Copyright (c) 1995 by cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) I'm writing this as a response to several people who requested to know more about what Police can do. I will try and limit the info here to what is actually relevant for a realistic (or semi-realistic) portrayal of the police. I do not yet have generic Police NPC's, but will take the challenge of putting them together just for fun. I am not wholly familiar with GURPS, yet, so I can't put everything into GURPS lingo just yet. I hope those of you who asked will find the info here useful. (Those who don't care... delete...) Feel free to ask any questions. BECOMING A COP (In California) Becoming a police officer in California takes from 6-12 months from application to appointment (not counting the police academy). Tests generally include: written exam, physical agility test, oral interview, written psychological exam, oral psychological interview, polygraph test, medical exam, and final interview with a captain/sheriff/chief. After hiring, a new recruit will be sent to a police academy for approximately 5-6 months. Once out of the academy, he/she will go into "field training" with another officer who will teach him/her the ropes (and tell them that all the gobbly-gook they learned in the academy is useless). The field training phase will usually last for 3-4 months. FUNCTION OF A POLICE OFFICER A police officer's job is to enforce state and local laws, and to generally assist the public. A policeman's powers of arrest are almost identical to those of the average citizen (i.e. "citizen's arrest"). The main difference being in that we are "trained" and can arrest on "Probable Cause", and do not have to necessarily witness a crime. Since arrests are the most likely gaming function of the police, I will start with that. There are essentially 3 levels of detentions: 1) Consensual Contact - an officer stops to talk with someone, and the subject is free to walk away; 2) Lawful Detention - there is "reasonable suspicion" that the subject has, or is about to, commit an unlawful act (i.e. loitering on a street corner or in an alley, carrying a TV down the street at 3 AM, any other "articulable" suspicious activity); 3) Arrest - when there is "Probable Cause" to believe that a subject has committed a crime (based on evidence, statements, etc...) A police officer can enter private property (in general) if he has reason to believe that a crime is being committed, and that if he/she were to wait for a warrant, the evidence might be destroyed or somebody's physical well-being were in danger. For instance, if I go to a call of a possible child abuse, and a neighbor has said that they observed a child being beaten with a metal rod, I do not have to leave if the parents tell me to pound sand. I have a lawful duty to ascertain the well-being of that child, and will generally find a way to enter. (Contrary to TV, we rarely have to force entry into a property). Police are also generally trained in first-aid and CPR, as we usually arrive before the firemen or paramedics. THE AVERAGE DAY For those of you who watch COPS, it's a fun show, but they have to shoot approximately 8 hours of footage to get one 30 minute episode.... they also generally use 2 camera crews. An average day usually consists of a few traffic stops (sometimes used to contact gang members and others possibly involved in "suspicious" activity), a few contacts (transients, prostitutes, gang members, citizens needing assistance), and a few reports. (I left out the donut shops and coffee as they are a given). Much of a cop's time is spent on reports. For every arrest you make, you can expect to be tied up on reports for at least an hour. For a serious felony with oodles of evidence, you can be out for 6-8 hours or more... not counting the time for the detective to get involved. Very rarely do we get in shoot-outs. TV would have you believe that we are running around shooting it out every day... not so. I have been in law enforcement for 5 years, and have been to only 2 officer-involved shooting scenes, and only know 4 officers who have ever shot anybody... only one fatally. It is not an experience that any cop wants to go through, and those who have gone through it would usually give anything to forget about it. Struggling with drunks and drug addicts are common. Knock-down, drag-out fights are not so common. Most days are uneventful. Some days expose the cop to a great deal of the seedy side of life (death, abuse, etc...). But, it's a living. TYPES OF COPS In game terms, I would say that there are probably 5 types of cops. The rookie patrolman, the veteran patrolman, the burned-out patrolman, the detective (narc, investigator, etc....), and the administrator (lieutenants, captains and above). I will try and come up with NPC stats for these at some later date. This concludes a very general overview of Police. I can provide specific answers to questions if you desire a realistic portrayal of law enforcement. Otherwise, keep watching the tube... it's a game we're playing after all, isn't it? Carl Walter cdwjava@electriciti.com cdwjava@aol.com Thomas Barnes said it well on 6-11-95 >>>>>>So, how do cops cope? They're very careful. They wear bullet proof vests, they call for back-up units to assist them, they look out for trouble and they're very careful. Even on a traffic stop, a cop has to assume that the driver has a gun and will use it. The weapons that cops have when making an arrest is surprise (4 men suddenly drawing weapons on you and shouting "police!" makes you think twice about fighting.) and fear of the police. In the U.S. cop-killers are hated. The police will work very hard to bust and convict a cop-killer, prosecutors and juries are very hard on cop-killers (many death row inmates killed policemen) and, the crooks know it. That will make the less-psychotic criminal hesitate to get into a gun battle with police. Finally, cops don't usually jump into the middle of a fire-fight between gangs. They'll come in afterwards with the paramedics, investigate the crime scene, interview witnesses, and try to track down individual participants in the battle. They might take weeks or years to catch a person identified as participating in a given crime if at all. Of course, as I've said before, most police work is not exciting or particularly dangerous (though *any* interaction could turn dangerous). <<<<<< Well said!! >>>>>The trunk of a car may not be searched without a search warrant though the car may be held until a search warrant is obtained. <<<<< Not necessarily! If you are impounding the car for non-evidenciary reasons (driver was arrested, and you can't leave it out on the roadway... it's not safe!) then you have a right to inventory the items in the car ....INCLUDING the trunk. This is to protect the arrestee from civil loss by the tow company, and to protect the tow company from fraudulent claims by the arrestee (i.e. I had a Van Gogh in the trunk when I was arrested). >>>>>>If you voluntarily let the police into your house or car you can't revoke that permission and the cops don't need a search warrant to gather evidence.<<<<<<< In California (and probably most everywhere else), you can revoke permission for a consensual search at any time. You can also deny permission for certain areas to be searched. Amazingly enough, 75% of people that have illegal drugs in their homes will grant permission to search! Generally, if anything of substance is found, we will back off and get the warrant so that the suspect can't claim that he was coerced, etc... From rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Thu Jun 22 07:09:33 1995 Return-Path: From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Police To: cdwjava@electriciti.com Date: Tue, 20 Jun 1995 23:50:27 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: from "Carl Walter" at Jun 20, 95 03:57:00 am Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 3652 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet > TYPES OF COPS > > In game terms, I would say that there are probably 5 types of cops. The > rookie patrolman, the veteran patrolman, the burned-out patrolman, the > detective (narc, investigator, etc....), and the administrator > (lieutenants, captains and above). I will try and come up with NPC stats > for these at some later date. Lessee: Minimum stats ST: 10, DX: 10, IQ: 9, HT: 10 No physical disadvantages that would limit mobility or senses (except correctable bad sight, color blindness, or ansomia). No "criminal" or "insane" mental disadvantages, phobias or mild delusions might be allowable. Code of Honor, Honesty, Truthfulness, Sense of Duty are "good disadvantages". No Sense of Humor, Overconfidence, Bully and Bloodlust are stereotypical but not desirable. Required Advantage: Legal Enforcement Powers Required Disad: Duty Skills: Driving DX+1, First Aid IQ, Pro Skill/Law Enforcement IQ+2, Savior-Faire (Police) IQ, Criminology IQ-1, Forensics IQ-2, Diplomacy IQ-2 (to defuse tense situations), Karate DX (Self-Defense style), Wrestling DX-2, Shortsword (or Tonfa) DX, Area Knowledge (Beat) IQ+2 Area Knowledge (Area of Operations) IQ+1, Electronics Operation (Police Radio) IQ+1, Streetwise IQ, Law IQ-1, Tactics IQ-1, Guns (Pistol) DX Guns (Shotgun) DX-1, Running HT-1. Rookie Cop: -1 to all skills. No Tactics or Streetwise skill. Common Disadvantages: Overconfidence, Combat Paralysis, Gullible, Delusion ("It's going to be just like on TV", "I'm a one-man army", or "I'm going to cure all of Society's ills") Veteran Cop: +1 to combat skills except Guns. +1 to Area Knowledge, Streetwise, and Savoir-Faire skills. Fast Talk skill at IQ. Common Advantages: Combat Reflexes, Rank, Unfazable, Reputation, Common Sense. Common Disadvantages: Cautious (-5 point quirk), Intolerance: Non-Cops ("Nobody who hasn't been on the streets knows what it's really like out there..."), Delusion ("Everyone's a potential criminal, get them before they get you.") Burnt Out Cop: As veteran but Savoir-Faire IQ-1. Streetwise +1 above normal levels. Common Advantages: As Veteran. Common Disadvantages: Depression, Alcoholism, Bully, Bloodlust, Intolerance: Non-Cops, Delusion (everyone's a criminal), Bad Reputation, Bad Temper, Odious Personal Habit: Cynical and embittered, Secret (on the take, cover-up, or other scandal) Detective: As veteran (or burnt out Veteran) but has at least 3 academic, professional, or social skills at IQ level, Criminology IQ+1, Forensics IQ, Administration IQ-1 (to coordinate investigations), Diplomacy IQ (to interview witnesses, etc.), Computer Ops IQ-1, Intelligence Analysis IQ Possibly Diguise and Acting for undercover. Possibly Chemistry, Streetwise, and Poisons for Narcotics. Common Advantages: Rank, Reputation, Contacts, Allies (other policemen) Common Disadvantages: Stubborn, Addiction (Tobacco), OPH: Cynical (otherwise as veteran or burnt-out veteran) Administrator: As veteran, possibly with detective skills. Administration IQ+2, Politics (Local) IQ, Accounting IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, Leadership IQ, Law +1, Law Enforcement +2 Required Advantage: Rank. Common Advantages and Disadvantages as Veteran and/or Detective. Advantages: Contacts, Allies, Patron, Reputation Disadvantages: Stats might be lowered due to age or inactivity (also Overweight or Fat disadvantages), Addiction (Tobacco), OPH: Workaholic or Perfectionist, Secret (on the take). This might not be accurate or might be more influenced by TV than real life but it's a start. Feel free to add or subtract skills or modify the characters as you see fit. Thomas Barnes From cdwjava@electriciti.com Thu Jun 22 07:09:36 1995 Return-Path: Date: Wed, 21 Jun 95 00:49 PDT Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: gurpsnet-l@io.com From: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Subject: Re: Police Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet >> TYPES OF COPS >> >> In game terms, I would say that there are probably 5 types of cops. The >> rookie patrolman, the veteran patrolman, the burned-out patrolman, the >> detective (narc, investigator, etc....), and the administrator >> (lieutenants, captains and above). I will try and come up with NPC stats >> for these at some later date. > > >Lessee: Minimum stats ST: 10, DX: 10, IQ: 9, HT: 10 > > No physical disadvantages that would limit mobility or senses >(except correctable bad sight, color blindness, or ansomia). No >"criminal" or "insane" mental disadvantages, phobias or mild delusions >might be allowable. Code of Honor, Honesty, Truthfulness, >Sense of Duty are "good disadvantages". No Sense of Humor, >Overconfidence, Bully and Bloodlust are stereotypical but not desirable. > > Required Advantage: Legal Enforcement Powers > Required Disad: Duty > > Skills: Driving DX+1, First Aid IQ, Pro Skill/Law Enforcement >IQ+2, Savior-Faire (Police) IQ, Criminology IQ-1, Forensics IQ-2, >Diplomacy IQ-2 (to defuse tense situations), Karate DX (Self-Defense >style), Wrestling DX-2, Shortsword (or Tonfa) DX, Area Knowledge (Beat) >IQ+2 Area Knowledge (Area of Operations) IQ+1, Electronics Operation >(Police Radio) IQ+1, Streetwise IQ, Law IQ-1, Tactics IQ-1, Guns (Pistol) >DX Guns (Shotgun) DX-1, Running HT-1. > > Rookie Cop: -1 to all skills. No Tactics or Streetwise skill. >Common Disadvantages: Overconfidence, Combat Paralysis, Gullible, >Delusion ("It's going to be just like on TV", "I'm a one-man army", or >"I'm going to cure all of Society's ills") > > Veteran Cop: +1 to combat skills except Guns. +1 to Area >Knowledge, Streetwise, and Savoir-Faire skills. Fast Talk skill at IQ. >Common Advantages: Combat Reflexes, Rank, Unfazable, Reputation, Common >Sense. >Common Disadvantages: Cautious (-5 point quirk), Intolerance: Non-Cops >("Nobody who hasn't been on the streets knows what it's really like out >there..."), Delusion ("Everyone's a potential criminal, get them before >they get you.") > > Burnt Out Cop: As veteran but Savoir-Faire IQ-1. Streetwise +1 >above normal levels. >Common Advantages: As Veteran. >Common Disadvantages: Depression, Alcoholism, Bully, Bloodlust, >Intolerance: Non-Cops, Delusion (everyone's a criminal), Bad Reputation, >Bad Temper, Odious Personal Habit: Cynical and embittered, Secret (on the >take, cover-up, or other scandal) > > Detective: As veteran (or burnt out Veteran) but has at least 3 >academic, professional, or social skills at IQ level, Criminology IQ+1, >Forensics IQ, Administration IQ-1 (to coordinate investigations), Diplomacy >IQ (to interview witnesses, etc.), Computer Ops IQ-1, Intelligence >Analysis IQ > > Possibly Diguise and Acting for undercover. Possibly Chemistry, >Streetwise, and Poisons for Narcotics. > >Common Advantages: Rank, Reputation, Contacts, Allies (other policemen) >Common Disadvantages: Stubborn, Addiction (Tobacco), OPH: Cynical >(otherwise as veteran or burnt-out veteran) > > Administrator: As veteran, possibly with detective skills. >Administration IQ+2, Politics (Local) IQ, Accounting IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, >Leadership IQ, Law +1, Law Enforcement +2 > > Required Advantage: Rank. > >Common Advantages and Disadvantages as Veteran and/or Detective. >Advantages: Contacts, Allies, Patron, Reputation Disadvantages: Stats >might be lowered due to age or inactivity (also Overweight or Fat >disadvantages), Addiction (Tobacco), OPH: Workaholic or Perfectionist, >Secret (on the take). > > This might not be accurate or might be more influenced by TV than >real life but it's a start. Feel free to add or subtract skills or modify >the characters as you see fit. > > Thomas Barnes Wow!! I was very impressed by your stats... I just glanced at them (I just got off early from shift, and have to go to court in the morning....ugh!!), but I liked what I saw! You have quite a knack, and probably better than I could do - novice that I am at GURPS. The only thing that really jumped out at me was Karate... most PD's in the country teach a modified form of Aikido emphasizing the wrist-locks and arm holds. (The most popular method out here is called the Koga method). I believe that there was a Police Martial arts style in MA, but I could be confusing it with Hero. My books are in another room, and I'm too weary to look it up at the moment. Anyhow, I will be saving your stats, and looking them over in greater detail, but it seems that you have caught the flavor rather well! I especially like the differentiation between the stereotypical and the realistic ads/disads. Keep in touch! Carl From cdwjava@electriciti.com Thu Jun 22 07:23:35 1995 Return-Path: Date: Thu, 22 Jun 95 01:24 PDT Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: gurpsnet-l@io.com From: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Subject: Re: Police Cc: rosalyn rice Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet > I'd also add Intuition, Allies and Contacts to the list for dectective >characters and Danger Sense, High Pain Threshold, and Strong Will to the list >of advantages for all characters. > > For burnt-out cops (and possibly other cops) you could also have the >-5 point Delusion "Siege Mentality" ("It's us cops against the world. >Don't trust anyone who doesn't wear the badge.") > > For rookies, you could have the very dangerous disadvantage of >Impulsive. > > Thomas Barnes I wouldn't think that Danger Sense or High Pain Threshold would be standard. Perhaps Strong Will, we are a rather pushy and impulsive lot :) ! Contacts would also be good for Veteran cops, although not a necessity. I don't think a detective would HAVE to have it in general, but to achieve the promotion to detective he probably would have to have the connections. I like the disadvantage of Impulsive for rookies.... they tend to be the ones who try TOO hard to make the bust, and are the first ones to go chasing the guy who runs from them on sight. It's rather humorous to watch the new kids go in foot pursuits over hill and dale after someone... when they lose them (or if they catch them) you ask what the crime was, and they get sort of dumbfounded ("OOPS" sort of floats over their head! Carl Walter From rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Fri Jun 23 14:37:46 1995 Return-Path: From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Different types of cops To: cdwjava@electriciti.com Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 17:11:11 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: from "Carl Walter" at Jun 22, 95 01:34:00 am Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 5886 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet > >The archetypes for different cops were good, but what about SWAT > >officers, demolitions experts, forensic scientists (remember the show > >"Quincy"?), psychologists, surveillance technicians, department press > >agents, etc.? Not to mention various civilian consultants that police > >use (or shake down their friends at gaming companies, nudge, nudge). I got good feedback from my last post, so I'll try to continue my run of good luck: SWAT Officer - Use veteran or burnt-out veteran template. All all attributes must be average or above. No "soft" disadvantages, like Weak Will or Overweight. Mandatory Advantages: Rank (Police) (I'm assuming from Carl's remarks that anyone who gets assigned to a SWAT team has been around long enough to pick up some seniority.), Police Powers 10 points. (I'll assume that the 10 point Police Powers don't really give SWAT officers license to kill but they can behave much more aggressively and violently than normal cops when they are called in. If a SWAT officer kills a suspect in the course of a SWAT action then he is less likely to be disciplined than a patrolman in the same situation. Is this right?) Skills: Add Guns (Assult Rifle) DX+1, Guns (Grenade Launcher) DX, Psychology (Criminal) IQ-2, Tactics (SWAT) IQ+1, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Running HT+1, +2 to all combat skills. SWAT team negotiator - Use Detective, Administrator, or Veteran template (possibly with SWAT Officer skills added). +3 to Diplomacy and +2 Criminology skill, Fast Talk IQ+2, Psychology IQ+2, Pro. Skill: Psychologial Counselling IQ-1, Tactics (SWAT) IQ-1 (if not a SWAT officer), Detect Lies IQ Any disadvantage such as Bully or Bad Temper will hurt a negotiator's skill. Empathy helps. Riot Squad - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet template. Add +2 to Shortsword or Tonfa Skill, Shield DX, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ Bomb Squad - Same prerequisites and advantages as SWAT team member. Overweight or Bad Sight don't disqualify. Add Demolitions IQ+1, Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ+2. (Impulsive might be a very bad disadvantage to have.) Police Divers - Rookie, Vet, B-O Vet template. Add Scuba IQ+2, Swimming HT+1 K-9 - Use Veteran or Burnt-out Veteran. Bully or Bad-Temper disadvantages will disqualify, so will Phobia (Dogs). Add Animal Handling (Dogs) IQ. Depending on type of police dog training officer will also have one or more of Poisons IQ-2, Holdout, and Chemistry IQ-2. (Drug sniffing dog) and/or Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ-2, Holdout-1 (Drug-sniffing). Depending on the type of dog and its usefulness a K-9 officer might have an Ally in his dog. (Certainly a cinematic dog like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin is skillful enough to be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps a great deal. Presumably an officer rolls against his animal handling skill to see if he can get a dog to search for drugs or bombs. The dog rolls vs. its smell roll with some bonus or minus for how subtle the smell is. If both rolls succeed and there are drugs or explosives to be found the officer finds them. Mounted - Any Template. Bully or Bad-Temper are disqualifications. Add Riding DX+1, Animal Handling (Horses) IQ, Add +1 to Diplomacy and Psychology, Add Pro Skill: Traffic Control. Depending on the usefulness of the horse it might be an Ally. (A cinematic horse like the Lone Ranger's Silver would be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps. Mounted officers tend to be traffic control and patrol officers. The fact that they are much more visible and approachable due to the horse means that they deal with the public much more than the usual beat cop in his car. Because of this Social skills will be extremely useful when dealing with people who want to pet your horse or chat. Motorcycle - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Motorcycle DX+2, Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. Traffic Cop - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. (I'll assume that the skill of Traffic Cop includes things like setting up a speed trap, getting a good radar lock on a driver, writing tickets properly, directing traffice, etc. I'd assume that it's a M/E skill.) Undercover - Detective template. Criminology +1, Disguise IQ, Fast Talk IQ+1, Detect Lies IQ-1, Streetwise IQ+2, Acting IQ Possibly other skills depending on area of undercover work. Narcotics - Chemistry IQ-2, Poisons IQ-2. Vice - Sex Appeal HT-1, Fast Talk IQ-1. White Collar Crimes - Use Detective template. Administration IQ+1, Accounting IQ, Savoir Faire (Business) IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, Computer Programming IQ-2. Pro Skill: Some specialized business trade like Stockbroker or Insurance Adjuster. Forgery IQ. FBI Special Agent - Use Detective Template but FBI agents have at least 10 points of Police Powers. They might have other skills depending on their area of expertise (for example use the white collar crimes or undercover templates for those areas). They will also have higher levels of Criminology and Forensics skills than normal policemen, especially within their area of expertise. DEA or ATF Agent - As FBI Agent. Criminology skill will have a specialization in crimes covered by that agency. Treasury Agent (Secret Service) - As FBI Agent. Depending on area of enforcement they will have either SWAT officer or White Collar Crime skills as well. Agents who protect government officials and candidates are very highly screened and must be above average in all ways. In addition to SWAT officer skills and police skills they will also have the Pro Skill: Bodyguard. Electronic Surveillance - Use the Detective Template but add Electronics (Surveillance Equipment) IQ-2, Electronics Ops (Surveillance Equipment) IQ+1, Holdout IQ, Lockpicking DX. That's it for now. More templates when I get around to it. As usual feel free to add or change things around. These are all off the top of my head. Thomas Barnes >From owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Fri Jun 23 02:55:44 1995 Return-Path: Received: from deliverator.io.com by mail3.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id CAA14614; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 02:55:37 -0700 Received: (from root@localhost) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id RAA26683 for gurpsnet-l-outgoing; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 17:59:21 -0500 Received: from powergrid.electriciti.com (powergrid.electriciti.com [198.5.212.8]) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id RAA26658 for ; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 17:58:57 -0500 Received: from [198.5.212.21] by powergrid.electriciti.com with smtp (Smail3.1.29.1 #3) id m0sOvG9-000HBHC; Thu, 22 Jun 95 16:02 PDT Date: Thu, 22 Jun 95 16:02 PDT Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: gurpsnet-l@io.com From: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Subject: Re: Different types of cops Cc: rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet >> >The archetypes for different cops were good, but what about SWAT >> >officers, demolitions experts, forensic scientists (remember the show >> >"Quincy"?), psychologists, surveillance technicians, department press >> >agents, etc.? Not to mention various civilian consultants that police >> >use (or shake down their friends at gaming companies, nudge, nudge). > > I got good feedback from my last post, so I'll try to continue my >run of good luck: > >SWAT Officer - Use veteran or burnt-out veteran template. All all >attributes must be average or above. No "soft" disadvantages, like Weak >Will or Overweight. > Not too many Bunt-out SWAT types - in most departments they have to pass a 2nd psych exam, and are constantly trained and evaluated. Could be a voluntary condition with disads (burned-out, to some extent). > Mandatory Advantages: Rank (Police) (I'm assuming from Carl's >remarks that anyone who gets assigned to a SWAT team has been around long >enough to pick up some seniority.), Police Powers 10 points. >(I'll assume that the 10 point Police Powers don't really give SWAT >officers license to kill but they can behave much more aggressively and >violently than normal cops when they are called in. If a SWAT officer >kills a suspect in the course of a SWAT action then he is less likely to >be disciplined than a patrolman in the same situation. Is this right?) While SWAT types generally have seniority, they may not necessarily have higher rank. Our ranks structure is rather loose, and most non-sergeants and above are relatively equal (officially). So, rank wouldn't be appropriate, in general. As for SWAT kills, I feel that they have the have same restrictions as the rest of us beat cops do. The guys on our department are probably less OVER-reactive, but more prepared/trained to use lethal force. Any killing by SWAT would be scrutinized much greater than by the beat cop because of the over-analysis of the media and "experts"... i.e. better negotiating, "why didn't you give in toi their demands", etc... > > Skills: Add Guns (Assult Rifle) DX+1, Guns (Grenade Launcher) DX, >Psychology (Criminal) IQ-2, Tactics (SWAT) IQ+1, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, >Running HT+1, +2 to all combat skills. > >SWAT team negotiator - Use Detective, Administrator, or Veteran template >(possibly with SWAT Officer skills added). +3 to Diplomacy and +2 >Criminology skill, Fast Talk IQ+2, Psychology IQ+2, Pro. Skill: >Psychologial Counselling IQ-1, Tactics (SWAT) IQ-1 (if not a SWAT >officer), Detect Lies IQ > > Any disadvantage such as Bully or Bad Temper will hurt a >negotiator's skill. Empathy helps. > >Riot Squad - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet template. Add +2 to Shortsword or Tonfa >Skill, Shield DX, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ > >Bomb Squad - Same prerequisites and advantages as SWAT team member. >Overweight or Bad Sight don't disqualify. Add Demolitions IQ+1, Explosive >Ordinance Disposal IQ+2. > > (Impulsive might be a very bad disadvantage to have.) I agree :) .... Overconfidence, or fearlessness (stupidity??) might be good options here. I met a couple of these guys last night - they hunted for a bomb like I might search for the flavored creamers for my coffee! > >Police Divers - Rookie, Vet, B-O Vet template. Add Scuba IQ+2, Swimming HT+1 > >K-9 - Use Veteran or Burnt-out Veteran. Bully or Bad-Temper disadvantages >will disqualify, so will Phobia (Dogs). Add Animal Handling (Dogs) IQ. >Depending on type of police dog training officer will also have one or >more of Poisons IQ-2, Holdout, and Chemistry IQ-2. (Drug sniffing dog) >and/or Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ-2, Holdout-1 (Drug-sniffing). > > Depending on the type of dog and its usefulness a K-9 officer >might have an Ally in his dog. (Certainly a cinematic dog like Lassie or >Rin Tin Tin is skillful enough to be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps a >great deal. > Presumably an officer rolls against his animal handling skill to >see if he can get a dog to search for drugs or bombs. The dog rolls vs. >its smell roll with some bonus or minus for how subtle the smell is. If >both rolls succeed and there are drugs or explosives to be found the >officer finds them. FYI - Most dogs are not trained for all things. Most are very specific. Some are drug trained, others are used for searches and take downs. There are those that can do multiple functions, but they are costly, and the continuing training is time-consuming. > >Mounted - Any Template. Bully or Bad-Temper are disqualifications. Add >Riding DX+1, Animal Handling (Horses) IQ, Add +1 to Diplomacy and Psychology, >Add Pro Skill: Traffic Control. Possible additional skills would be Riot Control Tactics and even soemthing along the lines of interpersonal skills. Most mounted units in big cities perform a great deal of ceremonial, PR, and crowd control functions. > > Depending on the usefulness of the horse it might be an Ally. (A >cinematic horse like the Lone Ranger's Silver would be an Ally.) Animal >Empathy helps. Mounted officers tend to be traffic control and patrol >officers. The fact that they are much more visible and approachable >due to the horse means that they deal with the public much more than the >usual beat cop in his car. Because of this Social skills will be >extremely useful when dealing with people who want to pet your horse or >chat. > >Motorcycle - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Motorcycle DX+2, Pro >Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. > >Traffic Cop - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. > >(I'll assume that the skill of Traffic Cop includes things like setting >up a speed trap, getting a good radar lock on a driver, writing tickets >properly, directing traffice, etc. I'd assume that it's a M/E skill.) > Good... >Undercover - Detective template. Criminology +1, Disguise IQ, Fast Talk IQ+1, >Detect Lies IQ-1, Streetwise IQ+2, Acting IQ > > Possibly other skills depending on area of undercover work. > Narcotics - Chemistry IQ-2, Poisons IQ-2. > Vice - Sex Appeal HT-1, Fast Talk IQ-1. > >White Collar Crimes - Use Detective template. Administration IQ+1, >Accounting IQ, Savoir Faire >(Business) IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, Computer Programming IQ-2. Pro Skill: >Some specialized business trade like Stockbroker or Insurance Adjuster. >Forgery IQ. > >FBI Special Agent - Use Detective Template but FBI agents have at least >10 points of Police Powers. They might have other skills depending on >their area of expertise (for example use the white collar crimes or >undercover templates for those areas). They will also have higher levels >of Criminology and Forensics skills than normal policemen, especially >within their area of expertise. > >DEA or ATF Agent - As FBI Agent. Criminology skill will have a specialization >in crimes covered by that agency. > >Treasury Agent (Secret Service) - As FBI Agent. Depending on area of >enforcement they will have either SWAT officer or White Collar Crime >skills as well. Agents who protect government officials and candidates >are very highly screened and must be above average in all ways. In >addition to SWAT officer skills and police skills they will also have the >Pro Skill: Bodyguard. > This group is widely varied. There are Treasury agents which simply are glorified bank examiners, and then their is the Protective Service of the Secret Service. Not every Treasury Agent is in the Secret Service, and not every Secret Service agaent is involved in presidential or dignitary protection. However, my knowledge on these groups is limited. Perhaps there are others who know more. >Electronic Surveillance - Use the Detective Template but add Electronics >(Surveillance Equipment) IQ-2, Electronics Ops (Surveillance Equipment) IQ+1, >Holdout IQ, Lockpicking DX. > > That's it for now. More templates when I get around to it. > > As usual feel free to add or change things around. These are all >off the top of my head. > > Thomas Barnes And, as usual, I like them! Being the novice GURPS-er that I am, I keep getting a kick out of the creativity, ingenuity and technical discussions that this crowd gets into! I apologize for not coming up with this stuff on my own, but I have have been collecting the books for only 6 months, and have only played a couple of games... looking forward to more. BTW, is Ultra-Tech still in print?? Carl Walter From rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Fri Jun 23 14:37:52 1995 Return-Path: From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Different types of cops To: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 23:39:11 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: from "Carl Walter" at Jun 22, 95 04:02:00 pm Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 9995 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet Based on Carl's comments here is my revised list of various police specialties. To save space and make this post easier to read I haven't included his responses. If something has changed it is because of his advice. SWAT Officer - Use veteran template. All attributes must be average or above. No "soft" disadvantages, like Weak Will or Overweight or disadvantages taht might make the character dangerously mentally unstable (Bloodlust, Delusions, etc.) Advantages like Common Sense and Combat Reflexes are common. Skills: Add Guns (Assult Rifle) DX+1, Guns (Grenade Launcher) DX, Psychology (Criminal) IQ-2, Tactics (SWAT) IQ+1, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Running HT+1, +2 to all combat skills. SWAT team negotiator - Use Detective, Administrator, or Veteran template (possibly with SWAT Officer skills added). +3 to Diplomacy and +2 Criminology skill, Fast Talk IQ+2, Psychology IQ+2, Pro. Skill: Psychologial Counselling IQ-1, Tactics (SWAT) IQ-1 (if not a SWAT officer), Detect Lies IQ Any social disadvantage such as Bully or Bad Temper will hurt a negotiator's skill. Empathy helps. Riot Squad - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet template. Add +2 to Shortsword or Tonfa Skill, Shield DX, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ. Bomb Squad - Same prerequisites and advantages as SWAT team member but "soft" disadvantages like Overweight or Bad Sight don't disqualify. Add Demolitions IQ+1, Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ+2. (Impulsive might be a very bad disadvantage to have. Overconfidence is common but dangerous. Fearlessness and Strong Will are common advantages.) Police Divers - Rookie, Vet, B-O Vet template. Add Scuba IQ+2, Swimming HT+1, Pro Skill: Underwater Salvage Operations IQ-1. (This is changed. I figure that police divers are the people who pull drowned bodies and sunken cars out of harbors and rivers so they get the salvage skill. In real life they are rare and they are usually skilled hobbyists who are reimbursed for their equipment and training expenses. At least that is how the Indiana State Police work their diving team.) K-9 - Use Veteran template. Bully or Bad-Temper disadvantages will disqualify, so will Phobia (Dogs). Add Animal Handling (Dogs) IQ+2. Depending on type of police dog training officer will also have one or more of Poisons IQ-2, Holdout, and Chemistry IQ-2. (Drug sniffing dog), Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ-2, Holdout-1 (Bomb-sniffing dog), Tactics (Attack Dog), Tracking IQ, Naturalist IQ-2 (Tracking Dog), Architecture IQ, Survival (Urban) IQ-2 (Rescue dog). Not all dogs are trained to do all things. If an officer has a dog trained for more than one function he must take Duty (7-) to keep the dog trained. This is on top of his normal duties as a police officer. Though in real-life it probably will be combined it will take away from the character's "game time". In real life dogs with multiple functions are rare and expensive. The policeman should either work for a rich department or have a good reason why he should have such a dog. The only exception to this is tracking. Most police dogs are trained in tracking to some degree, though dogs like bloodhounds excel at it. Depending on the type of dog and its usefulness a K-9 officer might have an Ally in his dog. (Certainly a cinematic dog like Lassie orRin Tin Tin is skillful enough to be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps a great deal. In real life a police dog, while extremely well trained is limited in what it can do. A bomb-sniffing dog is not likely to be able to know how to disarm a man with a pistol on his master's command. Bomb-sniffing dogs can find hidden explosives. Drug-sniffing dogs can find hidden illegal drugs of a type that the dog is trained to recognize. Tracking dogs are used to track fugitives and find lost people through open country. They are usually scent hounds. Rescue dogs are used to find people trapped in collapsed buildings. They are trained to scramble over rubble and detect faint noises and smells made by trapped survivors. Attack dogs are trained to pursue, harry and attack suspects. They are trained to disarm people armed with weapons or to knock them down. They are also trained to climb fences or near-vertical surfaces. Police dogs can also hold a suspect without doing them much damage on command. Treat all of a police dog's attack as special maneuvers which default to the dog's DX and can only be performed if the handler makes an Animal Handling roll first. All police dogs are trained to track and to scale obstacles to some extent. Finding things: This is a two step process. First the officer rolls against his Animal Handling skill to see if he can get a dog to search for drugs or bombs. The dog rolls vs. its Smell roll (usually 16-18 with some breeds such as bloodhounds having a smell roll of up to 25) with some bonus or minusfor how subtle the smell is. Drugs or bombs that are masked with a strong scent (or a bomb that is masked with a nerve deadening chemical like an anesthetic or a drug like cocaine) are at -10 to skill. Very faint smells are at -1 to -9 depending on circumstances. Pungent odors are at +1 or more. If both rolls succeed and there are drugs or explosives to be found the officer finds them. To follow a trail the same procedure is used but more than one success roll might be required (by both handler and dog) to find their quarry. Mounted - Any Template. Bully or Bad-Temper are disqualifications. Add Riding DX+1, Animal Handling (Horses) IQ, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ+1, Pro Skill: Traffic Control IQ+1, Pro Skill: Drill and Ceremony (Mounted) Add +2 to Diplomacy and Psychology. Depending on the usefulness of the horse it might be an Ally. (A cinematic horse like the Lone Ranger's Silver would be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps. Real life horses, while extremely well-trained probably aren't sufficiently useful to be Allies. Police horses are trained to deal with the usual hazards encountered by police - cars, gunshots, surging crowed, and the like. Mounted officers tend to be traffic control, crowd control, and PR units as well as being patrol officers. They are always *de facto* PR officers since the horse attracts people who would normally never talk to a policeman. In basically friendly situations a GM might give a policeman a bonus to some social skills because of his horse. (This only applies to modern city cops of course. Where horses are commmon a horse is no big deal and gives no bonus.) Since mounted officers are much more visible social skills are much more desirable and "anti-social" disadvantages are much harder to conceal. The Professional skill of Drill and Ceremony is the skill of doing military-style maneuvers with a unit or individually. A person well-trained in D&C looks sharp and parades well. It defaults any pre-20th c. formal tactics or to Savoir-Faire (Military)-3 or IQ-5. It is M/E. Motorcycle - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Motorcycle DX+2, Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. Traffic Cop - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. The Pro Skill: Traffic Cop includes things like setting up a speed trap, getting a good radar lock on a driver, writing tickets properly, directing traffice, etc. It's a M/E skill and defaults to Pro Skill: Law Enforcement-2, or IQ-5.) Undercover - Detective template. Criminology +1, Disguise IQ, Fast Talk IQ+1, Detect Lies IQ-1, Streetwise IQ+2, Acting IQ Possibly other skills depending on area of undercover work. Narcotics - Chemistry IQ-2, Poisons IQ-2. Vice - Sex Appeal HT-1, Fast Talk IQ-1. White Collar Crimes - Use Detective template. Administration IQ+1, Accounting IQ, Savoir Faire (Business) IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, Computer Programming IQ-2. Pro Skill: Some specialized business trade like Stockbroker or Insurance Adjuster, Forgery IQ. FBI Special Agent - Use Detective Template but FBI agents have at least 10 points of Police Powers. They might have other skills depending on their area of expertise (for example use the white collar crimes or undercover templates for those areas). They will also have higher levels of Criminology and Forensics skills than normal policemen, especially within their area of expertise. DEA or ATF Agent - As FBI Agent. Criminology and Law skill will have a specialization in crimes covered by that agency (i.e. either Drugs or Alcohol, Firearms or Tobacco). Treasury Agents - As FBI Agent. This agency has two very different functions. One is detecting counterfieting of U.S. Currency and tax evasion. The other is protecting government officials, presidential candidates, and foreign dignitaries. "T-Man" - As FBI agent, but add Forgery IQ, Forensics (Counterfeiting) IQ, Accounting IQ, Law (Tax) IQ-2, and at least one Pro Skill relating to finance, banking, or commerce. Secret Service Agent - As FBI agent but with SWAT officer training, Electronics Operations (Bugs and Bug Detection) IQ+2, Architecture IQ (to check out buildings), Demolitions IQ (to know where to look for bombs), Electronics Operations (Radio) IQ, Holdout IQ (to search people and hide all those shoulder holsters). Tactics (Bodyguard), Driving (Limosine) DX+3, Criminology (Assassins and Terrorists) IQ+1. This service is an elite unit and members are very closely screened. No physical disadvantages which limit the character (with the possible exception of Bad Sight) are likely to be allowed. Certainly no mental or social disadvantages which would make an agent unstable or offensive to the people he guards would be tolerated. Combat Reflexes and Danger Sense are desirable advantages. Many agents feel a Sense of Duty to those they protect. Most agents seem to possess the Quirk: always wear sunglasses :). Electronic Surveillance - Use the Detective Template but add Electronics(Surveillance Equipment) IQ-2, Electronics Ops (Surveillance Equipment) IQ+1, Holdout IQ, Lockpicking DX. How's that look? Thomas Barnes >From owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Fri Jun 23 04:46:15 1995 Return-Path: Received: from deliverator.io.com by mail2.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id EAA22754; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 04:46:13 -0700 Received: (from root@localhost) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id AAA21252 for gurpsnet-l-outgoing; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:25:29 -0500 Received: from nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu [129.79.10.5]) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id AAA21158 for ; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:43 -0500 Message-Id: <199506230523.AAA21158@tristero.io.com> Received: by nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (5.65c+/10jsm) id AA23836; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:45 -0500 From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Different types of cops To: rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:45 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: <199506222211.RAA23635@tristero.io.com> from "rosalyn rice" at Jun 22, 95 05:11:11 pm Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 2223 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet One more new one: Police Psychologist - Pro Skill: Psychological Counselling IQ+2, Psychology IQ+3, Diplomacy IQ+2, Pro Skill: Law Enforcement IQ-1, Administration IQ. Any anti-social disadvantages will make this character's career short-lived. Empathy and social advantages that help gain and keep his client's trust will help. Stereotypically, a consellor might have a Bad Reputation (Not a "real" cop. "Touchy-feely loony-doctor.", or Hatchet man for the administration.) within the department. Police work is very stressful so many departments have hired civilian psychological counsellors to work with policemen. These psychologist also evaluate officers who are in sensitive positions or who have been involved in questionable situations. Sometimes a "psychological evaluation" is a veiled threat from the administration against a troublesome cop. Other times it might help a cop from going over the edge. It all depends. In lots of cases the cops are reluctant to open up to a psychologist because they fear that they will be seen as "weak" or "crazy". A psychologist could get involved in a campaign either as a nuisance or as an ally. O.K. I lied, two... Internal Affairs - As detective or administrator. Law Enforcement +3 Administration IQ+2, Interrogation IQ-1, Diplomacy IQ-1, Law (Labor) IQ-2. Reputation (either good or bad) is common. "Good" IA people might have the disadvantages Honesty, No Sense of Humor, or OPH: "Do it by the book." "Bad" IA people might have the disadvantage Secret (on the take or cover-up). These are the police who police the police. If a cop is involved in an incident that results in severe injury or property damage or death or he is accused of misconduct or a crime then eventually his actions will be scrutinized by the internal affairs department. If a cop is found to have been derelict in his duty IA can suspend him (with or without pay) or fire him. They can also arrest one of their own officers for misconduct if it becomes obvious that he has broken the law. Good IA departments are necessary to keep the police honest and under civil control. Bad IA departments can look away while a police department runs amok. Thomas Barnes From sraun@barr.com Sat Jun 24 08:00:54 1995 Return-Path: X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 4.1 Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 10:14:48 -0600 From: Scott Raun To: gurpsnet-l@io.com Subject: Re: Different types of cops -Reply Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: Scott Raun Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet tb> Finding things: This is a two step process. First the officer rolls tb> against his Animal Handling skill to see if he can get a dog to search tb> for drugs or bombs. Does the cop get the +5 specialization bonus - Animal Handling: My Dog? Given my understanding of how closely the cop and his dog work together, I'd be inclined to give it to him. He should be really good at getting 'his' dog to perform, and significantly less so at getting any other to. From rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Sat Jun 24 08:01:27 1995 Return-Path: From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Different types of cops To: cdwjava@electriciti.com (Carl Walter) Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 23:39:11 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: from "Carl Walter" at Jun 22, 95 04:02:00 pm Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 9995 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet Based on Carl's comments here is my revised list of various police specialties. To save space and make this post easier to read I haven't included his responses. If something has changed it is because of his advice. SWAT Officer - Use veteran template. All attributes must be average or above. No "soft" disadvantages, like Weak Will or Overweight or disadvantages taht might make the character dangerously mentally unstable (Bloodlust, Delusions, etc.) Advantages like Common Sense and Combat Reflexes are common. Skills: Add Guns (Assult Rifle) DX+1, Guns (Grenade Launcher) DX, Psychology (Criminal) IQ-2, Tactics (SWAT) IQ+1, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Running HT+1, +2 to all combat skills. SWAT team negotiator - Use Detective, Administrator, or Veteran template (possibly with SWAT Officer skills added). +3 to Diplomacy and +2 Criminology skill, Fast Talk IQ+2, Psychology IQ+2, Pro. Skill: Psychologial Counselling IQ-1, Tactics (SWAT) IQ-1 (if not a SWAT officer), Detect Lies IQ Any social disadvantage such as Bully or Bad Temper will hurt a negotiator's skill. Empathy helps. Riot Squad - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet template. Add +2 to Shortsword or Tonfa Skill, Shield DX, Survival (NBC) IQ-1, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ. Bomb Squad - Same prerequisites and advantages as SWAT team member but "soft" disadvantages like Overweight or Bad Sight don't disqualify. Add Demolitions IQ+1, Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ+2. (Impulsive might be a very bad disadvantage to have. Overconfidence is common but dangerous. Fearlessness and Strong Will are common advantages.) Police Divers - Rookie, Vet, B-O Vet template. Add Scuba IQ+2, Swimming HT+1, Pro Skill: Underwater Salvage Operations IQ-1. (This is changed. I figure that police divers are the people who pull drowned bodies and sunken cars out of harbors and rivers so they get the salvage skill. In real life they are rare and they are usually skilled hobbyists who are reimbursed for their equipment and training expenses. At least that is how the Indiana State Police work their diving team.) K-9 - Use Veteran template. Bully or Bad-Temper disadvantages will disqualify, so will Phobia (Dogs). Add Animal Handling (Dogs) IQ+2. Depending on type of police dog training officer will also have one or more of Poisons IQ-2, Holdout, and Chemistry IQ-2. (Drug sniffing dog), Explosive Ordinance Disposal IQ-2, Holdout-1 (Bomb-sniffing dog), Tactics (Attack Dog), Tracking IQ, Naturalist IQ-2 (Tracking Dog), Architecture IQ, Survival (Urban) IQ-2 (Rescue dog). Not all dogs are trained to do all things. If an officer has a dog trained for more than one function he must take Duty (7-) to keep the dog trained. This is on top of his normal duties as a police officer. Though in real-life it probably will be combined it will take away from the character's "game time". In real life dogs with multiple functions are rare and expensive. The policeman should either work for a rich department or have a good reason why he should have such a dog. The only exception to this is tracking. Most police dogs are trained in tracking to some degree, though dogs like bloodhounds excel at it. Depending on the type of dog and its usefulness a K-9 officer might have an Ally in his dog. (Certainly a cinematic dog like Lassie orRin Tin Tin is skillful enough to be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps a great deal. In real life a police dog, while extremely well trained is limited in what it can do. A bomb-sniffing dog is not likely to be able to know how to disarm a man with a pistol on his master's command. Bomb-sniffing dogs can find hidden explosives. Drug-sniffing dogs can find hidden illegal drugs of a type that the dog is trained to recognize. Tracking dogs are used to track fugitives and find lost people through open country. They are usually scent hounds. Rescue dogs are used to find people trapped in collapsed buildings. They are trained to scramble over rubble and detect faint noises and smells made by trapped survivors. Attack dogs are trained to pursue, harry and attack suspects. They are trained to disarm people armed with weapons or to knock them down. They are also trained to climb fences or near-vertical surfaces. Police dogs can also hold a suspect without doing them much damage on command. Treat all of a police dog's attack as special maneuvers which default to the dog's DX and can only be performed if the handler makes an Animal Handling roll first. All police dogs are trained to track and to scale obstacles to some extent. Finding things: This is a two step process. First the officer rolls against his Animal Handling skill to see if he can get a dog to search for drugs or bombs. The dog rolls vs. its Smell roll (usually 16-18 with some breeds such as bloodhounds having a smell roll of up to 25) with some bonus or minusfor how subtle the smell is. Drugs or bombs that are masked with a strong scent (or a bomb that is masked with a nerve deadening chemical like an anesthetic or a drug like cocaine) are at -10 to skill. Very faint smells are at -1 to -9 depending on circumstances. Pungent odors are at +1 or more. If both rolls succeed and there are drugs or explosives to be found the officer finds them. To follow a trail the same procedure is used but more than one success roll might be required (by both handler and dog) to find their quarry. Mounted - Any Template. Bully or Bad-Temper are disqualifications. Add Riding DX+1, Animal Handling (Horses) IQ, Tactics (Riot Control) IQ+1, Pro Skill: Traffic Control IQ+1, Pro Skill: Drill and Ceremony (Mounted) Add +2 to Diplomacy and Psychology. Depending on the usefulness of the horse it might be an Ally. (A cinematic horse like the Lone Ranger's Silver would be an Ally.) Animal Empathy helps. Real life horses, while extremely well-trained probably aren't sufficiently useful to be Allies. Police horses are trained to deal with the usual hazards encountered by police - cars, gunshots, surging crowed, and the like. Mounted officers tend to be traffic control, crowd control, and PR units as well as being patrol officers. They are always *de facto* PR officers since the horse attracts people who would normally never talk to a policeman. In basically friendly situations a GM might give a policeman a bonus to some social skills because of his horse. (This only applies to modern city cops of course. Where horses are commmon a horse is no big deal and gives no bonus.) Since mounted officers are much more visible social skills are much more desirable and "anti-social" disadvantages are much harder to conceal. The Professional skill of Drill and Ceremony is the skill of doing military-style maneuvers with a unit or individually. A person well-trained in D&C looks sharp and parades well. It defaults any pre-20th c. formal tactics or to Savoir-Faire (Military)-3 or IQ-5. It is M/E. Motorcycle - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Motorcycle DX+2, Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. Traffic Cop - Rookie, Vet, BO Vet. Add Pro Skill: Traffic Cop IQ. The Pro Skill: Traffic Cop includes things like setting up a speed trap, getting a good radar lock on a driver, writing tickets properly, directing traffice, etc. It's a M/E skill and defaults to Pro Skill: Law Enforcement-2, or IQ-5.) Undercover - Detective template. Criminology +1, Disguise IQ, Fast Talk IQ+1, Detect Lies IQ-1, Streetwise IQ+2, Acting IQ Possibly other skills depending on area of undercover work. Narcotics - Chemistry IQ-2, Poisons IQ-2. Vice - Sex Appeal HT-1, Fast Talk IQ-1. White Collar Crimes - Use Detective template. Administration IQ+1, Accounting IQ, Savoir Faire (Business) IQ, Computer Use IQ+1, Computer Programming IQ-2. Pro Skill: Some specialized business trade like Stockbroker or Insurance Adjuster, Forgery IQ. FBI Special Agent - Use Detective Template but FBI agents have at least 10 points of Police Powers. They might have other skills depending on their area of expertise (for example use the white collar crimes or undercover templates for those areas). They will also have higher levels of Criminology and Forensics skills than normal policemen, especially within their area of expertise. DEA or ATF Agent - As FBI Agent. Criminology and Law skill will have a specialization in crimes covered by that agency (i.e. either Drugs or Alcohol, Firearms or Tobacco). Treasury Agents - As FBI Agent. This agency has two very different functions. One is detecting counterfieting of U.S. Currency and tax evasion. The other is protecting government officials, presidential candidates, and foreign dignitaries. "T-Man" - As FBI agent, but add Forgery IQ, Forensics (Counterfeiting) IQ, Accounting IQ, Law (Tax) IQ-2, and at least one Pro Skill relating to finance, banking, or commerce. Secret Service Agent - As FBI agent but with SWAT officer training, Electronics Operations (Bugs and Bug Detection) IQ+2, Architecture IQ (to check out buildings), Demolitions IQ (to know where to look for bombs), Electronics Operations (Radio) IQ, Holdout IQ (to search people and hide all those shoulder holsters). Tactics (Bodyguard), Driving (Limosine) DX+3, Criminology (Assassins and Terrorists) IQ+1. This service is an elite unit and members are very closely screened. No physical disadvantages which limit the character (with the possible exception of Bad Sight) are likely to be allowed. Certainly no mental or social disadvantages which would make an agent unstable or offensive to the people he guards would be tolerated. Combat Reflexes and Danger Sense are desirable advantages. Many agents feel a Sense of Duty to those they protect. Most agents seem to possess the Quirk: always wear sunglasses :). Electronic Surveillance - Use the Detective Template but add Electronics(Surveillance Equipment) IQ-2, Electronics Ops (Surveillance Equipment) IQ+1, Holdout IQ, Lockpicking DX. How's that look? Thomas Barnes >From owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Fri Jun 23 04:46:15 1995 Return-Path: Received: from deliverator.io.com by mail2.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id EAA22754; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 04:46:13 -0700 Received: (from root@localhost) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id AAA21252 for gurpsnet-l-outgoing; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:25:29 -0500 Received: from nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu [129.79.10.5]) by tristero.io.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id AAA21158 for ; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:43 -0500 Message-Id: <199506230523.AAA21158@tristero.io.com> Received: by nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (5.65c+/10jsm) id AA23836; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:45 -0500 From: rosalyn rice Subject: Re: Different types of cops To: rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 00:23:45 -0500 (EST) Cc: GURPSNET-L@io.com In-Reply-To: <199506222211.RAA23635@tristero.io.com> from "rosalyn rice" at Jun 22, 95 05:11:11 pm Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 2223 Sender: owner-gurpsnet-l@io.com Precedence: list Reply-To: rosalyn rice Content-Return: prohibited X-URL: http://www.io.com/sjgames/gurps X-URL: http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet One more new one: Police Psychologist - Pro Skill: Psychological Counselling IQ+2, Psychology IQ+3, Diplomacy IQ+2, Pro Skill: Law Enforcement IQ-1, Administration IQ. Any anti-social disadvantages will make this character's career short-lived. Empathy and social advantages that help gain and keep his client's trust will help. Stereotypically, a consellor might have a Bad Reputation (Not a "real" cop. "Touchy-feely loony-doctor.", or Hatchet man for the administration.) within the department. Police work is very stressful so many departments have hired civilian psychological counsellors to work with policemen. These psychologist also evaluate officers who are in sensitive positions or who have been involved in questionable situations. Sometimes a "psychological evaluation" is a veiled threat from the administration against a troublesome cop. Other times it might help a cop from going over the edge. It all depends. In lots of cases the cops are reluctant to open up to a psychologist because they fear that they will be seen as "weak" or "crazy". A psychologist could get involved in a campaign either as a nuisance or as an ally. O.K. I lied, two... Internal Affairs - As detective or administrator. Law Enforcement +3 Administration IQ+2, Interrogation IQ-1, Diplomacy IQ-1, Law (Labor) IQ-2. Reputation (either good or bad) is common. "Good" IA people might have the disadvantages Honesty, No Sense of Humor, or OPH: "Do it by the book." "Bad" IA people might have the disadvantage Secret (on the take or cover-up). These are the police who police the police. If a cop is involved in an incident that results in severe injury or property damage or death or he is accused of misconduct or a crime then eventually his actions will be scrutinized by the internal affairs department. If a cop is found to have been derelict in his duty IA can suspend him (with or without pay) or fire him. They can also arrest one of their own officers for misconduct if it becomes obvious that he has broken the law. Good IA departments are necessary to keep the police honest and under civil control. Bad IA departments can look away while a police department runs amok. Thomas Barnes