History Main / StandardPoliceMotto

* In ''{{Discworld}}, the Watch House has the words ''[[Film/DirtyHarry Fabricati Diem Pvnc]]'' over it. Colon ''tells'' Carrot that they translate to "To protect and serve". The real motto was longer (and still not actually "to protect and serve") but the sign was [[SignsOfDisrepair broken]].

The Los Angeles Police Department's famous motto, "to protect and to serve" (coined in 1955), has been adopted by many other police departments across the English-speaking world, sometimes in its alternate form "to serve and protect." It's been adopted by so many police departments, in fact, that it's practically a StockPhrase in the English-speaking world. Unsurprisingly, it shows up a lot in fiction as well. Played straight in most PoliceProcedurals and [[CopShow Cop Shows]], it's routinely subverted, lampshaded, and/or otherwise played with in other media.

* At least partially in a ''BabylonFive'' episode where organic tech gets loose creating a warrior who shouts "Protect" before he blows large holes in people and the station.

* The police force in ''WesternAnimation/HighSchoolUSA'' is "Do we have to?".

* In ''TheLongestJourney'', the same cop that gave us MoveAlongNothingToSeeHere and SorryImGay lines, also finished his conversation with "We are here to protect and to serve", right after proving as useless and outright obstructive to the heroine as he possibly could.

** The Ankh Morpork Watch has the motto "Fabricati Diem, Pvnc", which is DogLatin for "[[SuddenImpact Make My Day, Punk]]". In-story, Fred Colon claims that it translates as "To Protect and Serve". The full motto is in fact "Fabricati Diem, Pvncti Agvnt Celeriter," but has been rendered partially unreadable over time. This supposedly means "Make the Day, the Moments Pass Quickly."

-->'''RoboCop:''' Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law.

* ''Film/RoboCop''

** The same book has the [[spoiler: golem watchman]] give his own spin on the ''RoboCop'' example above: "To Serve The Public Trust, Protect The Innocent, And Seriously Prod Buttock".

* The Casseline Brotherhood, in KushielsLegacy, say this a lot.

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* ''RoboCop'':

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* MarvelComics once produced a SilverSurfer T-shirt bearing the slogan, "TO SURF AND PROTECT."

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* In ''TheSimpsons'', an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon shows shows Scratchy entering a police car that turns out to be driven by Itchy. The motto is "To Protect and Sever." Bloody carnage ensues.

* The tagline of ''ScienceCourt'' was "To Serve and Observe", even though it wasn't about a police department.

* ''Protect & Serve'' was the Cop [[{{Sourcebook}} Splatbook]] for ''Cyberpunk 2020''.

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The Los Angeles Police Department's famous motto, "to protect and to serve" (coined in 1955), has been adopted by many other police departments across the English-speaking world, sometimes in its alternate form "to serve and protect." It's been adopted by so many police departments, in fact, that it's practically a StockPhrase in the English-speaking world. Unsurprisingly, it shows up a lot in fiction as well. Played straight in most PoliceProcedurals and [[CopShow Cop Shows]], it's routinely subverted, lampshaded, and/or otherwise played with in other media.

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* The TropeMaker (in the media, at any rate) is ''{{Dragnet}}'', which was based on the RealLife LAPD. Continued in ''Series/AdamTwelve'' where a prominent shot of the motto on the squad car door was in the opening credits.

* In ''TheSimpsons'', an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon shows shows Scratchy entering a police car that turns out to be driven by Itchy. The motto it "To Protect and Sever". Bloody carnage ensues.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': To Secure, Contain and Protect (hence the name of the Foundation). This one could plausibly go in the "played straight" column too.

* In ''TheLongestJourney'', the same cop that gave us MoveAlongNothingToSeeHere and SorryImGay lines, also finished his conversation with "We are here to protect and to serve", right after proving as useless and outright obstructive to the heroine as he possible could.

* At least partially in a Babylon 5 episode where organic tech gets loose creating a warrior who shouts "Protect" before he blows large holes in people and the station.

* The TropeMaker (in the media, at any rate) is ''{{Dragnet}}'', which was based on the RealLife LAPD.

* ''[[SquareOneTV Mathnet's]]'' motto is "To cogitate and to solve."

* The CityGuards in ''TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' say this randomly when you talk to them.

* In DueSouth, when Constable Fraser is asked if the RCMP motto is ''We Always Get Our Man'', he replies with the correct motto of ''Uphold the Right''.

* The motto of the [[GrandTheftAuto Los Santos Police Department]] appears to be "Obey & Survive".

* ''SouthPark'': The side of Officer Barbrady's patrol car has "To Patronize and Annoy" on it.