History Film / PoliceAcademy

--->Mr. Dempsey: You're a good man, Tony! Finish your business first[note](ie, kill the hostages)[/note] and bring the daimonds over, let's get out of here.

* ShrinkingViolet: ...although Cadet Hooks can be [[CuteButCacophonic damn loud]] when she wants to be.

** Harris in ''Mission to Moscow'' is noticeably nicer than in previous films, reserving his insults normally towards the Russian police with all injuries happening to him as a result of his own inflated ego rather than pranks, which indicate he has respect from his fellow officers, treating Kyle as if he was a cop despite the fact that he's merely an ungraduated cadet which is especially remarkable given his attitude towards the cadets in the first movie. This extends to him even expressing relief that Kyle was not injured after falling off the top of a moving car during a chase.

* TookALevelInKindness: Harris in ''Mission to Moscow'' is noticeably nicer than in previous films, reserving his insults normally towards the Russian police with all injuries happening to him as a result of his own inflated ego rather than pranks, which indicate he has respect from his fellow officers, treating Kyle as if he was a cop despite the fact that he's merely an ungraduated cadet which is especially remarkable given his attitude towards the cadets in the first movie. This extends to him even expressing relief that Kyle was not injured after falling off the top of a moving car during a chase.
** Though he never appeared in anymore movies after ''Back In Training'', Mauser returns in the live-action series, now a sheriff. Likely due to the fiasco he got himself into after refusing to allow his cadets to respond to the robbery-kidnapping in ''Back In Training'', his kind behaviour towards the cast is far removed from his JerkAss attitude towards the freshly-graduated officers in ''Their First Assignment''.

*** Mauser returns in the live-action series as Sheriff Miser, though they're both implied to be the exact same character despite the last names being slightly different. He has also [[TakenALevelInKindness mellowed out considerably]], likely due to his self-caused career derailing in ''Back in Training''

** Rakov in ''Mission To Moscow'' takes over Lassard's role due to Lassard being DemotedToExtra. He is just as much of a bumbling klutz, though he's more competent.

* DemotedToExtra: Eric Lassard in ''Their First Assignment'' and, to a lesser extent, ''Mission to Moscow''.

** During a gala event in ''Back in Training'', Mauser is told to deal with a naked man terrorizing the hotel (actually Proctor who was tricked by a prostitute into getting naked so she could lock him out of the room) and he responds by saying "Yes sir, I'll get right on top of him!" before making an OhCrap face when he realizes what it sounds like.

** In the first film, there was an incident involving then-Lt. Harris and a horse. Jones gave a horse whinny out when all the then-recruits laughed at him about it. In ''Assignment: Miami Beach'', when Capt. Harris has been called to pin the Lieutenant rank on Hightower during Eric Lassard's (supposed) retirement ceremony, Jones gives the horse whinny again as he walks by.

** ''Mission To Moscow'' has the trope played mostly straight with a Soviet police van and a police bike with sidecar chasing a Volga passenger car.

* ChewToy: Leslie Barbara in the first film, who only joined the Academy after getting picked on by a gang of bullies. [[TheDogBitesBack He eventually gets his revenge on them during a citywide riot]]. Sweetchuck pretty much exists to be abused.

* CloseRangeCombatant: Callahan, Jones, Nogata, Leslie Barbara, Bud Kirkland, and Hightower are the standout examples of unarmed fighters in the series. The first two are unarmed instructors at the academy, Nogata falls under AllAsiansKnowMartialArts, Barbara is shown [[TookALevelInBadass improving massively]] as part of his CharacterDevelopment after his initial encounter with Callahan, Bud Kirland is a BoxingBattler who learned from his father, and Hightower is so ridiculously strong that weapons are nearly redundant to him.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: A lot of the characters, but Eric Lassard is a repeat offender. For example, he cheerfully goes along with a kidnapping in ''Assignment: Miami Beach'', thinking it's a elaborate prank set up by the police convention's committee. As soon as he's told it's a real hostage situation, he easily knocks the crap out of his kidnapper.

* DarkReprise: In several moments, the main theme is played in a different key.

* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Hightower, he is rather careful around people but property damage can and has happened.

* FamilyFriendlyFirearms: Occasionally, Tackleberry would make use of AbnormalAmmo that would be less lethal, such as tear gas or tracking device rounds, or use a crossbow to shoot someone's cigar. Hilariously, his WeaponOfChoice in the animated adaptation was a [[{{BFG}} bazooka]], which he used with [[RecklessGunUsage almost reckless abandon]] on walls and the like, while a standard firearm is used exactly once.

-->(''[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything gunshot after the lights go out]]'')\\

* IWasJustJoking: In the first movie, Mahoney and Hightower steal the car belonging to a {{Jerkass}} fellow trainee in order to help Hightower practice for the police driving test. The car is ''very'' compact, and Hightower ends up sitting almost with his knees to his chin. Mahoney jokingly suggests ripping the seats off and sitting in the back. Cut to Hightower tossing the seats off to the sidewalk...

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Tackleberry. He is able to write the phrase "HAVE A NICE DAY" by simple application of MoreDakka in ''City Under Siege''. In the first scene of the first film, he manages to make deliberate shots ''in pitch black darkness''.

* JapaneseTourist: Tomoko has shades of this upon his introduction in ''Back in Training'', which prompt Mauser to have him enroll at Lassard's academy instead.

* MakeMeWannaShout: In ''Back in Training'', Zed collapsed a door at the training grounds by ''screaming at the lock''.

-->'''Tomoko:''' I love America!

* TheMillstone: '''Proctor.''' The few moments of competence shown by both Mauser and Harris are invariably torpedoed by Proctor's idiocy. He ends up causing the climactic prison break in ''Citizens on Patrol'' with his gullibility, and he wrecks Harris' plan to rescue Lassard in ''Assignment: Miami Beach'' after it had technically succeeded.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the first film, Fackler accidentally triggered a citywide riot.

-->'''Sergeant Lassard:''' [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime It seems like a good plan at the time.]]\\

'''Tackleberry:''' ''(pretends to cough)'' Asshole!
** In the same movie, it was revealed Harris was the one who unknowingly tipped off the main villain about the police's plans which allowed the gang of thieves to pull off their jobs without a hitch.

** In ''City Under Seige'', the Academites finally corner the bank robbers after a robbery and it looks like a major break in the case has been made... only for Harris to pull in the line of fire and attempt to arrest them himself which leads to an argument breaking out amongst him and the other officers which distracts them long enough for the criminals drive around the blockade and eventually get away.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Callahan is introduced as every bit the hardass as Harris in the first film, playing DrillSergeantNasty to the new recruits. However after she catches Martin sneaking into the women's quarters to hook up with the female recruits, rather than busting him, ''she'' makes a move on ''him''. She also finds Harris' [[AssShove incident with the horse]] hilarious as she had trouble trying to keep a straight face.

* OhMeAccentsSlipping - In-universe, how George Martin gets caught out as a fake Latin American.

* OutsideRide: In the first movie, Mrs. Fackler jumps on the hood of her husband's station wagon to prevent him from going to the academy. Undeterred, Mr. Fackler just drives to the academy with his wife on the hood the entire time which is witnessed èn route by another recruit in a limousine.
*** Happens to the Facklers again in ''Back in Training'', though this time the roles are reversed with Mrs. Fackler going to the academy and Mr. Fackler trying to stop her.

* PlankGag: In the first movie, Fackler is carrying a mattress while he crosses Larvell Jones and Mahoney in a hallway. Introducing himself, he turns around some to shake Mahoney's hand, pushing Jones into a door and down service stairs with the mattress.

* RandomEventsPlot: Many of the films primarily consist of random shenanigans by cops and cadets until the crisis in the final act that causes them to get serious and spring into action.

* RoguesGallery: The cartoon had one.

** There's also the scene where the cadets are issued their revolvers. The others are firing away with standard issue weapons. Tackleberry uses a HandCannon to destroy the targets. Harris has to take the gun away from Tackleberry.
** One cadet picks his up revolver in awe while another cradles it like he's afraid he'll drop it. Tackleberry picks his up and looks at it with utter disgust.

* ShoutOut: ''City Under Siege'' had a lot of these:

* SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat: There was no evidence that Jones had any hand-to-hand skills beyond the basic self defense course at the Academy until he donned a headband and turned into a master HongKongDub martial artist halfway through the second film.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Hooks' first scene in ''City Under Siege'' has her writing a ticket for a Mercedes-Benz parked next to a hydrant. The owner of the car calls her over and rips up the ticket and scatters the pieces on the ground before explaining to her that he has the necessary connections to have her busted down a crossing guard and telling her to scram which she does... only to return moments later with a slew of new citations for his car being too far from the curb, parked in a red zone, blocking a fire hydrant, it's expired registration sticker and missing front plate in addition to him littering, willfully destroying a court summons and attempting to extort an officer before his car is promptly towed away. He then informed of the necessary fines he must pay to get his car back.

%%* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Mahoney's face in the final scene of the first movie.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Mahoney's face in the final scene of Part I when he realizes that Lassard is pranking him and he can't do anything about it.
* TrueCompanions: As to be expected from a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, our main characters become close friends and allies over the course of the series. In ''Back in Training,'' all it takes to get Mahoney to drop his dream assignment of mentoring hot female basketball players and come back to the Academy is to hear that Lassard needs help.

** Tackleberry's solution to any situation is to shoot at it. This includes, but is not limited to, extinguishing a man's cigar, getting a refund from a payphone and ''getting a cat out of a tree''.

* OutsideRide: In the first movie, Mrs. Fracker jumps on the hood of her husband's station wagon to prevent him from going to the academy. Undeterred, Mr. Fackler just drives to the academy with his wife on the hood the entire time which is witnessed èn route by another recruit in a limousine.

* PayPhone: In ''Back in Training'', Lt. Tackleberry deals with a woman who lost her quarter in a pay phone and the operator keeps insisting that the phone company will mail her back the quarter. He takes out his gun and shoots the pay phone, causing quarters to pour out of the coin slot. He takes the pile of quarters and asks the woman to identify which quarter is hers.

** The hooker from the first movie returns in ''Back In Training'' at a party where Lassard remembers her fondly.
** "Main Bad Guy" from the first movie's climax also shows up again in ''Back In Training'' (complete with the inexplicable Vassar T-shirt), first in a police suspect lineup, and then near the end as the leader of a gang of thieves.

** In ''Mission To Moscow'', Konali has been making billions legitimately through sales of a wildly popular video game, yet wishes to use a new version to hack into every computer on the planet so he can blackmail governments and manipulate the stock market.

** During the yacht club robbery in ''Back In Training'', a Oman saves her jewelry by hiding it under her husband's toupee.

* FairCop: Every single movie. Thompson in the original movie, Kirkland in ''Their First Assignment'', Adams in ''Back In Training'', Stratton in ''Assignment Miami Beach'', Katrina in ''Mission To Moscow' ', and Callahan throughout majority of the films.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja: In ''Citizens On Patrol'', Proctor absolutely wigs out at the fact that they have a gang of ninjas in the precinct lockup. When he gets conned into releasing all of the prisoners, the ninjas turn up on the streets and have to be subdued by the police.

** Having a major breakout from the holding cells while [=VIPs=] were visiting the precinct as happened in ''Citizens On Patrol'' should have gotten Harris or at least Proctor (who caused it to happen by bringing his sidearm into the holding area against protocol, and allowing it to be stolen from him) demoted or sacked. Harris' screwups in ''City Under Siege'' should also have gotten him demoted or dismissed, as his mistakes were the main thing keeping the rest of the cast from catching the gang earlier (though in his defense, he had no idea that [[spoiler:the mayor - an authority figure - was the gang leader]]).
* KickedUpstairs: In ''Mission To Moscow'', Kyle Connors initially flunks out of the academy due his vertigo resulting in him being unable to pass physical fitness and was even on his way to Lassard's office for his signature to confirm he's flunked out, only to be brought along on the mission due to him replacing the name of another officer on the list of those assigned to the mission with his own and presumably becoming an officer once returning to the states due to his part in bringing down Konali. Him not even hesitating to jump onto a moving car being used a getaway vehicle after Callahan is kidnapped likely did him some favours as well.

** In ''Back In Training'', Mauser forbids his cadets to respond to the call about the stickup and kidnapping at the yacht club, thinking it to be a prank which allow's Lassard's cadets to swim in and save the day. When they realize it's not a prank, the best they manage to do is get a canoe in the water. This heavily sways the governor's opinion and Lassard's academy remains open. While not shown on-screen, Mauser's academy was shut down with Mauser himself likely having been fired due to ignoring a call for such a serious crime as he does not return in any other sequels.
*** Adding to this: he had Nogata transferred to Lassard's academy, unaware that he knows martial arts, which gave Lassard's cadet an edge against the criminals. And two of Mauser's cadets he assigned as the governor's bodyguards fainted during the stickup.
** In ''Mission To Moscow'', Callahan is kidnapped by Konstantine's men in revenge for trying to foil his operation. If only he knew that she and her fellow officers were on their way to the airport after Commander Rakov had ordered them to leave the country.

*** Happens to the Facklers again in ''Back In Training'', though this time the roles are reversed with Mrs. Fackler going to the academy and Mr. Fackler trying to stop her.

** Between ''Their First Assignment'' and ''Back In Training'', Mahoney, Hightower, Jones, Tackleberry, Fackler, Blanks, Copeland and Hooks are promoted to Sergeant, while Callahan has become a Lieutenant (and is a Captain in the later films) and Mauser is now Commandant of the rival academy.
** By ''Citizens On Patrol'', Harris has become a Captain. In Kirkland's cameo, she's got Sergeant stripes on.

* ThatCameOutWrong: During a gala event in ''Back In Training'', Mauser is told to deal with a naked man terrorizing the hotel (actually Proctor who was tricked by a prostitute into getting naked so she could lock him out of the room) and he responds by saying "Yes sir, I'll get right on top of him!" before making an OhCrap face when he realizes what it sounds like.

-->'''Harris:''' DON’T TOUCH THOSE! ''[takes cradle from Proctor]'' Don't you ever touch my balls without asking! ''[everyone in the area stop what they were doing and stare at the both of them]''

* KickedUpstairs: In ''Mission To Moscow'', Kyle Connors initially flunks out of the academy due his vertigo resulting in him being unable to pass physical fitness and was even on his way to Lassard's office for his signature to confirm he's flunked out, only to be brought along on the mission due to him replacing the name of another officer on the list of those assigned to the mission with his own and presumably becoming an officer once returning to the states due to his part in bringing down Konali. Him not even hesitating to jump onto a moving car being used a getaway vehicle after Callahan is kidnapped likely doing him some favours as well.

* OutsideRide: When Callahan is kidnapped by Konali's thugs, Cadet Connors immediately takes off after the getaway car, jumping onto the trunk of another car before leaping onto the roof of the kidnapper's car and managing to hang on for a while, even through some high-speed turns and attempts to shake him off via reckless swerving.

* ThatCameOutWrong: In ''Citizens on Patrol'', Proctor plays with a Newton's Cradle in Harris's office.

-->'''Harris:''' ''(laughing)'' Proctor, don't you see what this means?!\\
'''Proctor:''' ''(laughing)'' No!
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Throughout the series, Harris develops a reputation of being a bit of an ass kisser, and he's not entirely apologetic about it. In part 5, Lassard is being forced out due to reaching mandatory retirement age, and Harris, who is captain at this point, starts working on Commissioner Hurst to show that he would make a good replacement. Which leads Hurst to fire back with a whopper of an APQ; "You have a lot to learn about acting like a commandant. At least Lassard has the respect of his men. Whose respect do you have?" Harris is immediately shamed into silence, and admits to Proctor that Hurst is right. He still doesn't try any harder to ''earn'' anyone's respect, though (he somehow comes to the conclusion that attending Lassard's commendation ceremony at the police conference will magically gain him that respect in and of itself).

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Throw racist comments around sweet-old Moses Hightower and he'll let you have it!!
** And the race card had to be played twice to provoke a violent reaction. The first time simply invokes a stern look, while the second was in defense of a fellow officer.
** Also don't mess with his uniform. ''City Under Siege'' is one of the few times he's provoked to genuine anger when his nameplate is damaged.

* {{BFG}}: Tackleberry's other weapons of choice other than {{Hand Cannon}}s are generally these. In fact, in the cartoon series, he wielded ''a bazooka''.

---> Mauser: Aw no, Lou, don't bite me there!
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Commandant Lassard, particularly as he is allowed to remain on well past retirement age. Most of the characters to a lesser extent.

* ButtMonkey: Sgt./Lt. Proctor frequently ends up on the receiving end of the other officers' pranks, such as being sent to the Blue Oyster gay bar, and having a portable outhouse (with Proctor inside) moved by crane to the middle of a football field with the walls removed while he's still using the toilet in Police Academy 4.

-->'''Lassard:''' The word[=--=]\\

'''Harris:''' ''(chuckles)'' I think I just said that. ''(to Hurst)'' At his age, the memory comes and goes.

* CloudCuckoolander: Commandant Lassard, so very much. Larvell Jones might also qualify, playing video game sound effects in the middle of the night.

* CityWithNoName: No name was ever given for the city the movie took place in (since the first four films were produced in UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}).
** The presence of a Toronto Dominion bank in ''Back In Training'' confirms a Canadian setting.

* DaChief: Commissioner Hurst.

-->'''Mauser:''' "Can anyone explain to me how ''this'' happened?"
-->'''Mahoney:''' "I can, sir... and if you don't stop doing that, you could go blind."

* DiabolusExNihilo: The climax of ''Back in Training'' and ''Citizens on Patrol'' involve problems that appear out of nowhere, and presumably don't even exist before said climax. Though Proctor inadvertently causes the crisis in ''Citizens on Patrol''. Fackler unknowingly caused the riot near the end of the first film, and the role of main villain is taken by a never-before-seen random thug who managed to steal guns off some of the cadets; he's even listed in the credits as "Main Bad Guy".

* DirtyCoward: Blanks and Copeland in the first movie are two racists who were kept in line from saying anything too offensive thanks to [[GentleGiant Hightower]], but yet were not afraid to say a racial slur to [[ShrinkingViolet Hooks]]. When they wanted to know where the party is and get payback for going to the Blue Oyster, they go after Barbara instead of Mahoney. And when Hightower wrecks their car, they go after Mahoney instead, even admitting this trope, and bullying Mahoney until he threw the first punch so they wouldn't get in trouble. And during the riot, ''one'' '''guy''' scared them enough to let him take their guns and run off...into the Blue Oyster.
* DisabledSnarker: According to an interview with Creator/NormanDonaldson in September 2020, Creator/SteveGuttenberg confirmed that filming had begun on an 8th Police Academy film. However, Guttenberg also said that Mahoney is now in a wheelchair, having lost a foot in the line of duty.
* DisasterDominoes: Fackler is often the cause of these. In the first movie, he causes a citywide riot ''completely by accident''.
** Turned UpToEleven in City Under Seige where he accidentally causes chaos just by walking through the precinct, said chaos culminating in every officer in the bullpen taking cover from Chinese fireworks after he accidentally knocks an ashtray with a still-smoking cigar into the box they're in!
* DisguisedInDrag: Cadet Martin in the first movie did this to a minor degree to sneak in and out of female cadets' rooms, until he was caught by Callahan.
** In the beginning of the third film, ''Hightower'' disguised himself as a woman to bait and arrest possible purse snatchers.

* ExecutiveBallClicker: In ''Citizens on Patrol'', Captain Harris has a Newton's cradle in his office. When Proctor fiddles with it, Harris says, "Don't you ever touch my balls without asking!".

* FailedASpotCheck: In ''City Under Siege'', the Wilson Heights Gang perform a robbery right under Harris' nose because he's too busy stroking his own ego to pay attention to his surroundings (or Proctor, who had noticed, but lacked the initiative to actually do something about it). Twice.

* FatAndSkinny: Mauser and Proctor

* AFatherToHisMen: Commandant Lassard, it must run in the family because his brother Pete Lassard is the same way. Mahoney displays some signs of this also.

* {{Fauxreigner}}: In the first movie, George Martin pretends to be Latin American because the ladies love it.

* {{Flanderization}}: In the first two films, Commandant Lassard is generally quite competent, if slightly ineffectual. Starting with ''Back in Training'' however, he becomes more and more absent-minded. May be justified because he is getting older. Harris and Callahan start out as stern but rather competent instructors, by ''Citizens on Patrol'', Harris is a fumbling grump and Callahan is a sexy valkyrie.
** Practically all of the recurring cast was horribly flanderized as the movies piled up, except maybe Mahoney.
** Proctor is worth noting. His first appearances in ''Their First Assignment'' has him as a HyperCompetentSidekick his dimwitted side shown only casually. ''Back in Training'' is when he's already the dimwitted sidekick he's known for.

* FruitCart: Happens in ''City Under Siege''.

* GenreShift: The first, third and fourth involves police training with the antagonists showing up at the end. The second, fifth, sixth, and seventh feature antagonists relevant to the overall plot.

* GunNut: Tackleberry is rather fond of his guns. When he starts unpacking upon arrival at the academy, he unpacks a gym bag full of them. Apparently, this extends to his family as well, as his HandCannon from the first movie was apparently a gift from his mother.

* HandCannon: Tackleberry's sidearm. During its first appearance on the range in the first movie, when asked where he got it, he replies that it was from his mother.

--> '''Larvelle Jones:''' Wanna fight, huh? Fight me!

* HotScoop: Claire Mattson from the fourth film as Mahoney's LoveInterest played by Creator/SharonStone.
* HypocriticalHumor: In ''Back in Training'', two of Mouser's recruits become the governor's bodyguards see themselves as more competent than Lassard's recruits. But when the busboys pull out their guns and demand money and jewels, the governor tells them to take them out, they fainted.

* ToiletHumour: Several times, including a fart in court, swapping a shampoo bottle with a bottle of quick-setting glue and a spray-deodorant can with a pepperspray can, and a surreptitiously-relocated porta-potty. [[AssShove Colliding with a horse]] qualifies too.

!! This film series contains examples of:

* ThePigPen: Officer Vinnie Schtulman. His apartment is a mess, his uniform is always dirty, he's willing to eat a chocolate bar he finds in a bin and will eat breakfast cereal '' after his cat has used it as a litter box''.

* ProfessionalButtKisser: Proctor is little more than a toady to Harris. The ''one'' time he tries to take some initiative on his own - in the third movie - ends ''very'' badly for him. Mauser is also this to the higher-ups (Hurst even calls him the biggest ass-kisser he knows). Pete Lassars accuses Chief Hurst of this.
* PsychoRangers / QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Wilson Heights Gang in ''City Under Siege'' consists of Ox (a huge man with SuperStrength, like Hightower), Ace (a gun nut with ImprobableAimingSkills, like Tackleberry), and Flash (a skilled martial artist, who serves as Jones' evil counterpart). Eventually, all three end up fighting, and losing to, their heroic counterparts from the Police.

* RealMenWearPink: Moses Hightower owned a flower shop before becoming a cop, and the sixth movie reveals he does cross-stitch.

* RedundantRescue: ''Citizens on Patrol''.

'''Harris:''' [[SarcasmMode No, send him packing.]] ''(Proctor was about to leave when...)'' Proctor, send Commissioner Hurst in immediately.\\

'''Harris:''' Immediately! ''(Proctor leaves to get him)'' Pinhead.

--->'''Cabbie:''' Look, wise guy, don't think a blue uniform scares me.
---> '''Mahoney:''' No, sir, this is not a scary uniform.
---> '''Cabbie:''' No, it's not a scary uniform.
---> '''Mahoney:''' Hightower!
---> '''Bystander:''' That's a scary uniform.
*** They make sure to include one of these when the riot in the first movie starts.

*** One cadet picks his up revolver in awe while another cradles it like he's afraid he'll drop it. Tackleberry picks his up and looks at it with utter disgust.

** PlayedForLaughs - Fackler's bad luck is the very thing that started the riot in the first movie.

* SpitTake: Tony in ''Assignment Miami Beach''.

* SuntanStencil: In ''Assignment Miami Beach'', Harris is tanning on the beach. Nick writes "DORK" in sunblock on his chest. When he wakes up and walks on the crowded beach, HilarityEnsues.
** He did it because Harris called him a buttwipe for standing in his sun.
-->'''Nick Lassard''': "Buttwipe", huh? [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore Haven't heard that in a while]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Hooks' first scene in ''City Under Siege'' has her writing a ticket for a Mercedes-Benz parked next to a hydrant. The owner of the car calls her over and rips up the ticket and scatters the pieces on the ground before explaining to her that he has the nessessary connections to have her busted down a crossing guard and telling her to scram which she does... only to return moments later with a slew of new citations for his car being too far from the curb, parked in a red zone, blocking a fire hydrant, it's expired registration sticker and missing front plate in addition to him littering, willfully destroying a court summons and attempting to extort an officer before his car is promptly towed away. He then informed of the nessessary fines he must pay to get his car back.

* ThatCameOutWrong: In ''Citizens on Patrol'', Proctor plays with a Newton’s Cradle in Harris’s office.
--> '''Harris:''' DON’T TOUCH THOSE! ''(Takes cradle from Proctor)'' Don’t you ever touch my balls without asking! ''(everyone in the area stopped what they were doing and stared at the both of them)''

* ThreateningShark: Subverted in ''Assignment Miami Beach''. A shark swam up to the beach sending everybody running... until it ran right into Tackleberry, who pointed his gun right in the shark's face and said, "You leave the swimming area NOW, mister!", and the shark swam away.

* TookALevelInKindness: Harris in ''Mission To Moscow'' is noticeably nicer than in previous films, reserving his insults normally towards the Russian police with all injuries happening to him as a result of his own inflated ego rather than pranks which indicate he has respect from his fellow officers, treating Kyle as if he was a cop despite the fact that he's merely an ungraduated cadet which is especially remarkable given his attitude towards the cadets in the first movie. This extends to him even expressing relief that Kyle was not injured after falling off the top of a moving car during a chase.
* TradingBarsForStripes: Played with for Mahoney. The point wasn't to make him a cop, it was to put him through fourteen weeks of hard conditioning that would hopefully teach him enough discipline to clean up his act, whether he graduated and received a badge or not.

* TraumaticHaircut: Mahoney gets back at Mauser by replacing his shampoo with Tackleberry's epoxy resin, resulting in getting his hands glued to his head. Proctor had to cut the glued portions of his hair to free his hands. Not only did it leave him with a stupid looking haircut, he also had hairy palms.

* TrueCompanions: As to be expected from a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, our main characters become close friends and allies over the course of the series. In ''Back In Training,'' all it takes to get Mahoney to drop his dream assignment of mentoring hot female basketball players and come back to the Academy is to hear that Lassard needs help.

** In real life Tackleberry probably wouldn't make it past the tear gas incident in the second film. Or shooting that cat out of the tree in the first film.
** Mahoney arranging for Mauser to undergo a cavity search in the same film should have done for him as well. Mauser did suspend Mahoney for it though.
** Blankes and Copeland got their issue sidearms stolen from them during the riot (By the man who held Harris hostage), a ''very'' serious offense (And given that the film demonstrated that all cadet-issue pistols had the name of the cadet they were issued to on the butt, the fact that their weapons were taken from them and used to fire at other policemen would be obvious to any cop who saw the recovered firearms), yet still managed to graduate from the academy and become minor characters in the third and fourth films. Sabotaging a police dispatch system while it was in operation in the third movie should have gotten them canned as well.

* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler:It's very, ''very'' hard to say much about the villain - and his motives - in the sixth movie without giving it all away.]]
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Tackleberry's brother-in-law Bud Kirkland may have been brought up on boxing by his dad, but all he has is one solid punch that gets the job done each time.

* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: The Blue Oyster.

* AFatherToHisMen: Commandant Lassard, it must run in the family because his brother Pete Lassard is the same way. Mahoney displays some signs of this also.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Mhoney's face in the final scene of Part I when he realizes that Lassard is pranking him and he can't do anything about it.

* {{Corpsing}}:
** As the lights come back on during the infamous podium scene, the black police commander in the audience can't keep a straight face. Not that anyone can blame him.
** Leslie Easterbrook said she ended up doing this during the swimming pool WetSariScene in the fourth film, noting that trying to swim away at full speed while laughing was incredibly difficult.

* IKEAWeaponry

* SequelGap: The first six films were released on an annual basis. Then five years passed between ''City Under Siege'' and ''Mission To Moscow''.

** Having a major breakout from the holding cells while [=VIPs=] were visiting the precinct as happened in ''Citizens On Patrol'' should have gotten Harris or at least Proctor (who caused it to happen by bringing his sidearm into the holding area against protocol, and allowing it to be stolen from him) demoted or sacked. Harris' screwups in ''City Under Siege'' should also have gotten him demoted or dismissed, as his mistakes were the main thing keeping the rest of the cast from catching the gang earlier (then again he had no idea that [[spoiler:the mayor - an authority figure - was the culprit]]).

** In the same movie, it was revealed Harris was the one who unknowingly tipped off the main villain about the police’s plans which allowed the gang of thieves to pull off their jobs without a hitch.

** In ''City Under Seige'', the Academites finally corner the bank robbers after a robbery and it looks like a major break in the case has been made... only for Harris to pull in the line of fire and attempt to arrest them himself which leads to an argument breaking out amongst him and the other officers which distracts them long enough for the criminals drive around the blockade and eventually get away
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In ''Back In Training'', Mauser forbids his cadets to respond to the call about the stickup and kidnapping at the yacht club, thinking it to be a prank which allow's Lassard's cadets to swim in and save the day. When they realize it's not a prank, the best they manage to do is get a canoe in the water. This heavily sways the governor's opinion and Lassards academy remains open. While not shown on-screen, Mauser's academy was shut down with Mauser himself likely having been fired due to ignoring a call for such a serious crime as he does not return in any other sequels.

* OddballInTheSeries: The second film is the only one that doesn't feature the titular academy in a significant way; Commandant Lassard only pops up in a cameo with his brother taking centre stage as the precinct's captain and the six officers that get sent to him (Mahoney, Jones, Hightower, Tackleberry, Hooks, and Fackler) are recent graduates from the first film. Even the FairCop LoveInterest introduced in this film isn't one for Mahoney (or one of his {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s, but for Tackleberry.

* SpotTheImpostor: Seen in ''City Under Siege'', when the film's BigBad, the Mastermind, disguise as Commissioner Hurst this way. They pull the "Pinocchio Test" on the Commissione, by pulling on his nose. Sure enough, the commissioner that came in with the rest of the officers yells in pain, and on the commissioner already seated, as St. Nick pulls on him, the [[LatexPerfection latex mask's nose stretches out quite far]], giving him away, and is thus unmasked to reveal [[spoiler: the Mayor.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Hooks' first scene in City Under Seige has her writing a ticket for a Mercedes-Benz parked next to a hydrant. The owner of the car calls her over and rips up the ticket and scatters the peices on the ground before explaining to her that he has the nessessary connections to have her busted down a crossing guard and telling her to scram which she does... only to return moments later with a slew of new citations for his car being too far from the curb, parked in a red zone, blocking a fire hydrant, it's expired registration sticker and missing front plate in addition to him littering, willfully destroying a court summons and attempting to extort an officer before his car is promptly towed away. He then informed of the nessessary fines he must pay to get his car back.

** The second film zig zags it as well. Mauser asks Hooks to show him her revolver. When she points it at him, he takes it away and performs a safety check only to discover that it isn't loaded. He puts her on report and gives her dispatch duty. Later on, an older cop fires his revolver into the ceiling in the squadroom, causing everyone to duck.

* TheDoorSlamsYou: During the shooting exercise in ''Back in Training'', Mrs. Fackler kicks open the door and while cheering at her success, the door swings shut on her, knocking her down.

** The first, third and fourth movie have {{No Antagonist}}s until the climax. Starting with ''Assignment Miami Beach'' do the main villains get more focus.

** Having a major breakout from the holding cells while [=VIPs=] were visiting the precinct as happened in ''Citizens On Patrol'' should have gotten Harris or at least Proctor (who caused it to happen by bringing his sidearm into the holding area against protocol, and allowing it to be stolen from him) demoted or sacked. Harris' screwups in ''City Under Siege'' should also have gotten him demoted or dismissed, as his mistakes were the main thing keeping the rest of the cast from catching the gang earlier.

* ActorExistenceFailure: Unfortunately, Tackleberry, Hightower, Hooks, House, Commandant Lassard and George Martin won't be returning for the eighth movie.
** Hightower not returning may have been averted; in the early-2010s while attempting to get the reboot off the ground, the role of Hightower was offered to Creator/ShaquilleONeal, though as of March 2022 it is currently unknown if he accepted the role, someone else was cast, or if the characters return was scrapped altogether.

* ShesGotLegs: Mahoney's first attempt to get kicked out of the academy involves trying to get Thompson to show off her thighs to him. She later teases him with a description of them as being tanned, toned, and luxuriant to the touch. When Harris has Mahoney in his office, she finally shows them off to Mahoney in a pair of [[WhoWearsShortShorts tight gym shorts]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Hooks' first scene in City Under Seige has her writing a ticket for a Mercedes-Benz parked next to a hydrant. The owner of the car calls her over and rips up the ticket and scatters the peices on the ground before explaining to her that he has the nessessary connections to have her busted down a crossing guard and telling her to scram which she does... only to return moments later with a slew of new citations for his car being too far from the curb, parked in a red zone, blocking a fire hydrant, it's expired registration sticker and missing front plate in addition to him littering, willfully destroying a court summons and attempting to extort an officer before his car is promptly towed away. He then informed of the nessessary fines he must pay to get his car back.

** In the first film, [[ThoseTwoGuys Blanks and Copeland]] are shown taunting criminals on the other side of a fence until they get to a gap in the fence, where a thug simply takes their revolvers.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Cadets Blankes and Copeland (though they're more {{jerkass}}es, and racists).

** In ''Mission To Moscow'', Callahan is kidnapped by Konstantine's men in revenge for trying to foil his operation. If only he knew that she and her fellow officers were on their way to the airport after Commander Rakov has ordered them to leave the country.

** Turned UpToEleven in City Under Seige where he accidentally causes chaos just by walking through the precinct, said chaos culminating in wvery officer in the bullpen taking cover from Chinese fireworks after he accidentally knocks an ashtray with a still-smoking cigar into the box they're in!

* ActorExistenceFailure: Unfortunately, Tackleberry, Hightower, Hooks, House, and Commandant Lassard won't be returning for the eighth movie.

* CoolCar: Two generations of the legendary Bigfoot monster truck appear through-out the series; Bigfoot 3, bodied as a 1982 Ford F-250, appears at the end of ''Their First Assignment'' as Tackleberry and Kirkland's honeymoon car, driven by Tackleberry, and Bigfoot 6, bodied as an '87-'89 Ford truck, is comandeered by Jones for the final chase but is mostly driven by Tackleberry.

** Turned UpToEleven in City Under Seige where he accidentally causes chaos just by walking through the precinct, aaid choas culminating in wvery officer in the bullpen taking cover from Chinese fireworks after he accidentally knocks an ashtray with a still-smoking cigar into the box they're in!