Raccoon Police Department
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The Raccoon Police Department (R.P.D.) is a fictional law-enforcement agency that appears in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror franchise. The police station is situated in the heart of Raccoon City.
History
Formerly Raccoon City's prestigious art museum, the building was purchased in the late 1980s by the local government and converted for use by the R.P.D. due to its ample parking space and centralized location near Raccoon City's central business district.
Although the artworks within the building were removed and relocated, it was once again lavishly decorated by Raccoon City's Chief of Police, Brian Irons, a known art and sculpture enthusiast. Irons' inability to refrain from constantly purchasing newer and more grandiose pieces also lead to many of the building's storage rooms being filled with neglected and replaced artworks no longer appreciated by the fickle Chief. The building contained two entrances to the city's sewer system; one through the kennels, and one through a secret room connected to Chief Irons' office. The latter designed and installed by the Umbrella Corporation to better facilitate Irons' duties within their clandestine research operations, as these sewer entrances allowed access to Umbrella's secret underground laboratories.
Arklay mountains incident
On July 27th 1998, the Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) Bravo Team (later followed by Alpha) was dispatched into the Arklay Mountains to investigate a series of bizarre cannibalistic murders in the region. However, after the Spencer Mansion incident, surviving S.T.A.R.S. members led by Chris Redfield, demanded a full-scale investigation of Umbrella's activities. However, this was promptly denied by Chief Irons, who later officially disbanded S.T.A.R.S., having realized that the surviving member's inquiries could possibly lead to the discovery of his position within Umbrella's secret structure. Utilising the assistance of another of Umbrella's most esteemed lackeys, Raccoon City Mayor Michael Warren, the two succeeded in tarnishing the S.T.A.R.S. unit's reputation and largely supressing much of their account of the Arklay incident through manipulation of the media. Suspecting Irons' of collusion with the Umbrella Corporation, Redfield then had several media sources begin a subtle inquiry into the Chief's personal activities, which were then uncovered by Ben Bertolucci, albeit too late to spare the city from Umbrella's atrocities.
Raccoon City Outbreak
During the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City in September of 1998, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and many other survivors sought refuge within the precinct. Days after the initial outbreak, S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team operative Brad Vickers attempted to seek refuge within the precinct as he was relentlessly pursued by one of Umbrella's most deadly Bio-Organic Weapons, the Nemesis; however, Vickers was brutally killed by the creature in front of his former colleague, Jill Valentine, at the main entrance to the R.P.D.
The R.P.D. precinct was temporarily used as a fortress by surviving officers (who were later either killed by the creatures, or shot dead by the now insane Chief Irons). However, the building suffered the same fate as the rest of Raccoon City when it was annihilated during Operation: Mission Code XX, officially approved by the United States Government in a final desperate attempt to halt the spread of the T-Virus across the country.
Known members
- Aaron - An R.P.D. officer in the "Desperate Times" scenario in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2, Aaron was something of a role model, being slightly idolized by Kevin Ryman (see below). Aaron was killed when the emergency stairs area he was guarding was overrun by zombies.
- Andy
- Brian Irons - Irons is the corrupt Chief of the R.P.D; he is a double agent working for the Umbrella Corporation. One of his hobbies is taxidermy. Initially, he covered all of Umbrella's activities to the general public and even the Department, in exchange of large amounts of money; but, after the outbreak he goes insane and starts to hunt down his fellow officers (and the daughter of Mayor Michael Warren, who has left with him to take care of). He blames Umbrella for destroying "his town". He is killed soon thereafter by a Umbrella creature, which varies depending the scenario, one being several of William Birkin's embryos.
- David - David is the author of a memo found in Resident Evil 3. During the outbreak, he killed several zombies with his Mossberg shotgun, but feeling the situation to be hopeless he takes to drinking whisky, before eventually resolving to commit suicide with his shotgun on September 27th. It is possible that he is infact David Ford - though differences in tone between the two officer's respective writings, together with the fact that Ford was killed in a battle late during the night of September 27th, makes this unlikely.
- David Ford - David Ford is the author of the first of two operation reports found in Resident Evil 2 detailing the gradual defeat of the R.P.D. officers within the precinct late in the week of the outbreak. He reports on many injuries and deaths of his comrades as well as Raccoon civilians. He states that the lack of ammunition and weaponry available to the surviving officers is problematic. David records one of the first sightings of a new creature within the R.P.D. building, which the remaining officers tentatively nickname "Licker". David is killed by zombies on the night of September 27th - his death is noted by Elliot Edward.
- Dorian - Dorian is another R.P.D. officer assisting in the evacuation, and is in possession of a SWAT (S.P.F) van to help with the task. Dorian tries to relocate the survivors and several other citizens to a safer region, but is stopped by one of the many roadblocks set up throughout the area. While Dorian succeeds in evacuating the survivors when a large R.P.D. taskforce arrives to secure the area, his eventual fate is unknown.
- Ed - A police officer who was killed by Chief Irons, Ed was unrelated to Elliot Edward.
- Elliott - One of the three officers who, during the "Outbreak" scenario in Resident Evil Outbreak, is, alongside Eric, attempting to detonate explosives on Main Street in order to kill a horde of zombies. He dies attempting to save Eric when the flimsy barricade they have erected gives way.
- Elliot Edward - Elliot Edward is the writer of the second operation report seen in Resident Evil 2. He mentions the death of his colleague David Ford, and also details a plan of escape through the sewers beneath the police station. Himself included, he is amongst a group of four surviving officers within the police station precinct on September 28th.
- Elran - An officer associated with the Boys Crime Dept. within the R.P.D. He is mentioned briefly in an August 13th entry from Jill Valentine's diary.
- Eric - A rookie officer who attempts to assemble a detonator in order to blow up a horde of zombies. When the barricade gives way Eric is pounced upon by the zombies and devoured.
- Fred - A surviving R.P.D. officer in "Desperate Times" in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2. He is killed by crows on the precinct rooftop.
- George Scott - He was on Night Shift At the Time Of the Outbreak, September 27th. He is only mentioned on a notice board inside the RPD.
- Harry - The third officer assisting Elliott and Eric in Resident Evil Outbreak. Although they die, Harry survives and later reappears in the "Desperate Times" scenario in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2, where he joins Rita in escaping, becoming the fourth known officer to escape Raccoon City alive.
- Jean - An officer found dead in one of the barricaded stairways in "Underbelly" in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2, having committed suicide. His suicide note reads: "I've made it this far, but it's all over now. Everything's getting so dark. Forgive me for being such a piece of shit coward. Forgive me, Kevin, Aaron, Fred. I'm truly sorry."
- Kevin Dooley - An R.P.D. helicopter pilot. Although the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team had a trained helicopter pilot, Kevin was deployed on July 23rd to server as pilot for the mission so that Edward Dewey could focus on navigation. He is mauled to death by Cerberus "zombie dogs".
- Kevin Ryman - Kevin is a member of the R.P.D. He applied for membership in the S.T.A.R.S. unit twice, but both times was denied due to his slackful and irresponsible nature. Kevin is also considered to be part of the R.P.D.'s Select Police Force (SPF) unit. Kevin is playable in Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil Outbreak File #2.
- Leon S. Kennedy - A rookie police officer and a protagonist of Resident Evil 2, Leon arrived in Raccoon City a few days after the T-virus outbreak and had to face the outbreak horrors on his first day as a police officer.
- Marvin Branagh - A wounded police officer met by Leon (or Claire Redfield, depending the scenario played). Branagh is infected by the T-virus, and later succumbs to his extensive injuries, mutating into a zombie. In Resident Evil Outbreak File #2, Branagh is the leader of the officers that are struggling against the zombie invasion that threatens the R.P.D.
- Meyer - According to a memo file found in Resident Evil 3 dated September 27th, Meyer is one of the R.P.D.'s better marksmen, and assists in holding off the zombie attack. It is very likely Meyer was eventually killed in a zombie assault.
- Neil Carlsen - an officer that was killed in the library by the mentally unstable police chief Brian Irons
- R. Lambert - An R.P.D. officer credited with taking a post-mortem picture of a zombie attack victim in front of the Arukas Tailor Shop. The photo is found in R.P.D. precinct (Note: In the Japanese version, the picture is attributed to Ben Bertolucci instead).
- Raymond - Raymond is one of several R.P.D. officers responsible for aiding hundreds of civilians to reach evacuation points during the early hours of the outbreak crisis. A close friend of Kevin, Raymond is fearless and resourceful; armed with a SPAS-12 shotgun, he helps hundreds of survivors to escape the dangerous streets through an apartment building opposite J's Bar. Raymond is one of several police officers largely responsible for evacuation operations throughout Raccoon City.
- Rita - A blonde haired policewoman who plays a relatively large role in the scenario "Desperate Times" in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2. Along with Harry (see above) Together with Leon and Kevin, she is one of the few confirmed R.P.D. survivors of the outbreak.
- Tony - The R.P.D.'s dog handler, who appears in the "Desperate Times" scenario in Resident Evil Outbreak File #2. He dies when the zombie dogs turn on him in the kennel.
Paramilitary units
The R.P.D. also had two different paramilitary units, each established for a different purpose.S.T.A.R.S.
In 1996, the 'Special Tactics and Rescue Service' was founded by Mayor Michael Warren, as a major part to his 'Bright 21st Century for Raccoon City' re-election campaign. As Raccoon City was primarily surrounded by rough and mountainous terrain, and missing persons cases and distress calls received from the Arklay region had experienced a drastic increase since the late 1980's, the public had requested the addition of an armed unit trained in major emergency and rescue response operations throughout the surrounding region. To this end, S.T.A.R.S. was to serve as an emergency management unit capable of executing the duties of not only an elite law enforcement division, such as S.W.A.T., but also those of an experienced search-and-rescue team capable of orchestrating rescue operations across a number of environments, as well. In 1998, mutilated bodies had begun appearing at increasingly frequent intervals, with the discovery of several bodies within the span of only two months. These occurrences, combined with newspaper reports of monsters appearing around the outskirts of town alongside hooded, cult-like figures wielding axes and roaming the Arklay Forest, finally forced Chief Irons to send the S.T.A.R.S. unit into action...
Select Police Force Unit (S.P.F.)
After the S.T.A.R.S. team was disbanded by Chief Irons, his immediate decision following this course of action was the creation of a second elite unit as a security measure designed to comfort and calm the public, and to display the R.P.D.'s unfaltering strength after the loss of its most prized division. To this end, the creation of the R.P.D. "Select Police Force" came to pass (this may be only a temporary name for the unit). The S.P.F. was a S.W.A.T. type unit designed to virtually assume control of all duties previously under the jurisdiction of the S.T.A.R.S. unit, but by fresh officers, unaware of the Umbrella Corporation's atrocities carried out in the Arklay Mountains and presenting no threat to the company or to Irons' position within their operations. The team was to be comprised of the R.P.D.'s remaining most capable and knowledgable officers, including several promising recruits. Kevin Ryman, being an excellent marksman and a highly fit individual, having failed previous S.T.A.R.S. applications solely due to his slack nature and unprofessional attitude, was quickly approved for duties within the S.P.F. Also approved for selection was the young and talented recruit, Leon S. Kennedy, who was ordered to report hastily to the R.P.D. once his academy training had been completed.For the short period of actual duty the S.P.F. unit experienced, it was active in various roles across Raccoon City when the "riots" initially began, working alongside R.P.D.'s uniformed divison by sealing off dangerous zones, evacuating citizens and supressing hostile elements. Due to the high-risk nature of the S.P.F.'s duties, it seems very unlikely that many members of the team escaped infection, and the unit itself was effectively eliminated when Raccoon City was destroyed during "Mission Code XX".
(The preceding appears to have no basis in-game. A source would be appreciated.)
Equipment
- Weapons - It is thought that the official sidearm issued to R.P.D. officers is the Beretta 92FS. R.P.D. squad cars are also equipped with a Mossberg 500 Special Purpose shotgun for heavy conflict. S.T.A.R.S. and S.P.F. officers are issued with similar equipment to their S.W.A.T. counterparts, including the Heckler & Koch MP5 and the Steyr AUG as depicted in the S.T.A.R.S. team photograph, although minimal-threat scenarios require that officers be issued with equipment suitable to such situations. For S.T.A.R.S. officers, these weapons include the modified "Samurai Edge" customized Beretta M92FS, and similarly modified Remington M870 Tactical and M1100 Tactical shotguns. The R.P.D. is also in possession of several grenade launchers, including the M79, which is most certainly used for crowd control and riot suppression. Forest Speyer was also in possession of a Milkor MGL Mk.1 grenade launcher at the time of his death during the Arklay Mountains incident, although it is unclear whether this weapon was R.P.D. issued, or used by the Umbrella security personnel assigned to the Arklay Research Facility and simply procured on site by Forest during Bravo Team's investigations. It also seems likely that officers are allowed to carry personal weapons as they see fit, with Leon Kennedy sporting his personal Heckler & Koch VP70 (Or a Customized Desert Eagle in other media). Kevin Ryman also carries his favourite Colt M1911A1, and Barry Burton his Colt Python. Other instances include Claire Redfield's discovery of an officer's emergency Browning Hi-Power in the glovebox of a squad car, and Officer Marvin Branagh's use of an IMI Desert Eagle. These weapons would generally be considered either obsolete or far too destructive to be issued as standard weaponry for a law-enforcement officer. Also, the fact that most of these weapons have a small magazine capacity, and do not use the standard 9mm Parabellum round would almost certainly mean immediate rejection as official weaponry by most law-enforcement departments.
- Other Equipment - S.T.A.R.S. and S.P.F. operatives wear tactical clothing, including Kevlar body armor, safety boots, protective helmets and shoulder mounted CCD cameras for tactical reconnaissance. Strangely, only the S.T.A.R.S. communications officer, Richard Aiken, carried a tactical radio. This may have been due to Albert Wesker's efforts to sabotage any attempted interference or possible outside reinforcement during the Arklay incident.
- Vehicles - R.P.D. patrol officers drive Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors (pre-1998 models, as seen in the introductory scene of both Resident Evil 2 and ). The R.P.D. also operate at least three police helicopters, one of which (possibly a Aérospatiale/Eurocopter AS350B, seen in the S.T.A.R.S. photograph, as well as Resident Evil 2 when a police helicopter of the same model crashed into R.P.D. headquarters) is used for aerial surveillance. The S.T.A.R.S. unit was provided with two Bell UH-1 transport helicopters, due to their standing as Raccoon City's primary armed response rescue team, and the fact that the city itself is almost entirely surrounded by mountainous terrain. However, the S.T.A.R.S. photo (with the R.P.D. AS350B helicopter in the background) also suggest that regular R.P.D. helicopter may be used for S.T.A.R.S. operations when necessary.
In other media
The R.P.D. appeared in the 2004 film . During the viral outbreak in Raccoon City, a large number of infections occurred in the station, as violent, infected people were arrested and brought to the department, where they attacked officers and other prisoners. By the time the city was sealed, the R.P.D.'s headquarters building was abandoned.Also, the S.T.A.R.S. (incorrectly named Special Tactics and Rescue Squad) in the film was portrayed as a much larger unit dispersed across several precincts and armed with a variety of weapons ranging from the typical Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and M4 Carbine to other weapons not usually seen in U.S. law enforcement agencies such as Accuracy International Arctic Warfare sniper rifles, SIG assault rifles, and even a M60 machine gun. R.P.D. patrol officers were armed with GLOCK 17 pistols.
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