History Main / TokenGoodCop

* ''VideoGame/Wasteland3'': Marshal Kwon of the Colorado Springs Marshals, who can at best be described as one slightly off-smelling apple in a barrel of rotten ones. While he is a DirtyCop who happily takes bribes and sleeps with prostitutes in his off-hours, he's grown increasingly disillusioned with the turn the Marshals have taken into becoming BrownShirts for the Patriarch and happily consigning people to freeze to death in the stocks for the most minute of offenses. As a party member, Kwon will disapprove of the party sending too many prisoners to the Marshals instead of taking them in yourselves, [[spoiler:though he ultimately feels that ''some'' kind of police of Colorado Springs is needed and will oppose the Rangers outright overthrowing the Marshals and the Patriarch.]]

* Downplayed in ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'': James Gordon means well, but Gotham is such a hardcore WretchedHive that he has done some really awful decisions to try and bring order to it:

** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' he is forced to have crooked cops in his task force just to have ''some'' personnel. When two of them inevitably sell out to the Joker and bring [[spoiler:the death of Rachel Dawes and disfigurement of Harvey Dent]], a very irate [[spoiler:Dent, now turned into Two-Face]] comes gunning for them all (especially Gordon, who [[IWarnedYou he had warned against doing that decision]]) in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' he is forced to have crooked cops in his task force just to have ''some'' personnel. When two of them inevitably sells out to the Joker and brings [[spoiler:the death of Rachel Dawes and disfigurement of Harvey Dent]], a very irate [[spoiler:Dent, now turned into Two-Face]] comes gunning for him in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* ''Series/ElCaso'': The upstanding and rule-abiding Miguel Montenegro is probably the WhiteSheep of the police force, especially it's 1966 and [[UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco the Francoist regime]] is still in full effect.

* ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'': Officer Rohrbach is among the few cops that Nightwing can actually count on until he joins the Blüdhaven police himself- At which point she introduces him to a circle of honest cops who actually do their job in secret from the rest of the force.

** Deconstructed by [[ByTheBookCop Assistant Chief Constable Peter Hunt]] in "1980". Brought in as a "squeaky clean" outsider in response to public backlash to the West Yorkshire Police's failure to catch the Ripper. Hunt is a genuinely honest, warm but authoritative man with a strong sense of justice, who quickly discovers evidence of a conspiracy involving corporate corruption, child abuse, and murder, which the local police are heavily complicit (if not active members) in. But his underestimation of the scale of the corruption and [[WideEyedIdealist utter belief in good triumphing over evil]] spell his doom. [[spoiler: He ends up finding all the evidence he needs to expose the conspiracy, but is murdered by [[AffablyEvil DCS John Nolan]], the man he believed he was his closest ally, having [[EtTuBrute never suspected]] he was also corrupt.]]
** [[AntiHero Detective Inspector (later Chief Superintendent) Maurice Jacobs]] is a downplayed version particularly in "1983" (which says a lot about just how bad the other officers are). Whilst heavily complicit in the corruption, and party to several brutal acts of murder and torture himself, unlike all the other officers its made clear that he only joined due to knowing that if he didn't [[TrappedInVillainy Bill Molloy would have murdered him]], with it being clear the guilt of his actions is weighing heavily upon him and revealing he did try to assist [[IntrepidReporter Eddie Dunford]] and Hunt in their efforts to expose the corruption, only to be stampeded each time by his fear of reprisal. [[spoiler: Finally making a stand in the climax he saves BJ from the ringleader of the conspiracy, [[PaedophilePriest Reverend Martin Laws]], putting an end to the evil man, then assists John Piggot in saving Laws' final living victim]].

--->'''Gordon''': I'm no rat! In a town this bent, who's there to rat to anyway?

** At least for the members of the 2019 police, that we are presented with, Charlotte Doppler fulfills this role. Wöller is a YesMan [[spoiler: and secretly works with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Aleksander Tiedemann]]]] and Ulrich has strong RabidCop tendencies and his sanity goes haywire once his son disappears. Charlotte on the other hand comes very close to figuring out what is actually happening.

* ''Series/NewTricks'': The episode "Last Man Standing" reveals that Gerry was this earlier in his career. Back when he first joined the CID in the early eighties, he discovered that the rest of the unit were on the take for the vicious [[LondonGangster Chapman family]] and confided in his governor DCI Martin Ackroyd who tasked him with watching the others [[spoiler: but really also worked for the Chapman's, having Gerry abducted and dragged before the sadistic Dominic Chapman. When beatings and threats failed to deter Gerry, Ackroyd threatened to go after Gerry's newborn daughter unless he got with the program. Thus Gerry used his contacts to convince the underworld that Ackroyd was about to blow the whistle on the corruption, making clear to Ackroyd that his only option was to run. Unfortunately, Ackroyd foolishly tried to work things out and the sadistic gangster beat him to death.]] Apart from Gerry, there was only one other honest detective in the unit, and even he was aware of but willing to overlook the corruption.

* ''VideoGame/GothamKnights'': Following Gordon's death, and his replacement by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Commissioner Catherine Kane]]'s more militant approach to policing, the GCPD's capability has drastically fallen, with [[DirtyCop corruption again sky high]], with even the officers who aren't corrupt being generally presented as [[RabidCop ineffectual authoritarian's]] more interested in enforcing her anti-vigilante stance than solving crimes. Despite this [[FriendOnTheForce Captain Renee Montoya]] is still an honest, dedicated cop and a staunch ally to the Knights. [[spoiler: They even end up [[SecretKeeper revealing their identities to her]], forging a similar trusting relationship Bruce had with Jim]].

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': [[BadassBookworm Quinn Ergon]] fulfils this for [[SpacePolice the Infinity Guard]]. Whilst in the past the Guard were genuinely heroic protectors of the galaxies, in the present it's clear they have fallen with the majority of members coming across as incompetent and authoritarian individuals. Quinn meanwhile is still highly intelligent and dedicated but bogged down by her superiors ignoring her reasonable concerns such as forbidding her from investigating [[NegativeSpaceWedgie the breach]] despite it endangering the earth, this often leads to her having to strive out on her own to actually get things done. [[spoiler: As it turns out the vast majority of the Infinity Guard are actually in the pocket of the [[GalacticConquerer Lord Commander]] and deliberately sabotaging their efforts, [[LesCollaborateurs to help spread his tyranny]]. In particular her boss [[MoleInCharge Superior Stone]]. Learning this causes Quinn to wash her hands of the organisation, though she makes it clear she still believes in the ideals they used to hold.]]

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' he is forced to have crooked cops in his task force just to have ''some'' personnel. When one of them inevitably sells out to the Joker and brings [[spoiler:the death of Rachel Dawes and disfigurement of Harvey Dent]], a very irate [[spoiler:Dent, now turned into Two-Face]] comes gunning for him in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

----

** Springfield, [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Unknown State]], is up there for having some of the least competent cops in fiction, all no thanks to none other than [[TheDitz Chief Wiggum]]. He is stupid, lazy, corrupt, and often causes a lot more damage than the criminals ever do, and everyone else isn't much better. Officer Lou, however, actually has some competence at his job, usually being the one to point out Wiggum's mistakes, and is the first to understand when something is wrong and tries to acknowledge it. Unfortunately, since this is Springfield, a place [[AdultsAreUseless where almost nobody is allowed to be competent]], Lou gets ignored more often than not, while Wiggum continues to cause chaos and destruction.

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E23TheSpringfieldConnection The Springfield Connection]]", Marge joins the Springfield police force when she [[GoodFeelsGood gets a rush]] from thwarting Snake's three-card monte scam, and she is shown to be far more competent than most of the other cops. During target practice, she only shoots criminals (Chief Wiggum even berates her for missing targets of a baby and a blind man), and she arrests Homer when he [[StealingTheHandicappedSpot parks his car across three handicapped spaces]], refuses to move it, and takes her hat. Near the end of the episode, Marge exposes Herman's scheme to sell counterfeit jeans, but the rest of the police force can't arrest him due to a lack of evidence. That lack of evidence of course, being that the cops decide to take all the counterfeit jeans for themselves. Unable to stomach its corruption, [[StatusQuoIsGod Marge quits the force]].

* ''Series/{{Broken}}'': In this 2027 drama, the trope is interestingly played with following the wrongful police shooting of vulnerable paranoid schizophrenic Vernon Oyenusi:

Normally an [[FriendOnTheForce ally of the protagonists]], if not the protagonist themselves, the Token Good Cop is somehow immune to the malaise which has affected their colleagues, being genuinely committed to upholding the law, protecting innocents, and bringing criminals to justice. They tend to come in two forms: an [[NaiveNewcomer idealistic rookie]] who isn't aware of the omnipresent corruption, or who joins [[WideEyedIdealist thinking they can change things]], or a [[KnightInSourArmor crusty old veteran]] who can remember the days ''before'' said corruption and/or has been [[ItsPersonal personally wronged]] by criminals. Alternatively, there ''can'' be more than one Token Good Cop -- a [[BuddyCopShow duo]] or small group of genuinely competent/heroic/sane law enforcement personnel are also valid examples.

Given that the existence of a Token Good Cop requires an ''entire'' law-enforcement agency to be ineffectual, they tend to appear in {{Wretched Hive}}s or any area ruled by a SmallTownTyrant, CorruptPolitician or even TheEmpire. ''Why'' the police aren't doing their job properly, however, is commonly related to RealLife concerns and attitudes surrounding policing: back in TheSeventies, the Token Good Cop might be portrayed as [[CowboyCop a rule-breaking maverick]] who is actually able to ''get things done'' in the face of [[ObstructiveBureaucrat stifling bureaucracy]], while in TheEighties and TheNineties it was more common for the cop to be the last honest man standing in the midst of an UrbanHellscape (such as TheBigRottenApple) while their would-be colleagues are either hopelessly ineffectual or in league with the CityNoir's rampant corruption. Following the rise to prominence of the UsefulNotes/BlackLivesMatterMovement and concerns of racial justice in TheNewTens, it's become more common to portray [[BigotWithABadge institutionally racist police departments]] who either blatantly target minorities or ignore the {{Rabid Cop}}s who do, in which case the Token Good Cop, often a MinorityPoliceOfficer, is the only one willing to challenge this problem.

It's also possible for a Token Good Cop to exist in a {{Comedy}}, in which case much of the above does not apply, unless it is parodied or PlayedForLaughs: instead, they're likely a perpetually-exasperated OnlySaneMan, who is often outright ignored by their worse-than-useless colleagues.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'': This was Jet's backstory. He was a cop with a strong sense of justice and integrity, but unfortunately for him virtually the entire rest of the force was on the Syndicate's payroll. This led to him getting ambushed [[spoiler: by his own partner]] and losing his arm. Fed up with how things were and his inability to change them on his own, he quit the force to become a bounty hunter.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': This is [[TheCommissionerGordon Jim Gordon's]] consistent presentation throughout the franchise, being a brave, honest and steadfast ally to the eponymous hero. Whilst presentations of the GCPD generally fall under some combination of [[DirtyCop so corrupt]] they're basically no different to a gang in their own right, or well-meaning overall but [[BadCopIncompetentCop utterly incompetent, ineffectual against the real threats]] and just plain useless, Gordon is always the clear exception.

** ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' noticeably focuses on Gordon's attempts to avert this, by creating the Major Crimes Unit to be filled with the few honest detectives and officers in the force, each member hand selected by him in the hopes of bringing some integrity to the force. They still are regularly hampered by the large scale incompetence and corruption, not to mention distrust sometimes to point of direct sabotage, by the rest of the GCPD (and even a few of their own members didn't live up to expectations), but they're still a noticeable step up.
* ''ComicBook/BatmanEarthOne'': Interestingly flipped on its head and played with in this Elseworlds. In a universe where Jim Gordon is just as corrupt and ineffectual as every other cop in the GCPD (because [[IHaveYourWife his wife was murdered and he's terrified his daughter will be next]] if he actively opposes corruption), it's actually Harvey Bullock who takes this role. Whilst an out of touch, smug outsider who comes to Gotham in order to [[GloryHound boost his profile]], Bullock is a genuinely honest and dedicated cop, who starts up proper investigations, even into the cases Gordon tells him to drop. His influence and support actually helps Gordon regain his former backbone, and allows him to grow into his more familiar role in the franchise as the series goes on, with his rise in the ranks seeing him able to bring about some real improvements to the GCPD.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney'': Phoebus is the [[NobleTopEnforcer decent and honourable]] captain of [[TautologicalTemplar Judge Frollo's]] guards, who initially dutifully follows orders, despite growing discomfort with Frollo's brutal persecution of the Romani. However, when Frollo orders him to burn down a house with an innocent family inside, he flat-out refuses, and starts openly opposing his former boss.

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'': Renee Montoya is a Gotham cop with a sharp eye for crime scene clues and a honorable drive to protect the city. However, her fellow cops are prone to either ignore her deductions or, if they do produce results, take all the credit for her accomplishments. Ultimately Renee comes to realize that she will never achieve justice or [[DudeWheresMyRespect earn respect]] at the GCPD and quits the force, joining with her newfound vigilante friends to create the Birds of Prey.

** Deconstructed by [[ByTheBookCop Assistant Chief Constable Peter Hunt]] in "1980." Brought in as an "squeaky clean" outsider in response to public backlash to the West Yorkshire Police's failure to catch the Ripper. Hunt is a genuinely honest, warm but authoritative man with a strong sense of justice, who quickly discovers evidence of a conspiracy involving corporate corruption, child abuse and murder, which the local police are heavily complicit (if not active members) in. But his underestimation of the scale of the corruption and [[WideEyedIdealist utter belief in good triumphing over evil]] spell his doom. [[spoiler: He ends up finding all the evidence he needs to expose the conspiracy, but is murdered by [[AffablyEvil DCS John Nolan]], the man he believed he was his closest ally, having [[EtTuBrute never suspected]] he was also corrupt.]]

* ''Film/WestSideStory2021'': Officer Krupke is this thanks to his AdaptationalPersonalityChange. Rather than the bigoted {{Jerkass}} he is in the stage musical, here he's a honest cop who looks out for the entire neighborhood and genuinely wants to help both the Jets and the Sharks avoid lives of crime and imprisonment. Meanwhile, his boss Lt. Schrank is still a BigotWithABadge, wanting to lock up as many gang members (especially the Sharks) as possible to keep crime down until the area is gentrified and he can be in charge of a relatively crime-free neighborhood.

* ''[[Series/OneEightHundredMissing 1-800-Missing]]'': The Ridgeport, Connecticut PD from "Cop Out" are revealed to all be dirty, with Chief Jack Sanderson being their ringleader. Under Sanderson the PD regularly skim cash and goods off the cities port ranging into millions, as well as beating into silence or flat out murdering any witnesses. Sanderson ensures the corruption by killing any officers who don't get with the program or forcing them to kill others so he has them in his pocket. However, Deputy Chief Paula Deinecher is still honest and tries her best to expose Sanderson's corruption, to the point of recruiting an ally from the Boston PD to go undercover to find the evidence to bring him down. Sanderson has her murdered for this, but Paula's actions still lead to the FBI uncovering the corruption.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Mr. Garibaldi has this as part of his backstory. Prior to coming to B5 he was in security on [[WretchedHive Europa]]. The way he describes it, half the force was on the take and the rest didn't give a damn. "Ever try to uphold the law when nobody cares?" Eventually, the stress and frustration begins leading him to [[INeedAFreakingDrink drink heavily]]. He says he began to make progress, but the criminal elements targeted him specifically, leading to an incident where a good friend of his was killed and Garibaldi was pinned with the blame, leading to his dismissal, and crawling into [[TheAlcoholic the bottle for a ling time]].
* ''Series/{{Barry}}'': A curious example, as she is introduced first and we only get to see the scale of the others problems in comparison later, but [[HeroAntagonist Detective Janice Moss]] is presented as the only reliably honest and competent member of the LAPD. Her partner Detective Loach is perpetual sadsack, who is can be a competent detective [[spoiler: but is revealed to be [[DirtyCop shamelessly corrupt]] and murderously selfish]], [[CluelessDetective Detective Dunn]] is well meaning but ineffectual, [[TheLoad Detective Simmer]] is a lazy moron who refuses to actually work, and [[PointyHairedBoss Chief Krauss]] is a gullible fool who has absolutely no idea what he's doing. The rest of the LAPD is regularly presented as [[PoliceAreUseless cartoonishly incompetent]], such as a SWAT team mistaking the unarmed, helpless patrons at a restaurant for gangsters and viciously beating them senseless.

** At least for the members of the 2019 police, that we are presented with, Charlotte Doppler fulfills this role. Wöller is a YesMan [[spoiler: and secretly works with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Aleksander Tiedemann]]]] and Ulrich has strong RabidCop tendencies and his sanity goes haywire once his son disappears. Charlotte on the other hand comes very close to figure out what is actually happening.

* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': Zigzaged over the course of the series. In season one Jim Gordon is the only ByTheBookCop in the entire GCPD, willing to challenge its pervasive corruption -- the other halfway decent cops are burned out (like [[CowboyCop Harvey Bullock]]), self-righteous and willing to bend or ignore the rules to their advantage (like Montoya and Allen) or else [[TrappedInVillainy powerless to do anything about the corruption]] (like [[DaChief Captain Essen]]). However, Gordon is confronted with [[WretchedHive just how screwed Gotham really is]] and over time he resorts to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo immoral if not illegal actions just to bring about some actual changes]], eventually leaving temporarily in season three. He later rejoins after realising that acting outside the law was corrupting him even further and attempts to return to his former principles, but he is still more willing to resort to dirty actions (such as keeping relationships with the more friendly gangsters like Barbara and Penguin) than he was before.
** {{Discussed|Trope}} in Season four when he points out to Bullock that a large portion of his reputation as the honest cop who can save the GCPD is built on a lie (with his recent rise to captain being part of a plot by [[TheQueenpin Sofia Falcone]]), only for Bullock to point out that he's still better than all the alternatives.
* In ''Series/GothamKnights2023'', most of the GCPD are corrupt and/or brutish towards the heroes, except for Sgt. Apone, who Cullen befriends during his various trips to infiltrate the precinct. He even gives Cullen a hug after the Gotham Knights help defend the precinct from the Court of Owls in the finale.
* ''Series/NewTricks'': The episode "Last Man Standing" reveals that Gerry this earlier in his career. Back when he first joined the CID in the early eighties, he discovered that the rest of the unit were on the take for the vicious [[LondonGangster Chapman family]] and confided in his governor DCI Martin Ackroyd who tasked him with watching the others [[spoiler: but really also worked for the Chapman's, having Gerry abducted and dragged before the sadistic Dominic Chapman. When beatings and threats failed to deter Gerry, Ackroyd threatened to go after Gerry's new born daughter unless he got with the program. Thus Gerry used his contacts to convince the underworld that Ackroyd was about to blow the whistle on the corruption, making clear to Ackroyd his only option was to run. Unfortunately, Ackroyd foolishly tried to work things out and the sadistic gangster beat him to death.]] Apart from Gerry, there was only one other honest detective in the unit, and even he was aware of but willing to overlook the corruption.

* ''Series/PerryMason2020'': The [[TheThirties 1930s]] LAPD aren't presented in a positive light, with it being common knowledge the vast majority of the force is corrupt, brutal, racist and only interested in making quick arrests. Detective Gene Holcomb almost openly takes bribes and makes it clear his only interest in solving cases is to advance his career, whilst his partner [[RabidCop Detective Joe Ennis]] is a smug, sadistic brute [[spoiler: who is actually responsible for a child kidnapping and commits multiple murders to cover up his involvement]]. Even [[AntiHero Pete]] admits that back when he was a Vice cop he took bribes and engaged in dubious actions, until the corruption became too much and he quit. However, [[MinorityPoliceOfficer Officer Paul Drake]], despite being a mere beat cop, is a dedicated and upstanding officer, who has the skills to be a great detective if not for [[MinorityPoliceOfficer his race holding him back]]. His integrity even worries his colleagues, with the lieutenant not-so-subtly warning Drake there will be consequences if he doesn't get with the program. [[spoiler: Instead, Drake realises the LAPD is a dead end, and decides to become a private investigator working with Perry Mason]].

** ''Series/{{Andor}}'': An interesting [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]/[[DeconstructedTrope Deconstruction]]. [[StarterVillain Deputy Inspector Syril Karn]] is the only person genuinely determined to solve the murder of two officers of the [[LawEnforcementInc Pre-Mor corporate security forces]] (the other employees being portrayed as apathetic slackers), and [[WrongGenreSavvy clearly thinks of himself]] as the hero bringing a fiendish criminal to justice. [[LawfulStupid The problem is]], the two victims are scummy {{Dirty Cop}}s missed by no-one, who died in highly compromising circumstances that Karn's [[DaChief own boss]] would prefer never to see the light of day. Nevertheless, Karn persists, and is actually able to track down the man responsible, Cassian Andor: but the ham-fisted attempt to arrest him results in several dead, Karn losing his job, and the Empire revoking Pre-Mor's favourable [[OneNationUnderCopyright independent status]] as a result of the failure.

* ''Series/SuperiorDonuts'': Played For Laughs. Officers Randy [=DeLuca=], a jaded but friendly veteran, and her partner, the young and idealistic James, are both regulars at the titular donut shop and good friends of Arthur and Franco. Overall whilst the show doesn't present the Chicago PD in a positive light, with a large number of the series jokes being about how ineffectual, corrupt, racist and violent it is (which Randy and James usually either sheepishly accept or [[ActuallyPrettyFunny laugh along to with the others]]), and other cops to appear being presented a best antagonist and ineffectual if not flat out corrupt or bigoted, the two are still presented as overall honest and decent if a bit lazy cops.
* ''Series/ThePeripheral2022'': A significant portion of the series takes place in [[WretchedHive Clanton]], a backwater South Carolinan town [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the 2030s]], where local drug baron [[SmallTownTyrant Corbell Pickett]] rules the roost and has the county sheriff's department at his beck and call. Among their ranks is the genuinely principled Deputy Tommy Constantine, who grows increasingly frustrated when his attempts to investigate a ramming attack on his own police cruiser (conducted by Pickett) are stymied, and eventually ''snaps'' when he is asked to help [[FrameUp frame his friend Flynne Fisher and her family]], killing Pickett and the corrupt Sheriff Jackman, who had previously mocked him for [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids attempting to cling onto]] [[GoneHorriblyRight his sense of justice]].

* ''Series/TrueDetective'': [[DownplayedTrope Significantly downplayed]] by [[DefectiveDetective Detective Ray Velcro]] from Season Two. The Vinci PD are presently as [[DirtyCop utterly corrupt]], with their primarily focus being on covering up all the crooked corporate and political deals going on in [[WretchedHive the city]], especially those linked to organised crime, with Chief Holloway, Lieutenant Burns and even Ray's partner [[FatIdiot Teague Dixon]] not only all being shamelessly corrupt but [[spoiler:behind the 1992 double murder and robbery that kicked off the events of the season]]. But whilst Ray is heavily involved in the corruption and close friends with the local gangster [[AffablyEvil Frank Semyon]], even acting as their enforcer on occasion, it's made clear he's [[AntiVillain the only person left in Vinci who has a sense of decency]], with his corruption stemming purely from desperation and cynicism. Working with the honest Detective [[DarkAndTroubledPast Ani Bezzerides]] and California Highway Patrol officer [[ShellShockedVeteran Paul Woodrugh]] causes Ray to [[HeelFaceTurn rediscover some of his former principles]], and over the course of the season he develops a sincere desire to finally expose the corruption [[spoiler:especially after nearly dying in a massacre set up by his own superiors to bury the case and kill Dixon]].

* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'': Overall the police aren't presented in [[BadCopIncompetentCop a positive light]] being at best {{Punch Clock Hero}}es, with nearly every character example being presented as [[DirtyCop corrupt]] or needlessly [[PoliceBrutality brutal]] in one way or the other. [[RabidCop The Inspector]] framed numerous innocent people, Detective Robert Montauk was a disciple of [[HunterOfMonsters the Hunt]] and [[SerialKiller murdered forty people]] (albeit under duress), an unnamed patrolman was secretly taking bribes to let people off tickets, and even [[FriendOnTheForce Basira]], who is genuinely well meaning and honest, looks the other way at [[KillerCop Daisy]]'s extrajudicial murders out of personal loyalty to her. Furthermore, the London Police in general deal with the supernatural by lumping all problems on officers who have already been exposed to it, refuse them any extra support, and happily ignore the fact that solutions regularly result in deaths, even of other officers, only caring about the possibility of [[BrokenMasquerade it being exposed]]. However, Sergeant Terrance Simpson and his partner Constable Clara Ross (both of whom notably aren't part of the Met) from "125: Civilian Causalities" are presented as honest and well meaning, with them having to deal with the victims of the HatePlague that [[WarIsHell the Slaughter]] unleashed upon the village and Simpson making it clear he tried his best to ingratiate himself to the locals and become part of their community.

* In ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', the portrayal of the NCPD falls somewhere in between a NecessarilyEvil organisation that's forced to be brutally violent because [[WretchedHive that's just how Night City is]] while still being so under-resourced that it's completely unable to go after anything but the very worst crimes, and so utterly corrupt that it's essentialy just one more gang, just with official (public) support and more military-grade weaponry. There are a ''few'' good people left, but things for them aren't exactly easy:

** River Ward, one of V's main allies and romance options, is a [[HardboiledDetective hard-bitten detective]] who genuinely cares about protecting the people of Night City, but eventually ends up quitting the force to become a PrivateDetective, on the basis that he can do more good without the NCPD's many {{Dirty Cop}}s breathing down his neck.

* ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'': The New Bordeaux Police Department is presented as [[DirtyCop being in the pocket]] of [[TheDon Sal Marcano]] to the point that police officers can be seen actively protecting the gangsters' properties and moonlighting as their enforcers. Even without the corruption, overall the NBPD is presented as [[RabidCop aggressive]] and [[BigotWithABadge highly racist]], reacting to the slightest amount of wrongdoing with a "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality and can be encountered [[PoliceBrutality beating up minorities and protestors]], with many officers even being part of [[TheKlan the Southern Union]]. Standing in stark contrast to this is Detective "Big Jim" [=McCormick=], a dedicated, honest, cordial and notably not racist individual, who is sincerely disgusted the damage that [[MadDoctor Doc Gaston's]] drug ring is doing to the French Quarter. Given that the NBPD's corruption has caused all his efforts to bring Gaston down to fail, he's willing to [[EnemyMine accept Lincoln Clay's help]] to get rid of the drug dealers.
* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedHeat'' has [[WomenAreWiser Officer Eva Torres]] who is part of the PCPD Task Force. While her superiors Lt. Frank Mercer and Officer Danny Shaw are both a DirtyCop and RabidCop respectively by taking advantage of the task force as a way to profit or for personal gain by exploiting the city’s street racing problem, smuggling cars and indulge into excessive violence against street racers, Torres on the other hand are against doing the illegal activities her teammates engage in. All sht genuinely wants is to end the illegal races without the necessary violence or grifting.

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': [[BadassBookworm Quinn Ergon]] fulfils this for [[SpacePolice the Infinity Guard]]. Whilst in the past the Guard were genuinely heroic protectors of the galaxies, in the present its clear they have fallen with the majority of members coming across as incompetent and authoritarian individuals. Quinn meanwhile is still highly intelligent and dedicated, but bogged down by her superiors ignoring her reasonable concerns such as forbidding her from investigating [[NegativeSpaceWedgie the breach]] despite it endangering the earth, this often leads to her having to strive out on her own to actually get things done. [[spoiler: As it turns out the vast majority of the Infinity Guard are actually in the pocket of the [[GalacticConquerer Lord Commander]] and deliberately sabotaging their efforts, [[LesCollaborateurs to help spread his tyranny]]. In particular her boss [[MoleInCharge Superior Stone]]. Learning this causes Quinn to wash her hands of the organisation, though she makes it clear she still believes in the ideals they used to hold.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] with Officer Barbrady. While he's not what you'd call the most competent at his profession, he at least tries to do the right thing and legitimately wants to help keep the peace. This is in contrast to Detective Yates and the rest of the South Park PD who are blatantly corrupt, obsessed with targeting minorities even if their alleged suspects are innocent, and often fail miserably at catching the real criminals.

* ''Series/WakingTheDead'': As revealed in "Black Run", back when he first joined the CID [[AntiHero Peter Boyd]] discovered himself to be this, with the rest of the officers in the station being [[DirtyCop nothing more than a gang who extorted and ran rackets through their area]], with his DCI Eddie Vine being the most corrupt of them all. Following Boyd attempts to bring him down through the system failing, Vine took Boyd aside and forced him to accept a protection payment making it clear he would be murdered if he didn't get with the program. Boyd instead burned the money and realising that he couldn't stop him through the system, manipulated evidence to incriminate Vine for the murder of his ex-partner ([[FramingTheGuiltyParty which Vine actually did]]) leading to him getting life in prison and ensuring Boyds transfer. These experiences went a long way into shaping [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Boyd into the officer he is presently]]. As we see in the episode, the station is still as corrupt as ever even if the majority of their power was destroyed with Vine's arrest.

** During a particularly bad episode Vernon took his mother hostage at knife point convinced he needed to protect her. [[TragicHero PC Andrew Powell]] was in the process of talking him down, when [[RapidCop PC Dawn Morris]] barged in and pointlessly maced the poor teenager, causing him to run screaming at the firearms officers who shot him dead. Afterwards the entire team moves to cover it up and starts putting pressure on Powell to lie at the inquest, with his superior Chief inspector [=McDonald=] making it clear if he doesn't he'll end his career and even [[BitchInSheepsClothing PC Ian Wakefield]], whom Powell believed was honest and his best mate, pushing him to lie. Their efforts even scare Powell's wife and friend into trying to convince him to lie fearing the retaliation he'll suffer otherwise. Despite it all seemingly breaking him, when it comes to the inquest Powell still gives an honest recollection, ensuring Dawn will be held to account deciding he's content to suffer if it means justice for Vernon.

* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'': Overall the police aren't presented in [[BadCopIncompetentCop a positive light]] being at best PunchClockHeroes, with nearly every character example being presented as [[DirtyCop corrupt]] or needlessly [[PoliceBrutality brutal]] in one way or the other. [[RabidCop The Inspector]] framed numerous innocent people, Detective Robert Montauk was a disciple of [[HunterOfMonsters the Hunt]] and [[SerialKiller murdered forty people]] (albeit under duress), an unnamed patrolman was secretly taking bribes to let people off tickets, and even [[FriendOnTheForce Basira]], who is genuinely well meaning and honest, looks the other way at [[KillerCop Daisy]]'s extrajudicial murders out of personal loyalty to her. Furthermore, the London Police in general deal with the supernatural by lumping all problems on officers who have already been exposed to it, refuse them any extra support, and happily ignore the fact that solutions regularly result in deaths, even of other officers, only caring about the possibility of [[BrokenMasquerade it being exposed]]. However, Sergeant Terrance Simpson and his partner Constable Clara Ross (both of whom notably aren't part of the Met) from "125: Civilian Causalities" are presented as honest and well meaning, with them having to deal with the victims of the HatePlague that [[WarIsHell the Slaughter]] unleashed upon the village and Simpson making it clear he tried his best to ingratiate himself to the locals and become part of their community.

* In ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', the portrayal of the NCPD falls somewhere in between a NecessarilyEvil organisation that's forced to be brutally violent because [[WretchedHive that's just how Night City is]] while still being so under-resourced that it's completely unable to go after anything but the very worst crimes, and more-or-less another gang, just with official support and (more) military-grade weaponry. There are a ''few'' good people left, but things for them aren't exactly easy:

** ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' noticeably focus's on Gordon's attempts to avert this, by creating the Major Crimes Unit to be filled with the few honest detectives and officers in the force, each member hand selected by him in the hopes of bringing some integrity to the force. They still are regularly hampered by the large scale incompetence and corruption, not to mention distrust sometimes to point of direct sabotage, by the rest of the GCPD (and even a few of their own members didn't live up to expectations), but they're still a noticeable step up.

* ''VideoGame/GothamKnights'': Following Gordon's death, and his replacement by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Commissioner Catherine Kane]]'s more militant approach to policing, the GCPD's capability has drastically fallen, with [[DirtyCop corruption again sky high]], with even the officers who aren't corrupt being generally presented as [[RabidCop ineffectual authoritarian's]] more interesting enforcing her anti-vigilante stance than solving crimes. Despite this [[FriendOnTheForce Captain Renee Montoya]] is still an honest, dedicated cop and a staunch ally to the Knights. [[spoiler: They even end up [[SecretKeeper revealing their identities to her]], forging a similar trusting relationship Bruce had with Jim]].

** ''Series/TheMandalorian'': The New Republic is shown in this series to be nearly as bad at its job as the prequel-era Republic. Captain Carson "Blue" Teva, a recurring X-Wing pilot with the Adelphi Rangers, seems to be the only senior NR law enforcement officer actually interested in investigating recent happenings in the Outer Rim, and he gets stonewalled at every turn by his superiors on Coruscant despite mounting evidence of [[TheRemnant Imperial Remnant]] activity.

->'''Det. Arnold Flass:''' ''(offers a cut of protection money)'' Don't suppose you want a taste. ''(Gordon shakes him off)'' I just keep offering, thinking maybe someday you'll get wise.
->'''Det. Sgt. James Gordon:''' There's nothing wise in what you do, Flass.
->'''Flass:''' Well, Jimbo, you don't take the taste, makes us guys nervous.
->'''Gordon:''' I'm no rat! In a town this bent, who's there to rat to, anyway?

** In ''Film/BatmanBegins'' he is seemingly the one officer of the Gotham Police that has not sold out to the gangs, but he can't really do jack about it until Batman comes along.
-->'''Gordon''': I'm no rat! In a town this bent, who's there to rat to anyway?

* ''Series/{{Andor}}'': An interesting [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]/[[DeconstructedTrope Deconstruction]]. [[StarterVillain Deputy Inspector Syril Karn]] is the only person genuinely determined to solve the murder of two officers of the [[LawEnforcementInc Pre-Mor corporate security forces]] (the other employees being portrayed as apathetic slackers), and [[WrongGenreSavvy clearly thinks of himself]] as the hero bringing a fiendish criminal to justice. [[LawfulStupid The problem is]], the two victims are scummy {{Dirty Cop}}s missed by no-one, who died in highly compromising circumstances that Karn's [[DaChief own boss]] would prefer never to see the light of day. Nevertheless, Karn persists, and is actually able to track down the man responsible, Cassian Andor: but the ham-fisted attempt to arrest him results in several dead, Karn losing his job, and the Empire revoking Pre-Mor's favourable [[OneNationUnderCopyright independent status]] as a result of the failure.

** ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' noticeably focus's on Gordon's attempts to avert this, by creating the Major Crimes Unit to be filled with the few honest detectives and officers in the force, each member hand selected by him in the hopes of bringing some integrity to the force. They still are regularly hampered by the large scale incompetence and corruption, not to mention distrust sometimes to point of direct sabotage, by the rest of the GCPD (and even a few of their own members didn't live up to expectations), but their still a noticeable step up.