The Sunnydale Police Department

BuffyElevated

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In season 2, Principal Snyder tells Buffy the Sunnydale police are "deeply stupid". Do you think they were, or do you think they were working for The Mayor, turning their cheek to the evil that was going on in Sunnydale?
 
Well I like to think of "deeply stupid" as Snyder's unpleasant way of saying 'uninitiated in the realm of demons and darkness'. 😉

If the police were deeply stupid then so was most of Sunnydale's population or they would all have left. Aware of the place being 'different' they probably were though, but I don't think the police was in the Mayor's pocket so to speak, if they were willfully turning a cheek to the evil then IMO they would have all been more or less evil themselves.

I simply think they were clueless and, as any other regular Joe, probably mystified by things going on but prone to rationalize it within human rather than supernatural means 😀
 
I think they were paid to turn a blind eye. The police at the top would bury the truth but the police at the bottom were just scared or really dumb.
 
I don't think they were stupid; I mean most of the population seemed unaware of what went bump in the night. My guess is that they had their suspicions about what caused all the unexplainable events in Sunnydale but they probably had their doubts about it being supernatural forces; they also probably didn't want to deal with informing the public of evil demons etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if they had an unspoken agreement with the mayor to cover up certain things per his request, in return they were probably ensured proper funding etc.

I think Snyder made that remark as a way of acknowledging that his working relationship was closer to the mayors than the police departments.
 
BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
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It is heavily implied that the Sunnydale PD is an accessory in in covering up what goes on. We see Snyder talking to someone who I have always assumed was a police lieutenant/chief of police type guy where they discuss which cover-up story will be used this time.

So I don't think they are stupid, they're dishonest. Which is probably worse 🙂
 
R
Ripper666
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I guess the normal policeman didn't know what is going on in Sunnydale but I don't think the major couldn't hide such "crazzy" things before the main-chief-of the police department. The police-boss must have known!
 
I've always thought that practically the entire population of Sunnydale and the near vicinity were under a spell similar to the one that prevented the Scoobies from being able to recognize the connection between Ben and Glory, except that, with a conscious effort to do so, they (namely the Scoobies, the members of the Initiative and a select few others) could actually retain the memories. the spell would include the Police and Fire Departments as well as medical personnel. They would forget all about demons and vampires the moment they were no longer a direct threat.
 
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I like it haha :)
I tend to agree with [MENTION=10582]brinkster130[/MENTION] on this one... I don't think they were so much stupid as that they just tried to ignore the supernatural elements of the town.
 
brinkster130
brinkster130
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I think that, while they were often scared and just tried to ignore the supernatural, they also could be very ignorant.
Like in "Passion" - As much as I love Giles, how could he not be the prime suspect for murder? I would've arrested him.
 
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i love your button in your siggy :)
i think a bit of both really, i mean think of all the weird things that happened that it seemed they never acknowledged or they did but ignored either because they were scared or because they were indeed somehow working for the mayor.

I think the majority of them were just scared or just ignoring things, but i also think the mayor may have been guiding them in that direction somehow.
 
The police of Sunnydale are deeply stupid

As the esteemed Mr. Snyder pointed out in "Becoming Part 2", the Sunnydale PD are just idiots. I re-watched "Becoming" tonight and, man, that episode is the absolute apex of both uselessness and stupidity.

I mean, from start to finish, they're just terrible. First, the cop that fires at Buffy while she's running away? You'd be in deep sh** for that. No cop would ever, EVER do that. An unarmed, teenager is running away and you shoot her? No way, doesn't matter what you think she's done.

And whoever is running the investigation into Buffy should be canned. I mean, okay, she gets away. But then she proceeds to go to the hospital where all the people at the crime scene are, goes back to the crime scene, then goes home, and then runs away via the bus station. You're telling me the police have none of those places covered? Really?

As a great (or at least greatly entertaining one) once said: "The police of Sunnydale are deeply stupid".
 
SlayerFest
SlayerFest
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All very good points. Maybe that's how Joss intended it to be.

Still, the fact does not change. "The police of Sunnydale are deeply stupid."
 
Only during Season Three do I think they might know something. Other than that, their few appearances make them seem stupid. Yes, the whole population seemed to live in their own bubble. I remember thinking it was more strange when Cordy's wish of Buffy's absence- I never understood why anyone would have hung around in that town. =p
 
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