Fair Cop

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Hello, Officer Pretty.

—Detective Berkeley, greeting Detective Calleigh Duquesne in the CSI: Miami Season 6 opener

In any given Crime and Punishment Series or film, the chances of encountering a Fair Cop are high.

A Fair Cop is any police officer who is ridiculously attractive, ridiculously young or both. Call it the police version of Hot Scientist or, even closer, Good-Looking Privates. TV cops almost never have a mustache.

The title is a play on the British and Australian expression "It's a fair cop", said when one admits having been caught fair and square. See also Firemen Are Hot and Good-Looking Privates. (Not that kind. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Cousin to Hot Men At Work.

You are not particularly likely to see a Fair Cop in a stripper's police outfit- although you may see him or her as a Dirty Harriet, which gives a whole new meaning to the motto "To protect and to serve"...

Not to be confused with Hot Cops. If you're looking for a fair-minded cop, you're probably looking for Reasonable Authority Figure.

Examples of Fair Cop include:

Anime and Manga

Comic Books

  • Psi-Judge Anderson in Judge Dredd. Made even more blatant by the fact that she's technically in her 50's but often looks like she's in her 20's.
    • Also, Psi-Judge Karyn. At least, until she becomes possessed. Seems to be a trend among Psi Judges.
    • Judge (now ex-Judge) Galen DeMarco. A Judge so hot, not only was there someone at her Watch House willing to violate the rule about Judge-Judge relationships, but even Joe Dredd was implied to have been tempted. Bonus points for being a redhead.
  • Detective Renee Montoya of the Major Crimes Unit of the Goham City Police Department. However, at the end of Gotham Central she quit the force in disgust, and as of 52 wears the mantle of The Question.
    • Also from Gotham PD is Detective Nick Gage or, as Steph calls him, "Detective McHandsome".

Stephanie: Please be less attractive.

  • Sara Pezzini from Witchblade. The writers noted that as she was not just an officer but a detective her attractiveness would actually be something of a detriment in many parts of the job.
  • Jennifer Mays from The Maze Agency (actually a PI, but let's not quibble)
  • Noa of Last Man Standing is one of these.
  • Liza Warner, aka "Lady Cop" from the eponymous comic.
  • Wynonna Earp.[context?]
  • In the Spider-Man and Venom comics, Flash Thompson's father was one, implied to be the reason his parents married. His mother commented in more than one story how handsome he was in uniform. Sadly, it was very much "only skin deep", as he was an abusive alcoholic who beat his son and wife.

Film

  • Clarice Starling, The Silence of the Lambs.
  • Officer Callahan in every Police Academy movie. This also overlaps with Hot Amazon and Statuesque Stunner, which usually causes men to become Distracted by the Sexy.
  • Foxxy Cleopatra from Austin Powers. She shows her badge to Austin and goes, "You have the right to remain sexy, sugar," to which he replies, "Ooh, I hope there's a search involved." Granted that they weren't being serious at the time.
  • Officer Lenina Huxley, and her usual partner, from Demolition Man. Justified, because in Demolition Man, the police force had become little more than ornamental, so more attractive officers are probably given preference.
  • "Hottie Police Officer" from A Night at the Roxbury. She's played by Jennifer Coolidge, who one year after Roxbury, would forever be immortalized as the MILF in American Pie.
  • In the German film Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997) the protagonists get the jump on two police officers. First they order them to hand over their guns. Then they tell them to strip. Cue the male police officer putting on a big grin as he looks over at his partner, who's a hot blonde female (when we later see them tied to a chair, she's wearing sexy lingerie).
  • In The Cannonball Run, upon being pulled over by highway patrol for speeding, Adrienne Barbeau's character attempts to re-use a previous tactic of pulling her driver's license out of her cleavage in order to be let off. In this instance however, it turns out the patrol officer is a female, with a rack just as big as hers.
  • Gracie Hart from Miss Congeniality. Her looks are a plot point, since she's the best candidate to go undercover at a beauty pageant despite her unladylike demeanor.

Literature

  • Lt. Karrin Murphy in The Dresden Files, as well as Connie Murphy, her TV counterpart.
  • Eve Dallas in the In Death series is described as one of those people who is very attractive, but puts no effort into it. She does get a better wardrobe after marrying a member of the Fiction 500, though.
    • Troy Trueheart is very much this. Eve has commented on his hunkiness, and she usually does not seem to notice or care about such things.
  • Angua, Salacia von Humpeding and Carrot Ironfoundersson from the Discworld novels.
    • Constable Reg Shoe also looks quite young for a cop, although the fact he's been a zombie for years makes his appearance a poor indication of how long he's been ali- er, around.
  • Captain Holly Short of the LEP from Artemis Fowl. She's also pretty Badass, and an Elf.
  • In the Stephanie Plum books, even cop-phobic Lula (a former hooker) thinks Morelli is seriously hot. Most women in the series agree with her.
  • Daisy Day from Anansi Boys.
  • Detective-Sergeant Rinus de Gier, of Janwillem van de Wetering's Grijpstra and de Gier mysteries, is a male example.
  • In Michael Connelly novels, FBI agents Rachael Walling and Elanor Wish (briefly) are both considered this.

Live-Action TV

  • Quite a number of characters in The Bill, such as Phil Hunter, Zain Nadir, Sam Nixon and Emma Keane.
    • Especially (age wise) PC Beth Green. On her first appearance, PC Valentine remarked that he "didn't know the station was running a creche". Her actress, Louisa Lytton, was too young to join the real police when she started filming. Lytton won Sexiest Female in the 2005 British Soap Awards- aged 16. She looks that age now...
      • Ironic given that when The Bill first came out one reviewer praised its realistic look, especially referring to the lack of excessively attractive actors on the show.
      • One former Inspector was played by a former lads' mag model.
  • Booth in Bones, sort of. He's even lampshaded it.
  • Kate in Angel.
  • A fair number of characters in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation verse, especially Stella Bonasera from CSI New York, who is starting to get hit on by male suspects at least Once an Episode (Lindsay Monroe is more of a Hot Scientist).
    • Note on this: Due to the general "we do anything" approach of the CSI Verse, there are overlap potentials. To solve the problem, think about what you're more likely to see them doing.
    • Vegas offers a bit of justification with Catherine Willows; she used to be a stripper (although bet on the under on the number of strippers-turned-investigators in real life)
    • If that's not enough Fan Service, Bonasera's Kevlar vest has a v-neck to show off her cleavage...and she was once hit on by a female suspect.
    • And on CSI: Miami, we also have Calleigh Duquesne.
  • Depending on your gender/orientation, either Mulder or Scully from The X-Files. In the fanfic world, there's also a sizable block thinking Skinner is hot.
    • Not just in the fanfic world. There is a segment of one of the gag reels that features him stripping down to his skivvies to "I'm Too Sexy".
  • Crews and Reese, the main characters of Life, are both ridiculously good-looking. And to be fair, the show doesn't ignore that - neither character has any trouble finding sexual partners throughout the show.
  • Life On Mars... where do we start? Well, DC Chris Skelton is definitely in the running, as is WPC Annie Cartwright. Then there's Sam Tyler, who seems to wear a lot of skin-tight shirts with very at least three buttons undone (his neck has a lot of fans). And then there's DCI Gene Hunt. Search 'Gene Hunt is sexy' and see how many hits you get.
  • Subverted in Doctor Who, where the attractive Amy Pond initially appeared wearing an improbably short-skirted police uniform. This was shortly revealed to be because she's a kissogram, a mostly defunct profession now supplanted by actual strippers.

Amy: It was either this or French Maid.

  • Torchwood has Gwen Cooper and PC Andy.
  • A career aptitude test in high school once recommended Buffy as a police officer.
  • Almost every single main character on ABC's High Incident. Notable examples include this guy(whose character actually had a moustache. And this one. And this one. Played with in the form of officer Tops, who is a fat, balding guy, and his younger, good-looking partner. Guess which one's the family man? Not Tops.
  • Played with in the form of Deb on Dexter. She's an extremely attractive young woman. In the book, this means she gets to pretend to be a prostitute. Dexter himself ain't too bad-lookin', either, though he's more of a Hot Scientist.
    • Doakes is also quite easy on the eyes. His personality, not so appealing. Angel does much better with personality and isn't that hard to look at, either.
    • And for those who appreciate more voluptuous women, Lt. Maria Laguerta (Lauren Velez) is definitely worth looking at.
  • Most Law & Order detectives, as well as some of the captains and attorneys. Every single partner Jack McCoy has had seems to be some sort of pretty woman. Usually brunette.
    • This is commented in series several times. It's highly suggested that looks played a fair amount in the hiring process.
      • It should be noted that McCoy's one blonde assistant (Serena Southerlyn) was one of - if not the - least popular of the ADAs.
    • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargity), who is frequently seen wearing low-cut shirts and Painted-On Pants.
    • The ladies have their Estrogen Brigade Bait in the form of Law and Order UK's DS Matt Devlin.
    • Det. Ed Green (played by Jesse L Martin), although definitely not unattractive, earns a fair number of points for supplying the sexy voice.
  • Benton Fraser, in Due South. On the American side, both Rays have their admirers in the fanbase.
  • Detective Rush in Cold Case. Notably, her actor gets top billing even though she's not the leader of the team, story-wise.
    • Detectives Valens and Miller count too.
  • Many of the officers in the Spanish cop show Los Hombres De Paco, including one ironic/hilarious episode where three of the female officers go undercover at a strip club, two of whom actually wear stripper cop outfits.
  • Several members of the cast of NCIS, notably Tony, Ziva and Kate.
  • Stella in Waking the Dead.
  • The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Though Cameron isn't a cop, in one episode she dons a motorcycle cop's uniform. Thus, we have Summer Glau, in a cop's uniform....prrrrrrr.
  • Paul Ballard on Dollhouse.
  • Cadet Suzy Simpson from That '70s Show. (Any cop played by Alyson Hannigan must be this...)
  • NYPD Blue: Detective Baldwin Jones, as well as pretty much all the women.
    • Most of the guys too—David Caruso, Jimmy Smits, Rick Schroder, Mark-Paul Gosselar.
  • The whole main team of Special Police Dekaranger are, or look, rather ridiculously young for an elite group, and are all extremely pretty.
    • Not just the main five. Tetsu, one-shots Mari and Lisa, and older-but-still-hot Wrench Wench Swan aren't half bad, either. The chief, a Muppet-looking jackal from the planet Anubis, on the other hand...
  • Deputy Chief Hale and ATF Agent Stahl are male and female examples respectively on Sons of Anarchy.
  • The later seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street suffered from some unpopular characters like this, especially so since they replaced members of the original realistically-homely cast.
  • Lt. Cedric Daniels on The Wire, though he rarely appears in uniform.
  • Ofc. Tina Hanlon on The Shield, which becomes an issue when Dutch falls hard for her.
  • Detective Kate Beckett of Castle. The first episode hangs a lampshade when Castle remarks that an attractive woman like her would under many circumstances opt to become a lawyer rather than a cop if entering law-enforcement, before going on to deduce that the reason Beckett did become a cop is due to something which happened in her past.
  • Undercover fed Vincent Terranova of Wiseguy was remarkably good-looking, so much so that it ought to have tipped somebody off that he's not the hardened criminal he pretends to be. A real lifelong gangster would most likely have gotten his face smacked around at some point.
    • Especially as the character is a Golden Gloves boxer.
  • DC Anna Travis from Above Suspicion, who is played by a 32 year old actress, but looks 19!
  • Virtually every cop, male and female, from CHiPs, Heather Locklear on T. J. Hooker, and Charlies Angels where the three original Angels were all ex-cops.
  • The Sentinel—Jim, Simon, Rafe, Blair, Megan, Henri, Taggert. . . . .
  • Though their uniforms are unisex and quite authentic, the main cast of Rookie Blue is shaping up to be the definition of this trope. For now.
  • Leslie in Republic of Doyle.
  • Galina Sergeevna (Liza Arzamasova) in Daddy's Daughters was briefly one, and looked good in the Nice Hat and uniform.
  • Disney Channel's Shake It Up has Hot Mom Georgia Jones, who happens to earn a living walking the beat.
  • Six Feet Under - Keith.

Keith: Most of the men I meet - well, they kinda only want me to be one thing.
Claire: What, big black sex cop? "Sorry I was speeding, officer, I guess you have to punish me now?"
Keith: Yeah, and I don't wanna be that. Rent a video!

  • All of the undercover cops on 21 Jump Street. See?
  • Rizzoli and Isles: Jane Rizzoli, played by the smokin' hot Angie Harmon, and her brother Frankie Jr.
  • The audience (and the camera) certainly appreciated Starsky and Hutch's tight, tight jeans --among other Fan Service.
  • Sherlock has one of each gender. For those who like men, there's Silver Fox DI Lestrade, who, like most of the male cast, wears well-tailored suits. For those who like women, there's DS Sally Donovan, who's got legs and the gun to back them up.
  • Every female in the main cast of Criminal Minds... and Dr. Spencer Reid. And Morgan. And...
  • Once Upon a Time has Emma Swan herself as Storybrooke's sheriff after Sheriff Graham was Killed Off for Real by Regina's magic.
  • Both Nick and Renard on Grimm qualify, and Hank has his admirers. Even Wu can be pretty appealing.
  • In Blue Bloods Frank Reagan, the Police Commissioner is Tom Selleck. Jamie Reagan his youngest son has a more boyish good look, with the appearance of a track star. His girlfriend, or friend-friend (depending on the stage of the show) similarly has a mildly Tomboyish but not unfeminine look. Danny Reagan however looks rather like a thug, and sometimes acts the part.
  • Exploited in Better Call Saul where the protagonist's hammy, hastily-made commercial deliberately uses a sexy model wearing a Stripperific version of an officer's uniform.
  • Discussed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "What's My Line? (Part 1)". Buffy has never considered such a career, but the Career Day analysis says it's her ideal career. Giles even suggests she pursue it.

Music

  • The Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Sir Psycho Sexy" depicts an incident with one of these, as well as various other conquests.
  • Lil Wayne's "Mrs. Officer".
  • "I Want to Be Raided by You" by Cole Porter: When he shakes his stick, I get the kind of kick I thought was obsolete.
  • Although the song itself isn't about this, Beyoncé wearing a policewoman's uniform in the video for "If I Were a Boy" qualifies.

Video Games

  • For those of the Furry persuasion, Officer Carmelita Fox from the Sly Cooper series.
  • Persona 2 gives us Tatsuya's older brother, Katsuya, who is stated to be the target of all the women on the force's affection. It's stated in a TV program on 3 that Tatsuya himself became a cop.
  • Urban Rivals has plenty of these, mostly in Sentinel. Chloe and Aurelia stand out, and Miranda is a more Fetish Fuel version.
  • Cole Phelps from L.A. Noire.
  • Lt. Christine Malone from the Time Splitters series. According to the game, her impeccable arrest record is enough to make her chest swell with pride.
  • Rebecca Chambers in the Resident Evil series. She's the combat medic for a team of, essentially, SWAT Officers, and is 18.
    • There's also Jill Valentine. Even more so in the remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis where she gets the Hotter and Sexier treatment.
    • And for the girls, there is Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker (while he was in S.T.A.R.S) and Leon Kennedy.
  • Emily in Deadly Premonition is quite a looker.
  • Lucia Morgan from Final Fight 3.
  • Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover in League of Legends. Her "Officer Caitlyn" skin ramps up the sexy, making her look more like a stripper wearing a "sexy policewoman" costume than a real lawbringer.
  • Maggey Byrde from the Ace Attorney franchise.
  • Anne Cunningham in Silent Hill: Downpour.
    • The Silent Hill series also has Cybil Bennettl, who appears in several of the games. The trope was played to its hilt in the film's portrayal of her.
  • Officer Patricia Wagon of the Mighty Switch Force! is not uncomely.
  • Chun-Li from Street Fighter works for Interpol, and many male fighters claim she is the World's Most Beautiful Woman. Even Juri Han drops hints that she'd love to get a piece of the action.
  • Overlapping with Evil Is Sexy, Hilde Schmittendorf from Dead Rising 3. While she is, indeed, a police officer, she has succumbed to the same madness as most human villains in the game, and has altered her uniform into sort of a "sexy policewoman" stripper or dominatrix outfit. Ironically, she is not the Lust-themed boss, that guy is much less attractive.
  • Vanessa from Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach is a fair security guard, and is a curvaceous blonde bombshell who looks good in a uniform. And a creepy bunny suit.

Web Comics

  • The web comic Girly has a very lampshaded version in the form of Officer Hipbone (note her name, and note her most noticeable physical trait), and Policeguy is considered one of this - to the point where a Casanova had mistaken him for a pretty woman before his haircut.
  • Sergeant Vaan in Silent Hill: Promise.
  • Justin of Wapsi Square is a male example. While he's more Adorkable than straight-up attractive, the comic's female characters certainly think he fits. One is dating him, and another has a crush on him.

Western Animation

  • Felina and Ulysses Feral in Swat Kats are sexy as hell.
  • Miranda Wright from Bonkers.
  • A Dirty Harriet from the Beavis and Butthead episode "Feel a Cop".
  • Elisa Maza and Captain Chavez from Gargoyles. Or, for male examples, you've got Matt Bluestone and Morgan Morgan.
  • In The Simpsons, Monty Burns falls for Gloria (usually depicted as Snake's girlfriend) on Flag Day as she is giving him a parking ticket. Marge probably counts as one in the episode where she becomes a cop. As for the male officers, Lou doesn't look so bad.
    • Averted by Chief Wiggum, and Homer when he was temporarily the chief of police as the head of SpringShield. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
  • There's a few DCAU ones- Renee Montoya, Maggie Sawyer, Sonia Alcana, Caroline Greenway, pretty much anybody not named Harvey Bullock or Dan Turpin.

Real Life

  • Becoming a cop requires you to be in pretty good shape, which leads to quite a few real life Fair Cops. Especially since girls (or guys, depending on your gender/orientation) in uniform are hot.
    • And if you have a slightly dirtier mind, there's also the leather boots, the handcuffs, and the authoritative attitude. Cops have developed terms for police groupies, Badge Bunnies for women and Holster Sniffers for men (specifically gay men, but it does still apply.)
  • NYPD officer Carol Shaya, one of a handful of police officers who have posed for Playboy magazine.
  • An episode of COPS followed a stunningly attractive New Orleans police officer during Mardi Gras. At least twice she was approached by cops from other states (there as tourists) telling her she was the most beautiful policewoman they'd ever seen.
  • North Korea, of all places, employs attractive young [dead link] women as traffic cops to direct the (very sparse) traffic, putting them in skirted uniforms.
    • That can't be conducive to road safety.
    • They are probably a form of Notice This. "See the pretty girl? She's got flags in her hands."
  • This article shows several attractive Russian policewomen.
  • This "most beautiful police flower" saved a girl who was about to jump to her death.
  • Jaime Faith Edmondson, Miss January 2010, holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University and served on Boca Raton's police force for two years, after which she became a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins.
  • Stunning and incredibly fit Stockholm police officer Mikaela Kellner can kick serious ass while "out of uniform" and look great doing it, taking down a pickpocket while wearing a bikini.
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