Gotham City Police Department

Infobox comics organization


imagesize=
caption=Cover to "Gotham Central" #1. Art by Michael Lark.
publisher=DC Comics
debut=
creators=Bob Kane
type=Law enforcement agency
business=
organisation=
organization=y
base=Gotham City
owners=James Gordon (Police Commissioner)
Maggie Sawyer
employees=Harvey Bullock
Major Crimes Unit
fullroster=
cat=law enforcement agencies
subcat=DC Comics
sortkey=Gotham City Police Department|

The Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) is a fictional police department servicing Gotham City in the DC Universe.

History of GCPD

Acting as both ally and opponent of Batman, the superhero long-established in Gotham, the GCPD has long been steeped in corruption, with numerous officers both high-and-low ranking involved in bribery and even more serious offenses such as drug-trafficking and murder.

The strongest blow against police corruption came when an increasing amount of conspiracy charges against Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb forced him to resign his position, replaced by Peter Grogan. The Falcone crime family, which had had a stranglehold on Gotham's underground for generations, finally crumbled when a series of killings shook the structure of the mafia organization. After the death of Carmine Falcone, the mob lashed out in sloppy, retaliatory crimes, which, in combination with rising gang violence, severely crippled organized crime in Gotham City. Simultaneously, the ebbing presence of corrupt police officers allowed James Gordon to become the new commissioner, a man determined to eradicate crime wherever it existed.

The GCPD has had a long love-hate relationship with the city's vigilante known as Batman. Commissioner Gordon went along with him because Batman got the job done. His successor, Commissioner Michael Akins ordered the arrest of Batman and had the Bat-signal removed from the roof of Gotham Central. Corruption and rot within the police department also rose during Akins' tenure as Commissioner.

Current status of GCPD

As of DC's "One Year Later", James Gordon has been reinstated as Commissioner, along with Harvey Bullock. Harvey came back on disciplinary probation after helping expose a criminal drug ring. Relation with Batman, including the Bat-Signal, have been established once more. Other characters from "Gotham Central" have appeared in the recent "Tales of the Unexpected" miniseries, featuring Crispus Allen as the Spectre. Thus far, Detective Driver has appeared in a speaking role. It is unknown what has happened to Commissioner Akins, but it is implied that, following revelations of massive corruption within the department, there has been a drastic cleaning-of-house within the department.

Kate Kane referred to Akins as police commissioner in the weekly "52" series, which reveals the events of the missing year. A later issue, however, showed a brief snapshot of Commissioner Gordon's welcome back party. The circumstances of Akins's departure and Gordon's reinstatement have yet to be explained. Maggie Sawyer is still the commander of the MCU department, and has ended her relationship with former lover Toby Raines.fact|date=February 2008

Divisions of GCPD

*Homicide Division :The division that handles murders and some of the more serious non-metahuman crimes in Gotham. This is the division Gordon was a part of before becoming commissioner. Former private investigator Jason Bard is now working on homicide cases for this division.

*Major Crimes Unit:Led by Capt. Maggie Sawyer, who previously served in Metropolis in a similar position with that city's police, the MCU deals with the most serious crimes, often involving supervillains or politically sensitive cases. This division is the focus of the comic book series "Gotham Central".

*Quick Response Team:Led by Lt. Gerard "Jerry" Hennelly, the QRT is the GCPD's SWAT unit.

Current roster

*James Gordon - Police Commissioner

*Gerard "Jerry" Hennelly - Lieutenant and head of the Quick Response Team

*Mackenzie "Hardback" Bock - Chief of Police and former head of OCCB (Organized Crime Control Bureau)

*Nora Fields - Supervisor, Coroner's Office. Widow of Charlie Fields.

*Officer Harper - Officer, associate of Robin.

*Donald Peak - Officer, former partner of Andy Kelly.

*Rebecca Mulcahey - Corrupt officer, lover of Jim Corrigan.

*Stacy - Administrative Secretary to Commissioner Gordon, civilian employee.

Major Crimes Unit:
*Margaret "Maggie" Sawyer - Captain and head of Major Crimes Unit, commander of the first (day) shift.

*David Cornwell - Lieutenant, Major Crimes Unit commander of the second (night) shift, successor of deceased Lt. Probson.

*Josh Azeveda - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Trey Hartley.

*Joely "Joe" Bartlett - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Vincent Del Arrazzio.

*Harvey Bullock - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Restored to duty under severe scrutiny.

*Thomas "Tommy" Burke - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Dagmar Procjnow.

*Romy Chandler - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Takahata.

*Eric Cohen - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Andi Kasinsky.

*Nelson Crowe - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Jackson Davies.

*Jackson "Sarge" Davies - Detective Sergeant, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Nelson Crowe.

*Vincent Del Arrazzio - Detective Sergeant, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Joely Bartlett. Associate of the Huntress.

*Marcus Driver - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Josephine MacDonald.

*Trey Hartley - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Josh Azeveda.

*Andi Kasinsky - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Eric Cohen.

*Josephine "Josie Mac" MacDonald - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Marcus Driver.

*Dagmar "Dag" Procjnow - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Thomas Burke.

*Detective Takahata - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Romy Chandler.

Former members

"Note: The following are either deceased or have been dismissed from the Gotham City Police Department."

*Michael Akins - Succeeded Gordon as commissioner, left GCPD during the one year gap under unknown circumstances.

*Crispus Allen - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Renee Montoya. Killed by Jim Corrigan, now the Spectre.

*Jim Corrigan - Corrupt CSI, killed Crispus Allen. Killed by Allen's son.

*Roger DeCarlo - Corrupt officer. Killed by Poison Ivy after accidentally murdering one of her orphans and attempting to cover it up.

*Sarah Essen Gordon - Major Crimes Unit commander, wife of Commissioner Gordon. Killed by the Joker during "No Man's Land".

*Charlie Fields - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Marcus Driver. Killed by Mr. Freeze.

*Arnold Flass - Gordon's corrupt partner, fired. Killed by the Hangman.

*Hugh Foley - Opposed Jim Gordon, killed by Billy Pettit during "No Man's Land".

*Peter Grogan - Corrupt commissioner after Loeb and before Gordon, dismissed.

*Andy Howe - Briefly served as police commissioner after Mayor Krol fired Gordon.

*Andrew "Andy" Kelly - Officer, partnered with Don Peak. Transformed into a monster by Doctor Alchemy and killed in self-defense by Peak.

*David King - Police Captain, former ally of Gordon, killed during "Year Three".

*Stan Kitch - Former lieutenant, now a defense attorney.

*Gillian B. Loeb - Corrupt commissioner in "Year One", dismissed and later murdered by the Hangman.

*Stan Merkel - Watch Commander/Patrolman killed during "Dark Victory".

*Renee Montoya - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Crispus Allen. Resigned after Allen's death, now the Question.

*Timothy Munroe - Corrupt officer. Killed by Poison Ivy after accidentally murdering one of her orphans and attempting to cover it up.

*Clancy O'Hara - Police Chief around the time Gordon had just initially became Commissioner. First victim of the Hangman at the start of "".

*Nate Patton - Detective, Major Crimes Unit. Partnered with Romy Chandler. Killed by the Joker.
*Billy Pettit - Head of SWAT team, went insane. Killed a fellow police officer for an imagined betrayal during "No Man's Land". Soon after was killed by the Joker.

*Ronald Probson - Major Crimes Unit commander, killed by the Joker.

*Jordan Rich - Corrupt officer, shot Jim Gordon. Killed indirectly by Harvey Bullock in retaliation.

Commissioners

*Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb — The corrupt commissioner of police during the first year of Batman’s operation in Gotham.

*Commissioner Jack Grogan - he was Commissioner after Loeb and before Gordon. He was mentioned in the last page of Miller's "Batman: Year One" and has a one panel appearance in the "Catwoman Year One Annual" and also in "Batman: The Man Who Laughs" and "Batman and the Monster Men" #1.

*Commissioner James Gordon — Replaced Loeb and worked with Batman in trying to clean up the Gotham police department. When he retired, he handed the GCPD over to Michael Akins, only to take the job back some years later. The adoptive father of Barbara Gordon, the original Batgirl and later Oracle.

*Commissioner Vane- Former Chief Inspector, only served as commissioner briefly when Gordon was demoted to patrolman in "Detective Comics" #121. During his brief tenure, he oversaw Dr. Hurt's experiments.

*Commissioner Peter Pauling — Another corrupt commissioner, appointed by Mayor Hamilton Hill. Like Hill, he was working for Rupert Thorne. Pauling issued a shoot-to-kill order for any police officer who spotted Batman, and secretly tried to have Gordon, who was working as a private detective, killed. Pauling eventually died at Thorne's hands and a desperate Mayor Hill re-instated Commissioner Gordon. Pauling may not have existed in the Post-Crisis DC universe.

*Commissioner Sarah Essen Gordon — The wife of James Gordon, appointed Commissioner by Mayor Krol while her husband was demoted. This put a great strain on her relationship with her husband and they split up for a while. Although she had previously been a critic of the Batman, she agreed to Mayor Krol's instructions that she use him. Mayor Krol sacked her after he lost his re-election bid against Marion Grange, replacing her with Andy Howe.

*Commissioner Andy Howe — A lawyer who served briefly as Commissioner during the lame-duck Mayoralty of Armand Krol. ("Detective Comics" #693, January 1996) When the "Clench" virus was released in Gotham and the city descended into anarchy, most police officers ignored Howe and took orders from James Gordon, at that point a private citizen. Howe lost his job when Marion Grange became Mayor and immediately re-instated James Gordon. ("Robin" #28, April 1996)

*Commissioner Michael Akins — Took over from James Gordon. He left the position under unspecified circumstance.

Gotham City FBI

The Gotham City Federal Bureau of Investigation unit is also featured in the fictitious Gotham City. The Gotham City FBI utilize by black vehicles with a red emergency light.

In other media

erials

All other depictions of Batman have portrayed the Gotham City Police Department in some form or another. The 1940s Batman serials has actor Lyle Talbot in the role of Commissioner Gordon in each one. No other members of the force are shown. However, his appearance of Gordon having a feather-duster mustache was later adapted to the comics. Interestingly enough, he portrayed Lex Luthor in the Kirk Alyn serial "Superman".

"Batman (TV series)"

The 1960s campy Batman featured Neil Hamilton as Gordon and Stafford Repp as Chief O'Hara. Both are depicted as being dependent on Batman and Robin to solve the cases, whereas the clues are easy to discover and interpret. Gordon even keeps a link to the Batcave called "the Batphone" on his desk. In one episode, when Batman appears to be missing, Gordon laments that the police will have to solve a case "ourselves."

1989-1997 live action films

All the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series seemed to give little depiction on the GCPD at all. In "Batman", Gordon is portrayed by Pat Hingle, while the usually corrupt Harvey Bullock is replaced with William Hootkins' Lt. Max Eckhart, who is killed by Jack Napier prior to his accidental transformation. Hingle also appeared in "Batman Returns", "Batman Forever", and "Batman & Robin".

"Batman: The Animated Series"

In the acclaimed animated television series, "", the GCPD characters are given more attention such as in "P.O.V", where the major characters of the force in the series participate in a detailed debriefing of an incident. One of the most important contributions from the animated series to the Batman universe is the introduction of Renee Montoya (first as a uniformed constable, then a detective), which would later become a first-grade character in the "GCPD" comic books. In the printed DC Universe, her presence was so solidly incorporated that she later retired from the Department to assume the identity of the Question.

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

The reboot of the "Batman" film franchise, "Batman Begins", has the GCPD play a pivotal role during the course of the film. While Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) is the major officer, others from the comics play a role as well. Mark Boone Junior plays Detective Flass as dealing with the local mafia, and Colin McFarlane appears as the staunchly vigilante-opposed Commissioner Loeb. Although Flass is shown to be corrupt, Loeb does not seem to be, but he is clearly displeased with the arrival of Batman. This is demonstrated by him calling a SWAT team to capture him; a scene which is lifted from the "Year One" comic.

The film's sequel, "The Dark Knight", features the GCPD extensively. According to the viral marketing campaign for the film, Harvey Dent spearheads an initiative through his office to rid the department of corruption. Commissioner Loeb is murdered when his drink is replaced with acid by the Joker as part of a three-way attack that also included bombing a judge's car and attacking a fundraiser for Harvey Dent. After the Joker is captured the first time, Gordon is appointed to replace Loeb as Commissioner by the Mayor. Also featured are three detectives, Stephens (played by Keith Szarabajka), Wuertz (played by Ron Dean) and Anna Ramirez (played by Monique Curnen). While Stephens is a good and honest cop, the latter two are corrupt and involved in the mob. They help the Joker kidnap Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent. Dent and Dawes are tied up and placed near explosives. Batman rescues Dent but Dent's face is scarred while Dawes is killed. While Wuertz appears to show no remorse whatsoever for his crime, Ramirez is clearly devastated by the turn of events. Dent later kills Wuertz after the coin lands on the charred side (and partially for revenge), but he spares Ramirez after the coin lands on it's good side (and partially because she needed money for her ill mother's hospital bills). He merely punches her in retribution.

Harvey Dent, prior to becoming the district attorney, worked closely with Internal Affairs when starting out in his law career and was nicknamed "Harvey Two-Face", a name he takes up after his scarring.

Out of all six "Batman" films, the Christopher Nolan series prominently featured the GCPD with a SWAT team mostly because of the series' realistic tone.

Batman: Gotham Knight

Gordon, Ramirez, and Crispus Allen all appear in three of the shorts in ', which bridges the gap between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"; ', "In Darkness Dwells", and "".

Gordon was voiced by Jim Meskimen, Ramirez was voiced by Ana Ortiz, and Allen was voiced by Gary Dourdan.

While Gordon resembles how he was portrayed in ' and ', both Flass and Loeb resemble, respectively, Harvey Bullock and Michael Akins rather than their comic book counterparts. It's been speculated and comments made on the commentary track of "Batman: Gotham Knight" seem to hint that Ramirez is loosely inspired by Renee Montoya.

"The Batman"

On the animated series "The Batman", the focus of the GCPD in the first two seasons is on Detectives Ellen Yin and (prior to his Clayface transformation) Ethan Bennett. The corruption on the force is attributed to Chief Angel Rojas, who appeared often in those seasons. However, in the Season 2 finale, Jim Gordon, recently appointed Commissioner, calls off the manhunt and forms an alliance with Batman to help keep Gotham safe for his daughter, Barbara. Neither Rojas or Yin has been seen since then, though one episode that take places in the future implies that sometime between now and then, Yin will replace Gordon as Commissioner.

Alternate officers of the law

*"Batman" (1960s TV show) :*Chief O’Hara, played by Stafford Repp.
*"Batman" (1989 film) :*Lieutenant Max Eckhardt, played by William Hootkins. A corrupt cop echoing some of the Pre-Crisis aspects of Harvey Bullock.
*"Birds of Prey" (TV series from 2002-2003):*Detective Jesse Reese - Was played by Shemar Moore. The only honest cop in New Gotham who can help the Birds of Prey.
*"The Batman" (TV series from 2004-2008):*Chief Angel Rojas — Edward James Olmos and Jesse Corti provide his voice for this show. :*Detective Ellen Yin — Ming-Na provides her voice in this show. Given her name and the events of the episode, "Artifacts", she could be a loose adaptation of Ellen Yindel from "".:*Detective Ethan Bennett — He is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's. Due to a chemical created by the Joker, he becomes the first Clayface for this series. Steve Harris provides his voice.:*Detective Cash Tankinson - He is a bumbling detective who was Yin's partner for the episode "JTV" and returned in the episode "Cash for Toys" as Bruce Wayne's personal bodyguard, voiced by Patrick Warburton.
*"The Dark Knight" (2008 film):*Detective Anna Ramirez - Played by Monique Curnen, she is a corrupt cop involved in the scarring of Harvey Dent and the death of Rachel Dawes by the Joker. She also appeared in ', voiced by Ana Ortiz. The commentary on the ' DVD, indicates she might be loosely inspired by Renee Montoya.:*Detective Wuertz - Played by Ron Dean, he is a corrupt cop involved in the scarring of Harvey Dent and the death of Rachel Dawes by the Joker.:*Detective Stephens - Played by Keith Szarabajka

ee also

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*"Gotham Central"