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Au contraire, being a corrupt cop in Gotham was like a way of life before Batman, and it’s not like it’s open season on them for criminals after he shows up.
Corrupt and incompetent is a bonus for a villain; less to worry about. It’s those high morals competent having cops like that Gordon fella that’s going to mess up your evil plans.
Corrupt cops are on the villains’ payrolls. Villains aren’t going to kill off cops who help them, because that makes other cops less inclined to accept bribes or work for them. Plus they’ll usually help each other, since they want the gravy train to keep running.
Incompetent cops stay out of dangerous situations. Either by deliberately avoiding it or by not doing their due diligence and not being there during the action.
Being corrupt and/or incompetent is actually how most officers survived being in the GCPD before Gordon and Batman came around, but even long after that it was still preferable. Competence and deduction is the death sentence.
On the contrary! Corrupt and incompetent is how you stay alive! Criminals won’t kill you when they know they can just slip you a couple of bills and ask you to take a walk, and if you’re too incompetent to solve cases, the people with capacity to kill you have no reason to.
His level of corruptness and ineptitude varies greatly in between versions. There’s a number of versions where he’s a hardass, but neither corruptible nor especially bad at his job.
He’s not important enough, and whenever he makes comish or any other powerful position, the evil men in Gotham can basically count on his vices and baseline behavior to balance him out so he’s not a real threat.
Comic book Harvey was only corrupt initially and I think retconned several times where he is a good cop, just loud, abrasive and clumsy. Animated series Harvey is a decent cop who hates Batman and is not always the brightest. In Gotham, he starts off as corrupt but is inspired by Gordon to be better. But overall he is street smart enough to not get killed stupidly.
You have it backwards. The only way to survive as a cop in Gotham for a vast majority of Gotham’s history was to be corrupt and/or incompetent. That’s the reason Batman and Gordon have the close relationship that they do. Gordon was basically the one surviving good cop in all of Gotham, which resulted in Batman repeatedly saving his life as assorted coworkers tried to get him killed for it.
The criminals can just pay him to not arrest them, Gotham PD is just as corrupt as him so they’re not going to do anything about it, and the few good cop are bound by the system to go through Gotham’s IA which is also corrupt.
Depends on the version. Some versions of Harvey Bullock were a “crooked cop with a heart of gold”, as in they dirty to get the job but they still wanted to do their job.
Harvey is actually very competent in a lot of the media. His corruption level varies, but the biggest drawback against him is that he is a competent,, realistic detective in a city that has super-criminals and BATMAN.
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I’m not even joking, no one cares enough about Harvey Bullock to kill him
Sure, a stray bullet or something could eventually get him one day, but someone going out of the way to target him?
Nah, dude’s a nobody, most villains don’t ever remember who he is after he leaves their view
Au contraire, being a corrupt cop in Gotham was like a way of life before Batman, and it’s not like it’s open season on them for criminals after he shows up.
Corrupt and incompetent is a bonus for a villain; less to worry about. It’s those high morals competent having cops like that Gordon fella that’s going to mess up your evil plans.
Corrupt cops are on the villains’ payrolls. Villains aren’t going to kill off cops who help them, because that makes other cops less inclined to accept bribes or work for them. Plus they’ll usually help each other, since they want the gravy train to keep running.
Incompetent cops stay out of dangerous situations. Either by deliberately avoiding it or by not doing their due diligence and not being there during the action.
Being corrupt and/or incompetent is actually how most officers survived being in the GCPD before Gordon and Batman came around, but even long after that it was still preferable. Competence and deduction is the death sentence.
On the contrary! Corrupt and incompetent is how you stay alive! Criminals won’t kill you when they know they can just slip you a couple of bills and ask you to take a walk, and if you’re too incompetent to solve cases, the people with capacity to kill you have no reason to.
His level of corruptness and ineptitude varies greatly in between versions. There’s a number of versions where he’s a hardass, but neither corruptible nor especially bad at his job.
Bullock was just corrupt and incompetent enough that your question is almost reversed. Generally he’s out for survival more than a buck.
He’s not important enough, and whenever he makes comish or any other powerful position, the evil men in Gotham can basically count on his vices and baseline behavior to balance him out so he’s not a real threat.
Comic book Harvey was only corrupt initially and I think retconned several times where he is a good cop, just loud, abrasive and clumsy. Animated series Harvey is a decent cop who hates Batman and is not always the brightest. In Gotham, he starts off as corrupt but is inspired by Gordon to be better. But overall he is street smart enough to not get killed stupidly.
You have it backwards. The only way to survive as a cop in Gotham for a vast majority of Gotham’s history was to be corrupt and/or incompetent. That’s the reason Batman and Gordon have the close relationship that they do. Gordon was basically the one surviving good cop in all of Gotham, which resulted in Batman repeatedly saving his life as assorted coworkers tried to get him killed for it.
You think he’s in danger from… who, exactly?
The criminals can just pay him to not arrest them, Gotham PD is just as corrupt as him so they’re not going to do anything about it, and the few good cop are bound by the system to go through Gotham’s IA which is also corrupt.
Nobody wants to kill they guy not arresting them.
Pre Batman, being honest was a death sentence. Only the one willing to take bribes didn’t get killed.
Even later it probably helps. Who’s the villain going to kill, the cop who will look the other way when bribed, or the one who won’t?
Depends on the version. Some versions of Harvey Bullock were a “crooked cop with a heart of gold”, as in they dirty to get the job but they still wanted to do their job.
Why would the criminals want to kill corrupt or incompetent cops? Those are probably their favorites.
I’m surprised he survived No Man’s Land.
Harvey is actually very competent in a lot of the media. His corruption level varies, but the biggest drawback against him is that he is a competent,, realistic detective in a city that has super-criminals and BATMAN.