NAPD
The New Angeles Police Department is the largest in the worlds, with a jurisdiction extending into Earth’s orbit and all the way to Heinlein. Its officers come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, and they hold equally diverse views on the best methods for policing the megalopolis. Still, they all have the same mission: to protect and serve the citizens of New Angeles. At least, that’s the theory.
Despite the NAPD’s expansive jurisdiction, officers encounter many limits to their remit. The terrestrial border of New Angeles is surprisingly porous, and it’s not unusual to find detectives pursuing investigations into Ecuador. Sometimes the national or local Ecuadorian police are ready to cooperate, but this isn’t always the case. When it comes to the private sector, obstacles are even more common. The NAPD can’t enter private property without probable cause, a warrant, or an invitation. Often, NAPD officers find themselves turned away from arcologies or corporate offices by prisec, with assurances of a false alarm. Even the arcologies of risties and the well-to-do have their own security forces, many of which cooperate as little as possible as a matter of course.
On many high-profile cases, corporation security and lawyers stymie investigative efforts at every turn. Although NAPD leadership denies that corp interference is a concern, it’s an open secret among the department. Many investigations involving suspected criminal activity by or against a corp are left to the corp itself, even when the NAPD has full legal authority. Sometimes this is only after a protracted jurisdictional conflict; at others, an order simply comes down from above to close the case.
Structure
At the top of the NAPD is the commissioner, currently Chen-Mai Dawn. The NAPD is organized into twelve district offices, one for each district of New Angeles, including Heinlein. Each is led by a deputy commissioner, who reports—along with the chief of internal affairs—directly to the commissioner of police. Below each deputy commissioner are multiple captains, each overseeing a bureau or division within their particular precinct. Several lieutenants perform more specialized oversight, and sergeants command individual squads. Numerous other ranks and titles exist within the labyrinthine organization of the NAPD, with varying responsibilities at the department level or within individual divisions, bureaus, and precincts.
The NAPD employs hundreds of thousands of sworn officers and civilian personnel doing everything from station-level record keeping to exosuit SWAT operations. Of course, every one of these NAPD members interacts with individuals outside the department in both professional and personal capacities, and many people find benefit to a relationship with someone on the force. At a basic level, picking up information about police culture might help a person to navigate a situation should they find themself in trouble. Sometimes, dropping the right name can mean the difference between a warning and an arrest. In the most extreme examples, an ally within the NAPD might even be willing to bend or break the rules to make a problem go away.
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