C.O.P.S.

C.O.P.S. (Central Organization of Police Specialists) is an American animated television series released by DIC Entertainment (distributed by Claster Television) and Celebrity Home Entertainment (some VHS tapes went through Golden Book Video, though). This cartoon, which ran from 1988–1989, used the tag line: "Fighting crime in a future time, protecting Empire City from Big Boss and his gang of crooks".^[1] In 1993, the series was shown in reruns on CBS Saturday mornings as "CyberCOPS", the name change due to the 1989 debut of the unrelated primetime reality show of the same name.^[2] The show was based on Hasbro's 1988 line of action figures called C.O.P.S 'N' Crooks.^[3]

Plot

The year: 2020. The place: Empire City. The situation: Brandon “Big Boss” Babel (along with his gang of crooks) is holding the entire city under the palm of his iron hand and the Empire City Police Department can do nothing to stop him.^[4] As a last resort, Mayor Davis sends in Special Agent Baldwin P. Vess (Codename: Bulletproof) to take him down. However, Bulletproof suffered very serious injuries in a car wreck during a fight with Big Boss' criminal henchmen and had to be taken to the hospital, where he is given a cybernetic bullet-resistant torso to save his life as it would take years for his torso to recover.

While staying at the hospital, Bulletproof, knowing he cannot do all of this alone, sends out Police Officer P.J. O'Malley (Codename: LongArm) and rookie Officer Donny Brooks (Codename: HardTop) to round up the best law enforcers from all over the country. With these men and women — including David E. "Highway" Harlson, Colt "Mace" Howards, Stan "Barricade" Hyde, Tina "Mainframe" Cassidy, Walker "Sundown" Calhoun, Suzie "Mirage" Young, Hugh S. "Bullseye" Forward, and Rex "Bowser" Pointer and his robot dog, Blitz — he forms a team that is “the finest law enforcement agency there is in the country.” Bulletproof becomes the proud founder and commander of C.O.P.S. Together, he and his C.O.P.S. team are able to take down Big Boss and his gang of crooks and thwart the first of many of Big Boss' criminal schemes.^[5]

Each episode has a title that begins with “The Case of…” with a different phrase being added to it (i.e. “The Case of the Iron C.O.P.S. and Wooden CROOKS”; “The Case of the Half-Pint Hero”; and “The Case of the Crime Nobody Heard”) along with the C.O.P.S. file number. Bulletproof would narrate at the beginning of the episode as well as the end, concluding by repeating the C.O.P.S. file number and title, ending it with “Case Closed” with an “Closed” mark being stamped onto the file folder. The two exceptions are the first parts each of the two-parter episodes, “The Case of Big Boss' Master Plan” and “The Case of C.O.P.S. File #1,” where the conclusion of the episode is marked with a “Case Continued” plastered on the files.

In the cartoon, the C.O.P.S. frequently shouted, “It's Crime Fighting Time!” as a battle cry when it was time to bag the CROOKS and solve a caper. Meanwhile, the CROOKS would shout “Crime's a-wasting!” whenever they went to do another caper, whether it was pulling another heist (as in so many episodes such as “The Case of the Blur Bandits”), giving C.O.P.S. a hard time to the point of replacing (actually disposing) them for good (as in “The Case of the Big Boss' Master Plan”) or taking captive a certain individual to be held prisoner for ransom (as in “The Case of the Ransomed Rascal”).

The music for the series was created by Shuki Levy, while the C.O.P.S. theme music was written and composed by Haim Saban, and sung by Nick Carr.

Numerous characters were featured in the cartoon that did not have action figures (Including Mainframe, Brian O'Malley, Whitney Morgan, Nightshade, Ms. Demeanor, and Mirage).

Cast and characters

C.O.P.S.

• Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess (voiced by Ken Ryan^[6]) - The main protagonist of the series and leader of C.O.P.S. Baldwin P. Vess is a Federal Agent who was called in to help take down Big Boss. During the fight, he ends up seriously injured in a car wreck and is taken to the hospital. To save his life, Mayor Davis had the research scientists from the Overdine Institute perform an operation that gives Baldwin a cybernetic torso. Going by the name "Bulletproof" due to the cybernetic torso being able to deflect bullets, Baldwin assembles a team of highly-trained police officers from across the country to form C.O.P.S. and stop Big Boss and his gang of crooks. He is representative of a Police Detective or an F.B.I. Agent.
• P.J. "LongArm" O'Malley (voiced by John Stocker) - P.J. O'Malley serves as a police sergeant for the Empire City Police Department. Second in command of C.O.P.S., he is a very compassionate officer who has the talent to convince juvenile delinquents to give up their criminal ways and become law abiding citizens. He wears a wrist device that extends out a handcuff-like device to grab criminals escaping the law, or as an improvised grappling hook. He is representative of a Beat Cop.
• Rex "Bowser" Pointer (voiced by Nick Nichols) - A police officer who worked for the Chicago Police Department. He is a K-9 officer who loves animals and is the handler of Blitz. As mentioned, he is representative of a K-9 officer.
  • Blitz - Bowser's robotic dog who thinks like a human being.
• Walker "Sundown" Calhoun (voiced by Len Carlson) - A police officer who was a former Texas Sheriff. He is an excellent lasso handler and sharpshooter known for conducting special investigations. He is representative of a Texas Ranger or an old west Sheriff.
• Colt "Mace" Howards (voiced by Len Carlson) - A police officer who worked with the Philadelphia Police Department and is known for his tactical strategies, his laser "Mazooka," and his love for a femme fatale named Nightshade. He is representative of a S.W.A.T. Officer
• Dave E. "Highway" Harlson (voiced by Ray James) - A police officer who worked with the California Highway Patrol. He is a known ace cycle trooper who is not good at baking cookies. He is representative of a Motorcycle patrol officer.
• Stan "Barricade" Hyde (voiced by Ray James) - A soft spoken police officer who worked with the Detroit Metro Police Department. He is known for his calm demeanor, his M.U.L.E. device, and crowd control. He is representative of Riot Control. He also seems to have training in Hostage Negotiation.
• Donnie "Hardtop" Brooks (voiced by Darrin Baker) - A rookie police officer who works for Empire City's Police Department. He is the driver of the C.O.P.S.' Ironsides vehicle and has a crush on ECTV news reporter Whitney Morgan. He is representative of a Patrol and Pursuit Officer.
• Hugh S. "Bullseye" Forward (voiced by Peter Keleghan) - A police officer who worked with the Miami Police Department. He is the best helicopter pilot on the force which earned him the nickname "Bullseye." He is representative of a Police Helicopter pilot.
• Tina "Mainframe" Cassidy (voiced by Mary Long) - A police computer specialist who works for Empire City's Police Department. She is the best computer jockey ever whose talent in computer wizardry has helped solve even the most chaotic of capers. She is representative of a Police Technical Analyst.
• Susie "Mirage" Young (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - A female police officer who worked with the San Francisco Police Department. She is known for her talented work in undercover investigations. She is representative of a Vice Officer.
• Taser - A police officer known for tasering crooks who try to resist arrest. He appeared in a few episodes.
• Wayne R. "CheckPoint" Sneeden III - A military officer who grew up in Alabama and joins forces with C.O.P.S. Very fearful, nervous, anxious, but stays on the case with the team anyway to help get the job done. His toy File Card says his "father was a member of a top-secret military team in the 80’s and 90’s", referencing G.I. Joe character Beach Head (AKA Wayne R. Sneeden)^[7]
• A.P.E.S. - A police officer who has a pair of long grappling hand devices similar to LongArm's powercuffs. He appeared in The Case of the High Iron Hoods.`
• Airwave - A police officer who is a good communications expert and would have made a great sportscaster if he have chosen a different road than joining forces with C.O.P.S.
• Inferno - A firefighter. He appeared in a few episodes including The Case of The Bad Luck Burglar.
• Powderkeg - A police officer known for disarming and defusing bombs and other types of explosives. He helped Squeeky Kleen neutralize the Midas Glove that Squeeky wore in The Case of the Midas Touch
• Nightstick - A police officer who is an expert in martial arts. He appeared in a few episodes including The Case of the Missing Memory.

C.R.O.O.K.S.

• Brandon “Big Boss” Babel (voiced by Len Carlson impersonating Edward G. Robinson) - The primary antagonist of the series. Brandon "Big Boss" Babel is a crime lord who plans to rule Empire City with an iron fist...literally.
  • Scratch - Big Boss' pet weasel with metal paws and cybernetic armor. He is always seen in the company of Big Boss.
• Berserko (voiced by Paul De La Rosa) - An impulsive, dim-witted thug who is the proud nephew of Big Boss.
• Rock Krusher (voiced by Brent Titcomb) - A super-strong thug who works for Big Boss. He often uses a heavy-duty jackhammer in order to get into bank vaults.
• Ms. Demeanor (voiced by Paulina Gillis) - A middle-aged super-strong woman with the appearance of a normal business woman who works for Big Boss. She has the muscular physique of a champion bodybuilder.
• Turbo Tu-Tone (voiced by Dan Hennessey) - A minion of Big Boss who serves as his getaway driver. He was the one responsible for causing a car wreck that resulted in Baldwin P. Vess gaining a cybernetic torso.
• Dr. Badvibes (voiced by Ron Rubin) - A brilliant mad scientist. Ever since he was fired from Comtrex Technologies Incorporated for stealing top secret electronics, he works for Big Boss devising inventions and robotic minions for Big Boss's gang. He has a glass dome on top of his head which shows his abnormally large brain and is known to create literal brainstorms by charging electricity through his brainwaves to form a cloud that can produce rain, thunder and lightning.
  • Buzzbomb (voiced by Ron Rubin) - A robot created by Dr. Badvibes for companionship that works for Big Boss. He has a buzzsaw on one arm and a clamper on the other.
  • WALDO - A small robot created by Dr. Badvibes.
• Nightshade (voiced by Jane Schoettle) - Born as Rebella Diamond, her rich family disowned her when she turned to crime. She is a female jewel thief who works for Big Boss and is secretly in love with Mace.
• Buttons McBoomBoom (voiced by Nick Nichols) - A minion of Big Boss. He is seen wearing a red suit and fedora and carries around a violin case that hides his favorite playtoy, a deadly modified Thompson submachine gun with a scope attachment that he uses to blast away at any target at will. Buttons McBoomBoom hides underneath his suit a cybernetic torso that bears twin machine guns with which he blasts away after he unbuttons his shirt to reveal them in the heat of battle against either the C.O.P.S. or a bug.
• Squeeky Kleen (voiced by Marvin Goldhar^[8]) - A bald criminal who serves as Big Boss' yes man.
• Nightmare the Android -
• Koo Koo -
• Hyena - A criminal that uses jokes in his crime. He held a criminal contest against Big Boss to determine who will stay in Empire City and who will leave. A challenge like that caused Big Boss to orchestrate Highway's kidnapping in order to get Bulletproof and Barricade to help him. During the criminal games, C.O.P.S. managed to turn the tables against Hyena and his goons and arrest them. Hyena and his henchmen later popped up as minions of Big Boss.
  • Bullit - Bullit is a henchman of Hyena. He wears rocket boots and a bullet-shaped helmet strong enough to break safes.
  • Louie the Plumber (voiced by Ron Rubin) - A plumber-themed criminal who is a henchman of Hyena. He has a mechanical left arm containing a grappling hook.

Minor Criminals

Not all enemies of C.O.P.S. are members of Big Boss' gang:

• The Bugman - A short criminal who uses an insect-controlling device that enables him to control insects to commit his crimes after people stopped showing up to his flea circus. He joined up with Big Boss' gang, but left when he did not get a high pay. This causes Nightshade and Buttons McBoomBoom to steal his bugs and the insect-controlling device and use them in their crimes. When Mainframe and Bowser and Blitz found him after tailing Gaylord, they help him into regaining his insect-controlling device. Though Buttons and Nightshade are defeated, Bugman is also arrested. He was last seen restarting his flea circus in prison where his entertaining of the guards is a diversion for Gaylord who secretly makes for the keys. In "The Case of the Lesser of Two Weevils," Bugman escapes from prison when Gaylord gets captured by his rival the Boll Weevil. When Boll Weevil was defeated, Bugman and Gaylord went back to show business.
  • Gaylord - A weevil who is the Bugman's favorite insect. He leads Bugman's insects in Bugman's crime spree.
• Jim Vargas - The corrupt head of City Council who was bribed by Big Boss to make the Instant Justice Machines. When the Instant Justice Machines caught Mace and Barricade trespassing in Vetrocon, he called Big Boss on what to do. When C.O.P.S. storms Vetrocon, Vargas unleashes the Instant Justice Machines on them. When Mace and Barricade catch up to Vargas, he demands immunity and an offer to name names of anyone involved. Vargas even gives himself up and was sentence to prison.
  • Instant Justice Machines - A bunch of robots built by Jim Vargas in order to put C.O.P.S. out of business. They act not only as police officers, but also as judges and jailers leaving the culprit trapped until a police car comes by. Some of the crimes they busted involved a man illegally parking on a spot that is only allowed on Tuesdays, a woman jaywalking, a man littering when his hat fell off in the wind while carrying groceries, and two teens speeding on their skateboards. When it came to Highway busting Ms. Demeanor, an Instant Justice Machine found her innocent of all charges. The Instant Justice Machines ended up fighting C.O.P.S. when they stormed Vetrocon. Barricade even talked the Instant Justice Machine guarding him and Mac into releasing them. When Mace and Barricade end up cornering Vargas, the other Instant Justice Machines stopped their attacks. Following Vargas' arrest, most of the Instant Justice Machines were deactivated except for the one that Barricade talked into freeing him and Mace.
• Johnny Yuma - Johnny Yuma is the former partner of Sundown who was put away for trying to steal the money they recovered from a robbery and various train robberies. He eventually escapes from the Texas State Prison to take revenge on Sundown. When Turbo Tu-Tone sees him, he calls up Big Boss who instructs him to follow Johnny and know his every move. Sundown hears of Johnny's prison break and manages to confront him when he breaks into the cowboy museum and regains his lasso. Johnny manages to lasso Sundown to a robotic bull. As Johnny heads out to rob the Silver Bullet Express, Turbo Tu-Tone trails him and turns on the robotic bull. Upon being tipped off by Turbo Tu-Tone, Big Boss sends Berserko, Rock Krusher, and Buttons McBoomBoom to recruit Johnny Yuma. When the three rendezvous with Turbo Tu-Tone to recruit Johnny Yuma into Big Boss' gang, Johnny Yuma tells them that he works alone and defeats them. Johnny then leaves to go rob the Silver Bullet Express prompting Berserko to lead the Turbo Tu-Tone, Rock Krusher, and Buttons McBoomBoom into robbing it first. Sundown manages to catch up to Johnny Yuma on the Silver Bullet Express and ends up fighting him until Big Boss' minions crash the fight. After Berserko, Turbo Tu-Tone, Rock Krusher, and Buttons McBoomBoom were defeated, Johnny Yuma agrees to return to jail to finish his sentence which led to an early release due to good behavior. He now works as a deputy in a small Texas town.
• Small Guy -
• Shifty - A shape-shifting android created by Dr. Badvibes.
• Jenny Wringer - A con artist.
• Big Momma - An old lady who is Big Boss's mother and Berserko's great-aunt. She is blind to the fact that her son is not as skinny as she thought to have been. When she once visited Empire City to visit her son, Big Boss had to cover up his criminal side by stating that he is a philanthropist and even started an orphanage with his henchmen posing as orphans. Due to his mother being around, he was not able to successfully steal the money and had to donate it to charity. In "The Case of the Lost Boss," she secretly moves to Kansas and orchestrates her son's kidnapping before he can plan a heist on Stargy Island's diamond mines. Big Momma's kidnapping of Big Boss caused his henchman to blame the C.O.P.S. for Big Boss' disappearance causing them to capture Barricade. Berserko tails the C.O.P.S. when they run into Big Momma and informs Dr. Badvibes that Big Boss is at Big Momma's apartment. The crooks managed to swipe Big Boss from Big Momma's apartment so that they can get on with their plans to take over Stargy Island. C.O.P.S. thwarted Big Boss' plans causing him to escape with Big Momma.
• Mukluk - A tricky Canadian thief.
• Boll Weevil - An insect-themed villain. He once captured Gaylord causing Bugman to escape from prison to get him back.
• Addictem - A drug dealer who was selling Crystal Twists that were causing people to become addicted to them. He tried to join Big Boss' gang only to be denied since Big Boss does not do drug dealing. Because of Addictem spreading his Crystal Twist drugs across Empire City and Berserko falling into a Crystal Twist crate trying to steal the Mayan Gold, Big Boss and his gang had to team up with C.O.P.S. to stop Addictem's drug ring. When Addictem was chased into the hospital and grabbed by Berserko, Addictem surrendered to C.O.P.S. to evade getting beaten up by Berserko. Addictem was sentenced to life in prison and those who were affected by the Crystal Twists are recovering from them.

Supporting characters

• Mayor Davis - The mayor of Empire City.
• Commissioner Highwaters - The police commissioner of Empire City
• Whitney Morgan with Beamer (voiced by Jeri Craden) - ECTV Reporter.
  • Beamer - Whitney Morgan's camera robot.
• Brian O'Malley - LongArm's son.

Minor characters

• Judge Davis - Mayor Davis' twin brother.
• Linda O'Malley - LongArm's wife.
• Mickey O'Malley - LongArm's dad.
• President of the United States - An unnamed African-American female.
• Suds Sparko -
• Brannigan -
• Prince Baddin -
• Nancy and Kathleen - Nightshade's sisters.
• Greasy -
• Francis Malcolm Pittermore -
• Grace Elizabeth Victoria Winsmore -
• Ian Oliver -
• Traylor Turbiné Totallinski -
• Audrey Ferrer -
• Dr. Gregory Timothy Adams -
• Ronald Harvard -
• Samantha - A tomboy who helps the cops out during an investigation Dr. Badvibes's circus.
• Captain Crimefighter -
• Inspector Yukon - A RCMP Mountie.
• Agent Belson - An Executive Protection Unit agent (this show's version of The Secret Service).
• Brandon Welch Master 5000 -

Episodes

Stations

• KWGN-TV 2 - Denver, CO
• WTTV 4 - Indianapolis, IN
• KPHO-TV 5 - Phoenix, AZ
• KMSP 9 - Minneapolis, MN
• WGN-TV 9 - Chicago, IL
• KPLR-TV 11 - St. Louis, MO
• KSTW 11 - Seatlle, WA
• KTVT 11 - Dallas, TX
• WPIX 11 - New York, NY
• KCOP 13 - Los Angeles, CA
• WPHL-TV 17 - Philadelphia, PA
• WVTV 18 - Milwaukee, WI
• WDCA DC 20 - Washington, DC
• WXON-TV 20 - Detroit, MI
• WOFL Fox 35 - Orlando, FL
• KHTV 39 - Houston, TX
• WDZL 39 - Miami, FL
• WUAB 43 - Cleveland, OH
• KBHK 44 - San Francisco, CA
• WGNX 46 - Atlanta, GA
• WLVI 56 - Boston, MA

DVD releases

On February 28, 2006, Shout! Factory released C.O.P.S.- Volume 1, a 4-disc boxset featuring the first 22 episodes on DVD in Region 1.^[9] It includes concept art, storyboard-to-screen, and some of the original PSAs that were shown after the episodes. Volume 2 featuring 21 episodes was released as a Shout! Factory select title, available exclusively through their online store.^[10]

In October 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that they had acquired the rights to the series and would be releasing it in its entirety.^[11] They subsequently released Volume 1, featuring the first 32 episodes of the series, on February 15, 2011.^[12] Volume 2 was released on September 13, 2011.^[13]

C.O.P.S. 'N' Crooks

C.O.P.S ’n’ Crooks was a line of action figures produced by Hasbro and sold between 1988 and 1989. These figures are made up of police and criminals of the future and uses the tagline: "Fighting Crime in a Future Time."

In the packages containing the C.O.P.S. figures, only the C.O.P.S. logo is shown while the packages containing the CROOKS figure features only the phrase "N'CROOKS" shown right next to the logo. Each figure, fully articulated and poseable, standing about six inches tall on the average, came with cap gun accessories that allowed kids, who played with them, to fire off their weapons by pulling back the trigger and releasing it to cause a spark and a popping noise when the trigger slams into a strip of cap firing paper.

Each figure also had a file card printed on the back of the package that contained a biography of the character. These file cards were written by Larry Hama, who also wrote the file cards for Hasbro’s G.I. Joe action figures. The artwork made for each package is illustrated by Bart Sears, Mark Pennington, and McNabb Studios.

Several female C.O.P.S. and Crooks characters (Mainframe, Nightshade, Mirage, and Ms. Demeanor) appeared in the cartoon and the comics, but were never released as action figures.

C.O.P.S. For Kids

At the end of each episode of C.O.P.S., a special PSA segment known as C.O.P.S. For Kids is shown either in animated form featuring the C.O.P.S. and CROOKS or in live action form with real-life police officers giving kids information about safety issues. These included staying away from drugs, gangs, how to be safe at home and on the street, and how to help in preventing crime. Each and every C.O.P.S. for Kids segment was made with the blessing and assistance of organizations like DARE, the National Crime Prevention Council and the California Highway Patrol. These segments were omitted from some international broadcasts of the show.

References

External links

• C.O.P.S. at the Internet Movie Database
• C.O.P.S. at TV.com
• COPS HQ—The Cartoon Part of C.O.P.S. HQ website