History Main / DirtyHarriet

* Parodied in ''SouthPark'', when a (male) police detective goes undercover as a (female) streetwalker to bust a prostitution ring... and gets [[{{Understatement}} a bit]] [[IncrediblyLamePun too deep]] [[{{Squick}} into the role]]. To the point of marrying the ([[HoYay also male]]) leader of the ring and only revealing that he's a cop after the honeymoon.

* ''WithoutATrace'': Elena. [[MsFanservice Samantha]], the obvious choice, has already been to the club as an FBI agent, so can't do it. If you can't have a [[MostCommonSuperpower voluptuous]] blonde, a [[LatinLover Latina]] does the job just as well.

* Played straight by CIA agent Moira McTaggart in X-Men First Class.

* ''Undwercover Heat''. Police officer Cindy Hannen (Athena Massey) goes undercover in a high class whorehouse to catch a murderer. She discovers that she's very good as a prostitute.

* Parodied in ''SouthPark'', when a (male) police detective goes undercover as a (female) streetwalker to bust a prostitution ring... and gets [[Understatement a bit]] [[IncrediblyLamePun too deep]] [[Squick into the role]]. To the point of marrying the ([[HoYay also male]]) leader of the ring and only revealing that he's a cop after the honeymoon.

* Parodied in ''SouthPark'', when a (male) police detective goes undercover as a (female) streetwalker to bust a prostitution ring... and gets a bit too deep into the role.

* Likewise Christie went undercover as an erotic dancer in order to get close enough to assassinate her target in her DOA4 ending.

-->I know what you're thinking. Did she serve up six bottles or only five as part of her lap dances? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a 1944 Magnum, the most expensive wine in the joint, and will blow my bikini clean off if we have it in stock, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, hunk?

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* At the start of the second season of ''CodeGeass'', ActionGirl Kallen is forced to work as a [[PlayboyBunny bunny-girl]] at an upscale casino as part of [[LaResistance the Black Knights']] plan to recover the amnesiac Lelouch/Zero. She's almost dragged off for a "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean bunny hunt]]", but Lelouch intervenes.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* Mina Murray goes under cover as a Parisian ''demi-mondaine'' to lure out Mr. Hyde in the original ''LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' comic.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Film example: ''CharliesAngels: Full Throttle''.
* In the film ''{{Tomcats}}'', when Michael first meets Natalie, he's a bit surprised that she's a prostitute. He's even more surprised when he gets his face slammed against a wall, put in handcuffs, and finds out she's really a cop. HilarityEnsues.

* ''StrippedToKill'' staring Kay Lenz.
* Averted in ''StirCrazy''. When a paralegal goes undercover at a strip joint, she does so as a waitress.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* [[{{Discworld}} Nobby Nobbs]]. Yes, [[DisguisedInDrag he's a man]], [[IAmNotWeasel or at least male.]] It's complex.
** Extremely complex. For the sake of simplicity, Nobby is one of the few individuals in the world who has to carry around a card saying he's an actual human.
*** In fact, Nobby's looks are so astounding that a footnote made sure to point out that although Discworld narrative would normally demand a AttractiveBentGender moment, the trope withered and died in the face of Nobby.
* Subverted in one of Stuart Macbride's Aberdeen detective novels, where the officers posing as streetwalkers are plain and unattractive, because an attractive street-corner prostitute would make people suspicious.
* Holly Lisle's ''Last Girl Dancing'' is a textbook example of this trope: the protagonist is a female cop who goes undercover as a stripper to find a serial killer.
* In ''[[CircleOfMagic Shatterglass]]'', part of Tamora Pierce's ''The Circle Opens'' Quartet, a serial killer stalks the female ''yaskedasi,'' or members of the entertainment class. Quite a few police officers (of both genders, but mostly women) go undercover as ''yaskedasi,'' but this is played straight when someone else comments that the grimly staring few who can't dance, juggle, or sing ''really'' stick out.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* When we first meet Deb in ''{{Dexter}}'', she's been assigned to a prostitution sting operation and is desperate to get assigned ''out'' of it. Especially when she ends up helping out at a murder scene... still in her disguise.

* [[{{Alias}} Sydney Anne Bristow]].
** Mocked on ''TheOffice''
--> Dwight: "A stripper was one of [Sydney Bristow's] many Aliases."
*** [[HelloBoys It was something close...]].

* In the original plan for the second episode of ''{{Angel}}'', Kate Lockley was to be introduced as a police officer infiltrating a prostitution ring. In the [[ExecutiveMeddling version that made it to air]], she was investigating disappearances from (or maybe just hanging out at) a popular singles bar.

* Happens more often than people usually remember to Olivia Benson in ''LawAndOrderSVU''.
* Played with in ''TheShield'', when a detective has to go undercover to catch a mob that's beating up prostitutes. ''Male'' prostitutes. Shane is very upset when he's forced into the role.
** Shane has no luck with this kind of thing. On another episode, the Strike Team had to find out which stripper at a club was luring johns into the alley and then robbing them with her boyfriend. When Vic tries it, he gets a blow job. When Shane tries it, he gets a tire iron to the head.
* Practically the only thing Gina and Trudy ever seem to do on ''MiamiVice'' is go undercover as prostitutes.
* Dee Dee [=McCall=] poses as a street walker all the time in the TV series ''{{Hunter}}'' (from the very first moment we see her, actually) on the pretext of 'gathering information'. How a police officer is supposed to do this without blowing her cover the first time she refuses to jump into a car with a middle-aged pervert [[FridgeLogic is beyond me]].

* Happens all the time on ''{{Reno 911}}!'', with a few different outcomes.

** At one point, the other deputies roust the prostitute hangout, only to find Deputy (Jim)Dangle among them, dressed as one. He tries to convince them that he's undercover, but [[ClosetGay the others slowly catch on as they leave.]]

* Angie Dickinson's character in ''PoliceWoman'' spent a lot of time doing this.

* Maritza Cruz, the [[SpicyLatina tough-as-nails female cop]] on ''ThirdWatch'' (played by Tia Texada). The very first time we see her, working on a prostitution sting, she's wearing "six inch heels with a postage stamp of polyester stuck up my ass."

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* The new [[TheWorldOfDarkness World of Darkness]] sourcebook ''Tales from the 13th Precinct'' features a vice cop who gets sent on this type of assignment by default.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Stiletto Anyways makes her first appearance in ''{{Anachronox}}'' as a stripper before it turns out she's undercover as an ''assassin'', killing three mobsters halfway through the performance. Afterwards, the bar owner thinks it's a great act and wants to hire her full-time.

* A T-rated variation in ''[[JakAndDaxter Jak II]]'': [[LaResistance The Underground]] is allied with local crime lord [[FatBastard Krew]], but since [[GutturalGrowler Torn]] doesn't trust him, so he sends [[WrenchWench Tess]] to work at his saloon as a barmaid (and '''NOTHING ELSE''') to pass his secrets along.

* Played with by MassEffect. One of the early Citadel missions involves a young woman working in Chora's Den, a sleazy, [[BadGuyBar mobster-owned strip club]] in the Wards (The heavily populated, urban sections of the Citdael). She is working at the club [[TheInfiltration to pass on information to the local police]], and she very specifically points out that she only serves drinks on the bar. of course, she then complains that she could be earning more money by dancing.....
* While she wasn't necessarily hired as a stripper, [[TomboyPrincess Kumatora]] from {{Mother 3}} worked as a waitress at a night club in order to locate and rescue the amnesiac [[LoveableRogue Duster]].

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

* ''{{Megatokyo}}'': Piroko in [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/974 this]] {{omake}}.

[[AC: Western Animation]]

** Alternatively, the role gets a bit too deep into him.

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* Nina in ''{{Monster}}'' resorts to this in order to find her brother.

* Played with by MassEffect. One of the early Citadel mission involves a young woman working in a sleazy, mobster-owned strip club so as to pass on information to the local police. She very specifically points out that she only serves drinks on the bar. And then complains that she could be earning more money by dancing.....

* Pam Grier's character in ''Coffy'' goes undercover as a call girl for a local drug dealer/pimp in order to infiltrate the criminal underworld, although she's a vigilante, not a police officer.

* Parodied in the ''GurrenLagann'' [[FanWebComics fan webcomic]] ''DoubleK'', in which ''Simon'' is sent in as the DirtyHarriet.

* In ''[[CircleOfMagic Shatterglass'', part of Tamora Pierce's ''The Circle Opens'' Quartet, a serial killer stalks the female ''yaskedasi,'' or members of the entertainment class. Quite a few police officers (of both genders, but mostly women) go undercover as ''yaskedasi,'' but this is played straight when someone else comments that the grimly staring few who can't dance, juggle, or sing ''really'' stick out.

* [[{{Discworld}} Nobby Nobbs]]. [[BosomBuddies Yes, he's a man]], [[IAmNotWeasel or at least male.]] It's complex.

* ''AshesToAshes'': [[spoiler: Alex Drake arrives in "1981" dressed as a prostitute and later pretends to be one]].