Disclaimer: I do not own Cop and a Half or Police Quest, or any of their characters. Devon may be slightly OOC here.
The mother was reading the headlines in the local Tampa newspaper. Her son was playing a computer game where he was making a policeman who was just declared off-duty make a phone call to his girlfriend.
"Devon, honey," said Rachel Butler to her eight-year-old son, who was sitting at their household's new PC, "You really should think about taking a break from playing those computer games of yours. You could hurt your eyes looking at the electronic screen all the time."
Devon Butler, a law enforcement whiz kid who dreamt of becoming a cop when he grew up, continued to play his game while replying, "Sorry, mom, but you know I've gotta practice these games on a regular basis. There are police procedures I have to follow as a cop, and this cool game series is what I need to learn more about how to make the crooks in America stay behind bars, where they belong."
"Really, Devon," said Rachel, "First you obsess over TV shows like Cops and Miami Vice and the cops in those shows. Then you see a lot of cop movies, edited for TV, of course. And now, you're trying to get acquainted with police work in video games like Police Quest. What's next?"
"Probably the police academy, mom," said Devon.
Rachel shook her head. "Sometimes I get the feeling that police work is the only thing you care about lately, son," she said exasperatedly.
"But mom," Devon explained, "Police Quest is one of the most honest and real game series ever made. Cadets in the police academies often use these games to learn about basic police procedures and how to follow them properly. You play a police officer named Sonny Bonds, who does all kinds of work in his job. In the first game alone, he gives out a ticket, arrests a drunk driver, solves a parking complaint, and has a coffee break in the Lytton PD's favorite café, before moving on to investigating a really sneaky case involving a hit man and his drug running/card shark boss, finally bringing them to justice in an undercover operation."
Rachel looked at her son, and then looked at the computer screen. It presently showed a Homicide office with four police detectives at work in it, and the blond one was Sonny Bonds, the playable character. "Exactly what sort of police rules do these games give their players to follow?"
Devon grinned. "Like I said, mom, it's mainly basic, but vitally important. Early in Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel, you have to learn to ignore the sultry advances and verbal abuse of traffic violators when giving them tickets, administer the Field Sobriety Test to confirm a drunk driver's drunkenness, and know when to use your nightstick instead of your gun, and some other procedures, too. You also have to know how to intimidate a dangerous suspect when arresting him, without breaking the law yourself, and where to look for evidence of drugs, little black books, licenses, and car identification."
"Well, that's kind of interesting, Devon, but-" Rachel started to say.
"Then," interrupted Devon, eager to say more, "you get to become this really cool plainclothes Narcotics detective, who has to find hard evidence against the criminals in his files, FBI information, and the mainframe computer. You also get to do a stakeout in the park, which is more boring than I thought during the waiting part, but becomes a hell of an exciting adventure when the drug dealers get on the scene and do their transaction. And late in the game, you go undercover to play poker with illegal gamblers and infiltrate the Death Angel's headquarters, finally bringing him down for good."
"Devon," said Rachel as soon as he had finished talking, "Don't interrupt your own mother, that's very rude. And don't use that four-letter word in this house either! Really, you need to remember your manners, young man!"
"Yeah, sorry, mom," said Devon, "But do you get my point about these games or not?"
"Not entirely, Devon," Rachel admitted.
"The Police Quest series is one of the best police stories ever made, and not just for games," he said. "It's even better than the cool TV shows and movies I've watched before, because it follows the actions of the police more perfectly than any other fictional cop story I ever heard of. It's like a police procedural for the computer. And it's characters are so real, too. Sonny Bonds and his cop buddies all know their stuff when it comes to taking down the crooks and correcting the misdemeanors. His partners, Laura Watts, Keith Robinson, and the corrupt cop, Pat Morales, are some of the best supporting good guys in the series. Sweet Cheeks Marie is adorable as Sonny's sweetheart, even while she was a hooker. And the criminals, from Jason Taselli, Woody Roberts, and Don Colby to Jessie Bains and his brother Michael Bains themselves, are really spooky dudes who make even my neck hair bristle and my skin crawl. It even has all the ideal locations for a cop on the beat, like the Blue Room, Carol's Caffeine Castle, and of course, Lytton City Jail, where cops can relax and unwind, or drop off the big, bad bozos who try to hurt innocent people all the time."
Rachel found this to be a lot to take in, but she ultimately succeeded. "Well, Devon," she said at last, "it sounds like you've really been doing your police homework, even better than you did with Miami Vice. But I'm asking you again, are you sure that the life of a police officer is for you? The job, and the academy, are supposed to be very rough and even painful."
"'Course I'm sure, mom," said Devon, "Cops are cool, and they get to do things to help their society. There's no better service than that. And it may have a lot of boredom, but I have no problem with that, because the exciting times will keep me going, no matter how boring things get."
Rachel gave him an encouraging smile. "In that case," she said, "I honestly hope to God that you succeed, son, because I'd hate to see what would happen to you if you couldn't fulfill your dream."
"Thanks, mom," said Devon happily, "And I won't fail, either. I can handle any of the stuff they have to throw at me in the academy."
Rachel looked at the computer screen again. "By the way, Devon, is this Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel?"
Devon looked at the screen too. "No, this is Police Quest 2: The Vengeance, mom. Sonny and Keith are pursuing Jessie Bains, who just escaped from jail, and Sonny is ending his shift for the day right now after searching for him unsuccessfully. He has a date with Sweet Cheeks Marie Wilkans."
"Oh, I see," Rachel replied.
"Maybe sometime, I'll tell ya about how Sonny follows Homicide Unit procedures in this game," offered Devon.
Rachel sighed. "I think I've had enough cop education for one day. Maybe tomorrow, or some other day."
"Okay, mom," said Devon. She got back to reading the paper while he made Sonny leave the Police Department and drive to Arnie's restaurant for his date with Marie.