Gotham City Police Department
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The Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) is a fictional police department servicing the city of Gotham City in the DC Universe. 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 offences 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. 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 has ordered the arrest of Batman and had the Bat-signal removed from the roof of Gotham Central. It has also been strongly implied that corruption and rot within the police department has again been significantly on the rise.
As of DC's One Year Later, James Gordon has been reinstated as Commissioner, along with Harvey Bullock rejoining the force and the reinstatement of the Bat-Signal and relations with Batman. 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.
As of August 6, 2006, the weekly 52 series, which reveals the events of the missing year, still has Akins as police commissioner. It is expected that his downfall will be explained in that series.
[edit] 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.
- Major Crimes Unit
- Led by Lt. Maggie Sawyer, 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.
[edit] See also
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