History Main / TokenGoodCop

* ''Series/TheExpanse'': Miller, his boss, and most of the other Belter cops are corrupt cynics whom Miller's NaiveNewcomer partner Havelock eventually calls out for representing the worst aspects of policing, although Miller gradually gets a HeelFaceTurn.

* ''Series/{{Slasher}}": In ''Ripper'', Detective Rijkers is a good man who is also good at his job while his boss, the main beat cop under him, and TheCoroner are all corrupt to varying degrees.

** ''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 help 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.

* ''Literature/JackReacher'': In ''Killing Floor'', half of the local eight officers are dirty and two have minimal involvement in the plot, leaving only Detective Finlay and Officer Roscoe to provide KnightErrant Reacher much aid throughout the story.

* ''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]].

** 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 [[RabidCop 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.

* ''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.

* The Creator/SidneyLumet films ''Film/Serpico'' and ''Film/PrinceOfTheCity'' both dramatize the true stories of a lone cop informing on massive corruption that surrounds him and being alienated from much of the force as a result (although the protagonist of the later film has been involved in plenty of corruption himself before getting tired of it and some of the targets of his investigation are more morally grey by 1970s and 80s standards).

* ''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 long time]].

* ''Series/Batman1966'': As actual deputized members of the police force rather than their usual clear cut vigilante selves, Batman and Robin stand out as the sole hope of Gotham City against any criminal threat. While Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara ''occasionally'' manage to do something relatively useful and proactive, generally, they are paralyzed without Batman and Robin to help them, and most of their subordinates make them look like the Caped Crusaders. Perhaps the only three Gotham street-level cops shown actually accomplishing something besides halting the occasional VillainExitStageLeft are Policewoman Mooney (who infiltrates Catwoman's gang in one episode, although she eventually ends up as a DamselInDistress) and a pair of courtroom bailiffs who hold a dozen henchmen at gunpoint and keep them from joining the melee in "The Joke's on Catwoman."

* ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'': Andy is an intelligent peacekeeper and crime solver, while Barney Fife is perhaps the most notorious CluelessDeputy of twentieth-century pop culture and the various townspeople who are occasionally deputized for emergencies (Otis, Floyd, Gomer, Goober, Howard, etc.) have more enthusiasm than skill.

* ''Film/FreddyVsJason'': Arguably deconstructed with newly hired deputy Scott Stubbs, who is the only member of the sheriff's department who puts much effort into finding the killer and prorecting innocent suspects, while his coworkers are fine with trying to cover up everything that happens. However, the other cops have the WellIntentionedExtremist goal of crushing belief in undead serial killer Freddy Krueger so he can't return to life, and Stubbs's actions have NiceJobBreakingItHero results.

* ''Anime/PsychoPass'': Akane Shinomori is the only inspector in the Public Safety Bureau who takes her job seriously and manages to keep her hue clear after several inspectors failed to do which led them to their demotions as enforcers or getting killed off. She's also the only character who knows how flawed [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou the Sibyl System]] is and believes that the human factor is still needed in bringing justice. Her strong sense of justice is the reason the Sibyl System is interested in her because they value her input.

* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'': Lestrade is featured as an innately good cop genuinely trying to help people and unable to really handle the discovery that Scotland Yard is hopelessly corrupt. His friend Patterson was so jaded by the corruption at Scotland Yard that he works for ''Professor Moriarty'' as his mole to keep the police in line.

* ''Series/{{Perry Mason|2020}}'' (2020): 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]].

* ''Film/LastManStanding1996'': Sheriff Galt, his deputy, the nearest Border Patrol officer, and the local Mexican cops all do jobs for one or both of the local bootlegging gangs (although Galt gets a HeelFaceTurn). Texas Ranger Pickett, while realistic enough to know that he can't just blot out organized crime, isn't personally corrupt and, as the gang war gets bloodier, issues an ultimatum that if one or both gangs hasn't left the area or been wiped out in ten days, then he'll bring in a {{Posse}} to wipe them both out.

* ''Film/BrewsterMcCloud'': Except for intrepid beat cop Johnson, the Houston Police Department is so incompetent that the city fathers have to bring in San Francisco [=PD=]'s [[GreatDetective Lt. Frank Shaft]] (who the local cops jealously sabotage) to handle a murder investigation.

* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'':
** Lestrade is featured as an innately good cop genuinely trying to help people and unable to really handle the discovery that Scotland Yard is hopelessly corrupt. His friend Patterson was so jaded by the corruption at Scotland Yard that he works for ''Professor Moriarty'' as his mole to keep the police in line.

** Lestrade is featured as an innately good cop genuinely trying to help people and unable to really handle the discovery that Scotland Yard is hopelessly corrupt.
** His friend Patterson was so jaded by the corruption at Scotland Yard that he works for ''Professor Moriarty'' as his mole to keep the police in line.

* ''Film/FourBrothers'': Lieutenant Green is a fair and diligent cop while his partner Fowler is corrupt, and most of the other detectives who appear are fine with brutalizing suspects to try and close a big case.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': In ''Cauldron of Ghosts'', Mesan cop [[ByTheBookCop Lieutenant Ferguson]] frustrates both his subordinates (save Kayla Barrett) and superiors alike with his refusal to callously trample the rights and end the lives of the police state planet's freed slaves and their descendants. By ''To End in Fire'', most of the veteran Mesan cops have been killed or fired, with a few moderates like Kayla being kept around on a reformed force they feel a lot better about serving.

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.

* At the beginning of ''Literature/UnderTheDome'', Chester's Mill has a solid police force with a couple of bad apples, but over the book, most of the good cops (Duke, Linda, Jackie, and Stacey) die or quit, while the worst ones gain more power and plenty of BlackShirt new officers are hired. By the last act, Henry Morrison is the only veteran officer left with both intelligence and a good conscience (although he has a high opinion of one new officer, Pamela Chen), and the corrupt Selectman Rennie is planning to fire him at the earliest chance.

** ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' showing Gordon's arrival in Gotham lays it out clearly, with him being the [[ByTheBookCop one honest cop]] in [[WretchedHive a city so dirty that everyone treated him as if he were corrupt for not getting with the program]]. Whilst he sincerely makes efforts to change things and has some noticeable success, the sheer scale of the corruption leads to him coming around to supporting Batman.

If the Token Good Cop is opposed to the heroes, they're probably a SympatheticInspectorAntagonist, or possibly the TokenGoodTeammate or NobleTopEnforcer among the villains. Likely to start out as a ByTheBookCop, and might overlap with TheIncorruptible and/or AlwaysGetsHisMan. See also TheLastDJ, if the Token Good Cop's decision to stick to their principles is hindering their progress through the ranks, and compare and contrast MinionWithAnFInEvil, whose own innate lack of malice prevents them from effectively following through with their sinister master's orders. May provide a justification for TheMainCharactersDoEverything, given that the rest of the police department don't want/can't be trusted to help with a case. If the work is [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism especially bleak]], they may fall victim to TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, or end up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope to become HeWhoFightsMonsters.