Chief Bochco
Chief Conrad Bochco is the former police chief for the Paragon City Police Department.
Character History
Conrad Bochco started as a beat cop in the police department, learning from seasoned veterans on the way things work on the streets. Although he rose in the ranks relatively quickly, Bochco never forgot his street training, which was one of the reasons why he seemed to be popular with the officers on patrol.
In the aftermath of the Rikti Invasion of 2002, city government on all levels were decimated. Order needed to be restored quickly, thus city officials were quick to turn to Bochco, then a station-house captain, to become the new Chief of Police.
Bochco's Police Administration
Bochco returned to his "street-smarts" method of rebuilding the city's police force. He recruited people from all walks of life, no matter their history. This included gang members, ex-convicts, and even people associated with The Family. Often he promised their records to be wiped clean if they worked for the city to keep the streets safe. Although his "bottom barrel" approach helped to quickly restore order, it also led to several accusations of abuse and corruption.
Bochco also began a not-so-subtle program to make registered heroes obsolete. The Armored and Psi-Division units were two quick-start programs using the best in both technology and psionics. The discovery of the presence of Kheldian Peacebringers and Warshades allowed him to begin the Awakened Division, which merged human officers with Kheldians to form super-powered hybrid police officers. Another program he approved of was the Hero Shield program, which would speed up training and create super-powered street enforcers similar to Blue Steel.
But not all programs were publicly known or publicly approved. One such division was the Blind Unit, comprised of the most aggressive and ruthless of officers. The Blind Unit was given its name from the witness pronouncement "Nobody saw anything." The Blind Unit carried out vigilante justice, especially when it regarded attacks on police officers.
Retirement
As life tried to return to normal in Paragon City, the city could no longer tolerate the repeated abuses from within the department. Civil rights groups including the Paragon Libertarian Society filed lawsuit after lawsuit not only the abuses, but also to get police records which were suppressed by Bochco's staff.
A new hero called the Libertarian Avenger began his own crusade to go after the corrupt police officers and prosecutors, exposing the actions of the "Blind Unit", which led to the arrest and eventual conviction of several of their members.
Following the "Blind Unit" scandal, City Officials informed Bochco that they could not ignore these instances and privately asked him to step down. In exchange for ending all investigations into his administration's activities, Bochco would retire from the department. During the one-year anniversary of the Second Rikti Invasion, he quietly left his office, and Chief Morton Clayton took over the department.
Return?
In 2010, Chief Clayton was attacked by an unknown individual and was in critical condition. Due to the violent nature of the attack and that it was reportedly from a costumed hero, some city officials suggested that Bochco temporarily return to the PPD as an interim chief. This idea was pushed heavily by the police union.
However, such idea was quickly rejected by those in City Hall and Chief Clayton was able to return to work.
District Attorney Election
(See also District Attorney Election of 2011)
When city officials announced the vacated position of District Attorney would be filled by a special election, Bochco was approached by several influential political leaders. They knew that Deputy District Attorney Edward "The Trust" Vance would be considered the "odds-on favorite" to win, but given his record of abuse, they did not believe that Vance would be suitable for the position.
Bochco agreed to run for the position of District Attorney in the special election on the condition that he get the full support and endorsement from city workers and the police union. Both groups agreed eagerly.
Bochco's campaign ran mostly on conservative overtones and his history with the PPD in restoring order after the Rikti Invasion. It played down the scandals at the end of his administration, blaming those on "a few bad apples" instead of the systemic corruption that existed at the time. Conservatives found themselves torn between supporting either Bochco or Vance.
Other References
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Although referenced numerous times, Chief Bochco currently does not appear as an in-game character.
(Note: The name Bochco may be in reference to Steven Bochco, known for his creation of critically-acclaimed TV police series including "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue".)
