience what he sees and stating things that are already quite apparent.
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Hoffman attempted to use him for this in ''Saw VI'', using one of Strahm's hands to leave fingerprints on evidence. It failed, as Erickson determines that Strahm was DeadAllAlong due to DNA analysis.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: He had a major role in ''IV'' and was upgraded to being the protagonist of ''V''. He is built up to be the main hero of the second arc of the series, but [[spoiler:[[TheHeroDies he is killed by the end of the film]]]].
* {{Determinator}}: [[spoiler:He escapes Jigsaw's inescapable trap ''with a tracheotomy.'']]
* GoodIsNotNice: He's one of the more genuine heroic characters, but has a temper and can be a {{Jerkass}}. Although given the circumstances of the Jigsaw case, this is completely justified.
* GutturalGrowler: [[TruthInTelevision Justified]] in the aftermath of his tracheotomy; his voice evolves into a deeper growl.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: A [[spoiler:mostly posthumous]] example, as Hoffman is attempting to frame him throughout ''V'' and ''VI'' by pointing evidence towards Strahm and [[spoiler:using one of his detached hands to leave fingerprints behind]]. This doesn't work, and he is presumably cleared from having been involved with Jigsaw.
* InstantDramaJustAddTracheotomy: Strahm escapes from an inescapable drowning trap by performing tracheotomy with a ''pen''.
* LeeroyJenkins: His HotBlooded nature and impulsiveness have him often charge into danger without fully assessing the situation. [[spoiler: This gets him killed.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While he can be snide and a dick to other characters, he clearly cares about his partner agent Perez, especially when she is wounded by a trap, and ultimately just wants to catch the Jigsaw disciples.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Nice job shoving Hoffman into the glass box, Strahm!
* ProperlyParanoid: Even before really investigating Hoffman, he's already incredibly wary of him and his department being corrupt bastards. As later flashbacks prove, he is completely right to be paranoid.
* SanitySlippage: He undergoes a brief one after Perez is critically injured, where he goes from simply being smug as he's interrogating Jill to becoming a RabidCop as he desperately demands where the games are being held. At one point he either pulls a gun on her, or at least imagines himself doing so.
* SquashedFlat: [[spoiler:His fate in the cube trap room when he doesn't listen to the entire tape from Hoffman. Shown in excruciating and painful detail.]]
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: He is introduced in ''Saw IV'', and [[spoiler:dies by the end of ''Saw V'']].
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:He ignored John's recorded warning to not go down the hall and he winds up in the cube trap. He ignores Hoffman's recorded warning to go into the glass coffin and he gets squished like a grape]].
* UnwittingPawn: While there are a bunch of these in the series, Strahm is the most blatant example.
* TheWallsAreClosingIn: By the end of ''Saw V'', he is in a room where the walls are slowly closing in to crush him. [[spoiler:[[SquashedFlat He does not survive]].]]

[[folder:Lindsey Perez]]
!!Lindsey Perez
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elb3zci.jpg]]
->'''Played by:''' Athena Karkanis

Strahm's partner and a supporting protagonist in the fourth film. While she's seemingly killed or left permanently incapacitated during the events of ''IV'', she makes a sudden return in ''VI'' as one of the main protagonists.
------
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Hoffman demands she tells him more about what the police know of him, but she simply mocks him before dying.]]
* FakingTheDead: Perez was alive and well during the events of ''V'' but ordered to stay low to avoid Jigsaw's attention. To be specific, [[spoiler:she and Dan Erickson were already on to Hoffman through [[SpannerInTheWorks Jeff's daughter, Corbett, informing the police of his untrustworthiness.]]]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:How Hoffman does her in.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Despite knowing they're dealing with a SerialKiller specializing in homemade traps, she leans her face toward a suspicious-looking Billy and gets a face full of shrapnel for it.

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Hoffman demands she tells him more about what the police know of him, but she simply mocks him before dying.]]
* FakingTheDead: Perez was alive and well during the events of ''V'' but ordered to stay low to avoid Jigsaw's attention. To be specific, [[spoiler: she and Dan Erickson were already on to Hoffman through [[SpannerInTheWorks Jeff's daughter, Corbett, informing the police of his untrustworthiness.]]]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: How Hoffman does her in.]]

[[/folder]]