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The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at the Trope Launch Pad.

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eroock Since: Sep, 2012
Scorpion451 (Edited uphill both ways)
2025-03-30 11:33:51

List of Transgressions for the long list of crimes, often including one or more Noodle Incidents- "...graverobbing, distribution of obscene printed material, impersonating an official of the federal rail commission...")

Price on Their Head for the common use of a bounty as a sort of Power Levels meter (if they're alive and free with that big a bounty, they're probably pretty competent/dangerous)

Recruiting the Criminal when they get deputized or hired to work with/as law enforcement.

FerrousFaucet Since: Feb, 2014
2025-03-30 12:49:38

Those are all useful, but what about the aspect of, "this is a dangerous person and a notorious wanted criminal but we're not going to do anything about it."

MetaFour MOD (Old Master)
2025-03-30 15:32:56

Depends on how the narrative portrays the lawman for this decision. If the wanted man is clearly dangerous, and letting him go free causes major problems later, then the sheriff who says "We can't do anything because he hasn't broken any laws here," is a case of Lawful Stupid and possibly a Horrible Judge of Character. But if the wanted man was falsely accused, or has genuinely turned over a new leaf, then the sheriff who uses a technicality to give him a chance to prove his character, would be a Reasonable Authority Figure.

Edited by MetaFour
FerrousFaucet Since: Feb, 2014
2025-03-30 17:22:18

Again, those are useful, but I've seen it used another way. One character, often but not always law enforcement, wants to lock up the criminal as soon as he enters town. Another character with higher authority (the sheriff or the mayor) tells the first that they can't lock up the criminal because "he hasn't committed any crimes here." Would this just be Jurisdiction Friction?

The entire purpose of all this is to introduce the dangerous man, but there would be no story if they just arrested him right away and sent him away to Kansas City to face trial. The story will then involve showing the audience why this man is in town and how he is eventually brought to justice. So is this all just a form of Establishing Character Moment for the dangerous man?

It's something that seems specific to the setting, like to emphasize how lawless the frontier is that a wanted criminal can walk free even though he's known for specific crimes in another place.

Veanne Since: Jul, 2012
2025-03-30 22:44:20

But why are they not persecuting him? Is he The Dreaded and they're afraid? Are they Apathetic Citizens who don't give a dang? Do they see him as a bastard, but their bastard? Is he protecting the town from ever worse bandits? Has he paid off the sheriff?

FerrousFaucet Since: Feb, 2014
2025-03-31 02:32:55

I remember one Western (can't remember which movie) where a deputy wanted to arrest the stranger, but the sheriff or marshal said they can't do that because "any two-bit city lawyer could get them free in a trial" or some such.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (a Space Western, at least the first one or two seasons), a dangerous stranger with a violent history shows up. The local law enforcement (the space sheriff) wants the man arrested or deported immediately. The station commander (the equivalent of the mayor or a military commander) tells him they can't do that because the he hasn't broken any laws there. The dangerous man committed acts of banditry, terrorism, and murder, but his targets were the enemies of the locals (making this one a case of Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters). Later in the story, though, the dangerous man tried to commit a terrorist act, so he was eventually arrested.

For what I'm looking for, it doesn't matter why they let the stranger walk free. What matters is that the story is trying to introduce a shady or dangerous character, and the story would be a dead-end if they locked him up in jail the moment he sets foot in the town. So in that regard I guess it's just Establishing Character Moment. The List of Transgressions is just there to establish this character as someone who is dangerous or shady, but they can't just arrest him immediately because then he wouldn't be able to participate in the story if he's just locked up.

So, they don't arrest him because "he hasn't committed any crimes here." Is this just a Handwave?

I just wondered if there was a trope for this in a lawless frontier setting. It's in the frontier that a lawbreaker can walk free, which is why I feel this is a Western trope. If the lawbreaker had gone east to Cincinnati instead of west to a frontier town, he would have been arrested.

In addition to DS9, I remember seeing this in Gunslinger and Last of the Wild Horses (although I don't remember if the character in that one was specifically "wanted" or if it was just rumours that he was an unsavory character, he ended up being a charming rogue and not really evil in any way).

Edited by FerrousFaucet
Scorpion451 (Edited uphill both ways)
2025-03-31 16:35:01

Like usual, it's the why that matters most for the trope, though:

For instance, the ds9 example is a complicated mix of To Be Lawful or Good and Small Steps Hero- Sisko allows him to walk free because he can't justify arresting a man who for the moment at least seems to be honoring the peace based on accusations and rumors, even if he doesn't like the idea that at least some of them are probably true.

That's a very different case from, say, a sheriff Recruiting the Criminal in the interest of taking down a greater threat.

FerrousFaucet Since: Feb, 2014
2025-03-31 17:18:42

In the DS9 example ("A Man Alone") a man named Ibudan arrived, and Odo (the sheriff) gave him an ultimatum, told him to leave the station by the end of the day. Odo explained to Sisko that he watched Ibudan commit several crimes, including the murder a Cardassian and he personally sent Ibudan to prison. Now, Ibudan is free because "some Bajorans consider him a hero" and "killing a Cardassian isn't considered much of a crime these days" (in other words, Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters). Sisko then said, "If he hasn't done anything wrong, you can't just arbitrarily force him to leave." In this case, Odo is acting like a Cowboy Cop and Sisko is actually obeying the letter of the law.

In DS9 "Past Prologue", two notorious Klingons called the Duras Sisters arrive on the station. Odo says, "the Klingons have them listed as renegades." Odo says he should "lock them up and call the Klingons to come get them... if they're enemies of the Klingon high council." Sisko says, "They haven't broken any laws here. You can't just throw them in jail." At this point in the Star Trek continuity, the Duras sisters have engaged in a treasonous deal with the Romulans to start a civil war within the Klingon empire, making them basically super-criminals in the galaxy, fallen warlords who have to result to theft and banditry to make a living. So Sisko would be well within his right as a Starfleet officer to have them arrested, since they have committed crimes against Starfleet and also the Klingons, an ally of Starfleet.

In Gunslinger, a dangerous man named Cane arrived in town. The local marshal Rose read out loud a List of Transgressions including that he was "Wanted in three States and five Territories." Cane said, "Take a look in your ledger and see if I'm Wanted in this state. I haven't checked lately." Then the marshal says, "No, you're not Wanted here. If you were I'd have a place for you with the other characters I've had to deal with." I don't know of any excuse for why she wouldn't arrest him unless his criminal record wouldn't apply at all in their jurisdiction. I don't know where the movie takes place other than "The Wild West". I'm pretty sure that even in the 19th century, a man wanted for murder in any US State could be arrested in any other State for interstate crime, but I don't know how jurisdiction worked in the US Territories.

So you ask why do they not arrest the Wanted newcomer?

The Watsonian why is because "he isn't a wanted criminal here" or "he hasn't committed any crimes here"

The Doylist why is because they can't just arrest the newcomer, otherwise he wouldn't be able to participate in the story.

It looks like there isn't a trope for this.

Edited by FerrousFaucet
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