Line #86 Main/CopsAndDetectives


1	->''"You know, I've seen all the different types. We all fit a certain category -- the bully, the charmer, the, uh, surrogate dad, the man possessed by ungovernable rage, the brain -- and any of those types could be a good detective, and any of those types could be an incompetent shitheel."''
2	-->-- '''Martin Hart''', ''Series/TrueDetective''
3
4	''Please sit down. We'd like to ask you a few questions.''
5
6	''Who are'' we''? We're detectives; the folks who solve those [[DetectiveDrama mysteries you]] [[CopShow see on TV]] and [[RippedFromTheHeadlines read about in the paper]]. Most of us are what you'd call {{Seekers}}. Now, if you'll just answer a few--''
7
8	''What? You want'' more ''info? Alright, I'll let you ask [[Series/{{Columbo}} just one more thing]], but '''I'm''' really supposed to ask the questions. We come in all shapes and sizes, from meddling kids to sweet old ladies to grizzled [=PIs=]. Some of us can tell if you're guilty just by [[SherlockScan looking at the dust on your shoe]]. Some of us... [[PoliceAreUseless can't]]. Take a look down and see our many faces. See CrimeAndPunishmentTropes for the stuff we do and SlidingScaleOfLawEnforcement for how we're portrayed.''
9
10	''Now, about your whereabouts last night...''
11
12	''Did you contrast this with OrganizedCrimeTropes on the night of the 15th?''
13	----
14	!!Tropes:
15	[[index]]
16	[floatboxright:
17	'''UsefulNotes:'''
18	+ UsefulNotes/PoliceForces (real-life)
19
20	'''Sub-categories:'''
21	+ TheExoticDetective
22	+ PerpSweating
23	]
24	* AlwaysGetsHisMan: A badass, idealized, heroic cop who will ''[[{{Determinator}} always]]'' crack the case and land the perp(s) in jail.
25	* AmateurSleuth: A detective who isn't a member of the police, nor do they even [[PrivateDetective get paid for it]]; they just solve crimes and mysteries for fun or the sake of justice.
26	* AmbiguouslyTrained: Someone is implied to have once worked for the police or military.
27	* AndroidsAndDetectives: An OddCouple consisting of a human detective and their robot partner.
28	* AntiPoliceSong: A ProtestSong which criticizes corruption and misconduct by law enforcement.
29	* ArtisticLicenseLawEnforcement: Inaccurate portrayals of how the police operate.
30	* AtonementDetective: A crime-solver in a PoliceProcedural who has killed and is TheAtoner because of this.
31	* BadgesAndDogTags: An ex-military veteran who now works in law enforcement.
32	* BadCopIncompetentCop: Cops are a combination of corrupt assholes and useless idiots.
33	* TheBadGuysAreCops: When law enforcement are villainous or antagonistic to the heroes.
34	* BigotWithABadge: A bigoted cop or other representative of law and order, who does not change to a more inclusive viewpoint.
35	* BombDisposal: The police often have units that are specially trained for defusing and removing explosive devices.
36	* BornDetective: A parent was a PI (or other profession) and raised their child from a young age to help Mommy/Daddy spy on other people, etc.
37	* ByTheBookCop: A cop who always sticks to proper police procedure, endlessly frustrated by the CowboyCop's antics.
38	* CallingTheCopsOnTheFBI: When regular uniformed police unwittingly stop undercover police agents on a covert mission.
39	* CanAlwaysSpotACop: A character is identified as a police officer when they're out of uniform and/or off-duty.
40	* ChurchPolice: An essential feature of any [[TheTheocracy theocracy]], these guys are responsible for enforcing religious laws.
41	* CityGuards: A local militia in a city, town, or village which acts as a quasi-police force, usually appearing in pre-modern settings.
42	* CloseToHome: A detective becomes embroiled in a case that brings up old trauma.
43	* CluelessDeputy: A dimwitted cop.
44	* CluelessDetective: Someone who really shouldn't be in charge of investigating crimes.
45	* TheCommissionerGordon: The leader of the police who is on good terms with the hero.
46	* CopAndScientist: Cop is StreetSmart and BookDumb; scientist has next-to-NoSocialSkills or fighting skills.
47	* CopCriminalFamily: A police officer, detective, etc. is related to a criminal.
48	* CopHater: Someone who hates the police in general.
49	* CopKiller: A criminal who has murdered a police officer.
50	* CopKillerManhunt: The police take the killing of their own ''very'' seriously.
51	* CowboyCop: A reckless cop who "enforces" the law without much (if any) regard for the rules of proper police procedure.
52	* CulturePolice: A government agency responsible for the censorship of media, and other regulations to enforce the nation's cultural norms.
53	* DaChief: The leader of the police department or a law enforcement agency.
54	* DefectiveDetective: An investigator with serious personality flaws.
55	* DetectiveAnimal: An animal who investigates crimes and mysteries.
56	* DetectivesFollowFootprints
57	* DetectiveMole: It turns out that someone investigating a crime is also a culprit in it.
58	* DetectivePatsy: A criminal enlists a detective's "help" to investigate a crime that they actually committed, in an attempt to fool them and throw suspicion off themselves.
59	* DirtyCop: A corrupt police officer who behaves like a criminal and partakes in illegal activities.
60	* DirtyHarriet: A female cop who goes undercover as a [[TheOldestProfession prostitute]].
61	* DonutMessWithACop: Police enjoy eating donuts.
62	* EliteAgentsAboveTheLaw: Law enforcement officers or intelligence agents who answer to nobody except their government's top leaders (or themselves).
63	* EmptyCopThreat
64	* FairCop: A gorgeously attractive police officer.
65	* FBIAgent: An agent of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanLawEnforcement Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)]].
66	* FemaleFlatfootAndSnarkyGuy
67	* FriendOnTheForce: A police ally of the hero.
68	* GenericCopBadges: Cop badges in fiction are poorly detailed and don't reflect the ones from RealLife.
69	* GentlemanDetective
70	* GoodCopBadCop: A classic interrogation technique, where one cop tries to earn the suspect's trust to get them talking, while the other cop intimidates them if they refuse to cooperate.
71	* GoodPolicingEvilPolicing: Law Enforcement officials or agencies are contrasted from a moral standpoint within a story.
72	* TheGreatBritishCopperCapture: An unarmed police officer encounters an armed criminal.
73	* GreatDetective: They are a master of solving crimes.
74	* HammerspacePoliceForce
75	* HardboiledDetective
76	* HelloAgainOfficer
77	* HollywoodPoliceDrivingAcademy: Police officers are [[DrivesLikeCrazy very reckless and terrible drivers]].
78	* HotPursuit: A ChaseScene involving police vehicles pursuing a criminal suspect on the road.
79	* IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon: Police forces that are nigh impossible to escape or defeat.
80	* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: When a criminal ''pretends to be'' a cop in order to commit crimes while disguised.
81	* InspectorJavert: A detective is obsessed with capturing and turning in someone accused of a crime, regardless of whether that person is truly guilty.
82	* InspectorLestrade
83	* InspectorOblivious
84	* InstitutionalAllegianceConcealment: A cop or spy is granted a full false identity when going undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization.
85	* InterdisciplinarySleuth
86	* InternalAffairs: A police unit tasked with investigating misconduct within the police department itself.
87	* InterpolSpecialAgent: A law enforcement officer who has global jurisdiction to pursue international criminals, anywhere in the world. They're often affiliated with a [[UnitedNationsIsASuperpower fictionalized version of the real-life Interpol organization]].
88	* IntrepidReporter: A journalist is mostly expected to just record the facts of news, but this one wants to investigate every secret and mystery behind the story.
89	* JurisdictionFriction: Two cops from different police forces clash over who has official authority for handling crimes in a particular area.
90	* KidDetective: A child who investigates crimes and mysteries.
91	* KillerCop: A police officer who is outright murderous.
92	* LawEnforcementInc: A private police/security force that operates as a for-profit business, instead of being a public government agency.
93	* LawmanBaton: The standard melee weapon carried by most police officers.
94	* LawmanGoneBad: A former cop who has gone rogue and turned to a life of crime.
95	* LeadPoliceDetective
96	* LemmingCops: The police drive towards the suspect with reckless disregard for anyone's safety (including their own).
97	* LittleOldLadyInvestigates
98	* TheLopsidedArmOfTheLaw: The police are only competent when they are going after the main characters.
99	* MagicianDetective: A StageMagician uses their skills to solve 'impossible crimes'.
100	* MeddlesomePatrolman
101	* MinorityPoliceOfficer: A cop who's a member of an ethnic minority group.
102	* MustStateIfYoureACop: A [[UrbanLegend misconception]] that undercover cops are obligated to reveal their true identity when asked. This is not true for obvious reasons.
103	* MysteryMagnet
104	* MysteryWriterDetective: A crime fiction writer finds themselves having to solve real crimes.
105	* NaughtyNarcs: A narcotics officer who is working alongside drug dealers instead of fighting them.
106	* NoBadgeNoProblem
107	* NobleBigotWithABadge: A cop who is prejudiced towards a group, but still values their lives.
108	* NoPoliceOption: Dismissing the idea of calling the cops outright, or making it so they can't help you.
109	* OccultDetective: A detective who specializes in solving paranormal/supernatural crimes and mysteries.
110	* OfficerOHara: The stereotypical Irish-American police officer.
111	* OldCopYoungCop: A long-time veteran cop is partnered with the new and inexperienced rookie.
112	* OldFashionedCopper
113	* OneRiotOneRanger
114	* OutrankingYourJob
115	* OppressiveImmigrationEnforcement: Enforcers and implementers of stricter immigration control are presented as bigoted, oppressive, and corrupt.
116	* PervyPatdown
117	* PhoneInDetective
118	* PinkertonDetective
119	* PoliceAreUseless: The police are too incompetent or oblivious to defeat the bad guys without the heroes' help.
120	* PoliceBrutality: When an [[RabidCop aggressive cop]] uses unnecessary physical violence against suspected criminals (or innocent citizens whom they treat like criminals).
121	* PoliceBrutalityGambit: When a suspect [[WoundedGazelleGambit injures themselves and then blames the cops for hurting them]].
122	* PoliceCodeForEverything: The police have a code for every kind of situation they end up getting involved with.
123	* PoliceLineup: An investigative procedure where the police gather and examine several alleged suspects in a crime case.
124	* PolicemanDog: Dogs depicted as law enforcement officers, guards, private eyes or similar professions.
125	* PolicePig: Mocking cops by calling them "pigs" (or [[VisualPun portraying them as literal swine]]).
126	* PolicePsychic: The police recruit a psychic to help them solve cases.
127	* PoliceState: In a {{dystopia}}n country run by an authoritarian/totalitarian government, law enforcement are tasked with [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou mass surveillance]] of the populace, and severely punishing anyone suspected of political dissent.
128	* PrivateDetective: A professional crime investigator who is not a member of the police, but is hired by them to help solve cases.
129	* TheProfiler: A police detective who is in charge of identifying possible suspects in a crime.
130	* RabidCop: A sadistic police officer who really enjoys [[PoliceBrutality beating the crap out of suspects]].
131	* RogueAgent
132	* SecretPolice: A covert intelligence agency that spies on citizens, and makes sure that any annoying dissidents will [[DeadlyEuphemism disappear]].
133	* TheSheriff: The leader of the sheriff's department (a county-level police force).
134	* SherlockHomage: An {{expy}} of the famous detective Literature/SherlockHolmes.
135	* SleuthDatesCop
136	* SlidingScaleOfLawEnforcement
137	* SmartCopDumbCop: One cop is extremely intelligent, while their partner is pretty much the opposite.
138	* SmithOfTheYard
139	* SpacePolice: A law enforcement agency that patrols outer space to pursue [[SpacePirates space criminals]].
140	* StandardPoliceMotto: "To Protect and to Serve" and its variants.
141	* StateSec: A paramilitary police force designed to instill fear into all of the government's enemies, especially against rebel forces.
142	* StrangeCopInAStrangeLand
143	* StripperCopConfusion: A stripper wearing a police costume gets mistaken for a real cop (or vice versa).
144	* SuicideByCop: When someone intentionally provokes the police into shooting them dead.
145	* SuperCop: Police officers who are costumed {{superhero}}es and/or possess superpowers.
146	* SuspiciouslyIdleOfficers: A corrupt employee is never seen doing their job.
147	* SWATTeam: A paramilitary police unit designed for situations that require better weapons and equipment than usual.
148	* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist
149	* ThereAreNoPolice: An apparently lawless place where there are no cops or any legal authorities to maintain order.
150	* TakenOffTheCase: A detective is removed from a case against their will.
151	* TimePolice: An organization that chases after people who try to [[TimeTravel mess with the laws of time]].
152	* TokenGoodCop: A cop who's still doing the right thing, despite being surrounded by [[DirtyCop corruption]] or [[PoliceAreUseless incompetence]].
153	* TourGuideDetective: A detective story is used to explore an unfamiliar setting.
154	* TrafficWardens: These guys are responsible for writing tickets to anyone caught violating parking laws.
155	* TurnInYourBadge
156	* UndercoverAsLovers: Two cops pretend to be a married couple or in a romantic relationship as part of a covert assignment.
157	* UndercoverCopReveal: Someone turns out to be a police officer working undercover.
158	* UndercoverModel: A pretty lady cop utilizes her good looks for an undercover assignment, such as a supermodel.
159	* USMarshal: An agent of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanLawEnforcement United States Marshal Service (USMS)]].
160	* VampireDetectiveSeries: When vampires fight crime.
161	* VomitingCop: A squeamish cop pukes after witnessing a particularly grisly crime scene.
162	* WhisperedThreat: A stereotypical CowboyCop feels the need to whisper to the perp to get them to talk.
163	* WhiteBreadAndBlackBrotha: An OddCouple consisting of a straight-laced white guy and a streetwise black guy. A staple of buddy cop stories.
164	* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: Do the police need to be policed themselves?
165	[[/index]]

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