History Main / DirtyHarriet

* In ''Bollywood/{{Khalnayak}}'' Ganga (Creator/MadhuriDixit) goes undercover as a dancer to try to catch Ballu (Creator/SanjayDutt) and save her boyfriend's reputation. She gets in waaay over her head, however, when [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Ballu develops feelings for her]].

This also appears in SpyFiction. See also FairCop.

A Dirty Harriet scenario is when a female law enforcement officer goes undercover in a role only a woman is expected to take, like stripper or prostitute. This allows for the natural tensions of undercover work and of course allows a reason for her to [[FanService wear little clothing]]. There is a good deal of variation in the trope, allowing for non-law enforcement characters, non-sex work infiltration, and occasionally non-females (but still able to pass as one or serving in the role).

Note that while this ''does'' happen in reality, it's very controversial, and legally and morally delicate. It has a very high chance of going spectacularly wrong and can easily turn into the sort of situation where a would-be arrestee is suing the city or the state or the feds for entrapment or worse. The real-life prostitution stings shown on various cop documentaries usually entail the undercover officer doing just the absolute minimum to make it absolutely clear that the client is really buying sex, and once money has changed hands excuse herself while her colleagues (who have been monitoring the situation from the next room or a parked car) storm in and make the arrest. It's also regionally dependent; while common in the US, in other countries with legalized prostitution, arresting people for the "crime" of paying for sex is seen as [[ValuesDissonance incredibly backwards]].

Note that while this ''does'' happen in reality, it's very controversial, and legally and morally delicate. It has a very high chance of going spectacularly wrong and can easily turn into the sort of situation where a would-be arrestee is suing the city or the state or the feds for entrapment or worse. The real-life prostitution stings shown on various cop documentaries usually entail the undercover officer doing just the absolute minimum to make it absolutely clear that the client is really buying sex, and once money has changed hands excuse herself while her colleagues (who have been monitoring the situation from the next room or a parked car) storm in and make the arrest.

* Pepper Anderson in the 70's series ''Series/PoliceWoman'' (played by Creator/AngieDickinson) and her colleagues went undercover in almost every episode. Since she was the only woman in the vice squad, some of her assignments fit this trope. In at least one instance her cover was blown when she refused to have actual sex with a client.

The term has also been used to describe female police officers depicted in film, TV and literature as being just as deadly as their male counterparts (or, specifically, Clint Eastwood's Film/DirtyHarry character)[[note]]A mid-1980s TV series titled ''Series/LadyBlue'', about a deadly female cop, was in fact promoted by the network as being a "Dirty Harriet" series[[/note]]. But that is not what this trope is about.

* ''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': Mina Murray goes under cover as a Parisian ''demi-mondaine'' to lure out Mr. Hyde.

* ''Film/UndercoverHeat''. 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. Also played with when she does a roleplay as a (dominatrix-y) cop for one of her unwitting clients.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Nobby Nobbs. Yes, [[DisguisedInDrag he's a man]], [[IAmNotWeasel or at least male.]] It's complex.[[note]]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.[[/note]] In fact, Nobby's looks are so astounding that a footnote made sure to point out that although narrative law would normally demand a AttractiveBentGender moment, the trope withered and died in the face of Nobby Nobbs.

* In one Stuart Macbride's ''Aberdeen'' detective novels the fanservice aspect is averted. The officers posing as streetwalkers are plain and unattractive, because an attractive street-corner prostitute would make people suspicious.

* Literature/{{Dexter}}'s sister Deb did this at the start of the first book, when she was working in vice. The tone of the books is much more negative than that of the show and Dexter as narrator spends some time on how incredibly unattractive Deb, a beautiful woman, managed to make herself look in such skimpy clothing. She wasn't trying, either, she has no fashion sense. By contrast, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Morgan Deb in the show has a perfectly good fashion sense]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** When we first meet Deb, she's working in the vice squad (that would be Miami Vice), 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.

** 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.

* In the first season of the 1980's cop show ''Series/{{Hunter}}'', Hunter's partner Dee Dee [=McCall=] poses as a street walker quite often (from the very first moment we see her, actually), usually to gather information rather than as a part of a sting operation. In later seasons she [[DownplayedTrope doesn't do it as often]], but it still happens. Somewhat unusually, this is not played for fanservice, at least not in the case of [=McCall=] herself - she tends to wear considerably more clothes than her supposed "colleagues".

* In ''Series/CharliesAngels'', the standard operating procedure of the Angels is to go undercover. Some of these assignments involve posing as prostitutes, exotic dancers or in massage parlours, which gives many opportunities for FanService.

* In ''Webcomic/TooMuchInformation2005'', Officer Friendly ends up undercover as a streetwalker, which both provides her with an excellent opportunity to get closer to [[TheAce Ace]] - by stating that it would really help her cover if she was seen getting into the sleek sports-car of an attractive young man - and provides BettyAndVeronica with a good opportunity to see Ace [[NotWhatItLooksLike drive around with a scantly-clad girl in his car]].

* US trucking companies that have policies against their truckers letting anyone into their cabs (especially prostitutes) have been known to hire undercover "lot lizards". These girls will target truckers from the company that hire them, and ask if they want a "bedtime story". If the trucker lets them into the cab, they get fired.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' Tifa Lockhart does so to get data from Don Corleo, then Cloud and Aerith do it too to free Tifa.

* In ''Manga/CatsEye'', police officer Mitsuko Asatani was once disguised as a bartneder wearing PlayboyBunny suit.

* In ''Webcomic/TooMuchInformation'', Officer Friendly ends up undercover as a streetwalker, which both provides her with an excellent opportunity to get closer to [[TheAce Ace]] - by stating that it would really help her cover if she was seen getting into the sleek sports-car of an attractive young man - and provides BettyAndVeronica with a good opportunity to see Ace [[NotWhatItLooksLike drive around with a scantly-clad girl in his car]].

* ''Series/ThirdWatch'': Maritza Cruz, the [[SpicyLatina tough-as-nails female cop]] (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."

* ''Series/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 voluptuous blonde, a [[LatinLover Latina]] does the job just as well.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''ComicBook/RobynHood'': Robyn goes undercover as HighClassCallGirl to bring down a dirty politican in #1 of her ongoing series.

[[folder:Film]]

-->'''Det. Lacey''': "They call these plain clothes?"

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

--> Dep. Junior: "Doesn't he have Fridays off?"

* ''{{Series/Cracker}}'', series 3 episode "Brotherly Love": Penhaligon dresses as a prostitute hoping to lure a man believed to be murdering prostitutes. There's extra tension in the put-on because Penhaligon was still recovering from being raped by a colleague.

* ''[[VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow Shall We Date?: Ninja Shadow]]'' has the SweetPollyOliver protagonist, Saori, do this once in a while as a part of her missions: her companions think [[DudeLooksLikeALady she's a girly-looking boy]] and often need her to get info and fulfill missions in the RedLightDistrict. [[spoiler: Toru Nakagawa's route begins with Saori pulling one of these missions, then meeting Toru and having him fall in LoveAtFirstSight with her...]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

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

* Creator/AngelinaJolie's character in ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'' poses as a {{dominatrix}} in order to assassinate a target.

* ''Series/AshesToAshes'': Alex Drake arrives in 1981 dressed as a prostitute. Later, in 1.05, she pretends to be one again - unfortunately for her, [[StraightGay she isn't the mark's type]].

* Minnie May in ''Anime/GunsmithCats'' filled this role as she had experience as the real thing, and easily passed the "audition" because of it.

* The pilot episode of ''Series/{{Airwolf}}'' features the F.I.R.M. getting an American agent employed as a belly dancer in Libya. Her cover is blown and she is killed later. They then decide to send in ''another'' belly dancer, who gets kidnapped by the evil Dr. Moffett, tortured, and ends up dying from dehydration in the Sahara. As the second agent is a LoveInterest of the protagonist, ItsPersonal.

* The pilot episode of ''Series/{{Airwolf}}'' features the F.I.R.M. getting an American agent employed as a belly dancer in Libya. Her cover is blown and she is killed later. They then decide to send in ''another'' belly dancer, who gets kidnapped by the Evil Dr. Moffett, tortured, and ends up dying from dehydration in the Sahara.

* The 1985 TV movie ''Operation Julie'' opens with a roomful of undercover police watching film footage of them pretending to be hippies to investigate drug selling at a pop festival. They especially appreciate the shots of their female colleagues topless.

** When we first meet Deb, she's working in the vice squad (that would be MiamiVice), 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.

* Inverted in ''Lula3D'': Lula is a porn producer and prostitute who goes undercover at a strip bar to track down kidnapped actresses.

A Dirty Harriet scenario is when a female law enforcement officer goes undercover in a role only a woman is expected to take, like stripper or prostitute. This allows for the natural tensions of undercover work and of course allows a reason for her to [[FanService wear little clothing]]. There is a good deal of variation in the trope, allowing for non law enforcement characters, non sex work infiltration, and occasionally non females (but still able to pass as one or serving in the role).

* 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.

* Detective Shraeger in ''TheUnusuals'' starts out in vice, dressed as a hooker. She's soon transferred to homicide, though.