Cyberpunk 2077 – NCPD & Night City Police! (Explained!)

In this explained episode we’ll look at all law enforcement departments ranging from the beat patrol to the vice department, to the MAX Tac and Riot teams. There’s a ton of divisions in the police force and NCPD in Night City so lets take a better look!

The Night City police department is the premier law enforcement in Night City founded in 1994. There headquarters are situated in Night City in Sector C4 in Little China, and we can also see a NCPD branch in sector C9 during the E3 Trailer. Although it does seem to have changed since then as we see sector 27 in the gameplay demo.

The NCPD is split into a couple of divisions in the patrol unit, beat patrol, traffic, cruiser, and airborne control units. There are also more advanced divisions such as the investigative, vice, robbery, homicide, special investigations, tactical SWAT, MAX Tac and Riot divisions.

First we have the patrol unit. They are the largest divison in in the NCPD and their primary purpose is to patrol any given sector to enforce the law and reduce crime. The nature of the role is dangerous due to how twisted the world of Night City is and thus the Night City Government pumps a lot of funding into this division.

Beat patrol cops are similar to regular patrol police, but are assigned to their designated sector. In past years patrols consisted of a singular patrolling officer, but with threats like gangs, corporate shootouts, riots, drugs and psychos, they’ve bumped it up to two patrolling officers. Kind of doesn’t seem like that would be enough with all things considered, but maybe sectors are actually quite small. They have standard issue equipment like a vest and 9 mm pistol.

Traffic patrol are the lowest of the low on the hierarchy and usually given out as punishment roles by higher ups in the police force. Their role is to enforce traffic laws, and the flow of traffic in Night City.

Next is cruiser patrol which is a step up from the standard beat cop. They drive a BMW600, and assist beat cops on their patrol of a sector. Cruiser patrol is a little more dangerous in Night City due to it being a higher profile job.

Airborne patrol is next and this division operates helicopters, aerodynes and other AVs to patrol Nigh Cities skies. They are usually used as heavy backup needed in a moments notice. Air units typically consist of a pilot, 2 beat cops and officer and a medic.

The investigation division is smaller than that of the patrol division, but is seen as a step up. As you can imagine they carry out all criminal investigations within Night City. These cops are referred to as “Plainclothes” and are known to have the greatest knowledge of the city.

The vice department primarily deals with narcotics with an emphasis on trafficking, possession and distribution as well as prostitution, gambling and weapons crimes. A majority of their cases are undercover with vice cops spending months on end infiltrating dangerous gangs in the worst parts of the city. They are equipped with cybernetics primarily for infiltration and surveillance.

Next we have the robbery department. This department deals with armed robbery, burglary, auto-theft, grand larceny, fraud, counterfeiting and embezzlement. This department gets a lot of funding due to their dealings with high value crime.

Next is the Homicide department, who deal with mass-mureder to aggravated assault and the ever growing problem of corporate murders. They can deal with up to 50 murders per day in Night City which takes a big toll on their psychological well-being.

Next we have the special investigations department or SIN. They deal with more large scale and serious crimes that may need involvement from multiple departments. These crimes include mass murder, corporate espionage, wide spread organized crime, high profile kidnappings, counterfeiting and brutal murders. Other divisions generally don’t like the SIN department due to it receiving some of the most funding and taking over pre-existing cases.

The SWAT or Special Weapons and Tactics divison are a rapid response unit trained to deal with high risk situations. 10 SWAT members equipped with police vehicles and combat oriented cybernetics are assigned in dealing with heavily armed shootouts, sieges, and security for high profile targets.

Next we have the MAX TAC also called the Cyborg suppression unit or Psycho Squad. They are a step above the SWAT and deal exclusively with Cyberpsychos. If you want to learn more about Cyberpsychos and Cyberpsychosis ill link a card in the top right for you guys to check out.

Finally we have the RIOT Team. They are on call 24/7 and are essentially dispatched in response to riots to control the crowds and chaos. Riot teams consist of 10 troopers lead by a single officer and are issued riot shields, armor, tear gas, and non lethal ammunition. They use unique weapons like the Arasaka Nauseator!