Community:GTA IV Gripes/Police



This is the official Grand Theft Wiki GTA IV Gripes list.

For now, this page is open to everybody. If there is any abuse of this page it will be locked, and all submissions will have to go through the Discussion page.

The "Gripes" on this page are intended to warn new players of things they may not like about the game.

The "Rebuts" on this page are intended to explain to new players why some gripes may not be a "gripe" for all players.

Please do not repeat other people's gripes. Also, no silly/stupid/idiotic/explicit/racist gripes or rebuttals.

How To Gripe

  • Find the appropriate sub-page for your gripe.
  • Make sure your gripe hasn't already been mentioned.
  • Start a gripe with {{Gripe}}, then follow with your gripe.

How To Rebut Gripes

  • Rebuttals to gripes should be directly underneath the gripe.
  • Start your rebuttal with :{{Rebut}}, then follow with your rebuttal.
  • Rebuttals should address reasons it is not a valid gripe, and should not accuse the gripe of being "silly" or "stupid."

Gripe RebutCops manage to shoot your tires out, even if you're going 100mph.

RebutAnd they have multiple cops firing lots of bullets to shoot your tires down to stop you from running away.
Gripe

RebutActually, I was chased by cops and one cop shot my tires out no matter how fast I am going. I think R* must've used an aimbot to stop you from running.

RebutWho says it was a gun shot? I have ran over things before that have popped my tires.
RebutLucky shot? I don't seem to have that problem in my game.

Gripe RebutSomehow, an LCPD Cruiser can keep up with an Infernus that is easily twice as fast. And then they can't keep up with a slow municipal bus.

RebutThey can keep up with an Infernus due to the sheer number of police cruisers. Aren't cops aren't meant to ram the person they are chasing unless under extreme circumstances?
Gripe

RebutBut he also mentioned abou tthe Bus transport vehicle. I mean, how can cops be so sluggish to keep up with a slow moving bus vehicle? Really weird and bad realism.

Rebutif i understand correctly you're saying "how can the cops keep up with a slow vehicle?" my answer would be: by going slow :p
RebutJust some statistics for you. The Police Cruiser has a top speed of 194 mph. The Infernus has a top speed of 208 mph. Not twice as fast now is it?

Gripe Rebut After you complete the story, you can't call Francis to lose your wanted level at all.

RebutFrancis would only do it once in the story anyway. Besides, there is always Kiki.

Gripe RebutCops don't deploy spike strips, or utilize special pursuit vehicles for highspeed chases. Nor do they cordon off areas to trap the player.

RebutThey block off the bridges, and send more helicopters after you.
RebutThey do in fact deploy special pursuit vehicles. If you're getting chased by the Police Patrol, they will then send a Police Cruiser after you.

Gripe RebutNo matter how hard players try to get away from the police's radius, cops seem to spawn near the player's vehicle. Hiding is nearly impossible, even on secluded areas.

RebutRockstar, I believe, was trying to make the game more realistic. It's like that in real life, too.
RebutYes, especially in Star Junction, there are more cops in that area around than others. Plus the police of course dispatches more cop cars around the radius to search for you.
RebutOnce the chase ends (your stars turn grey and there's no cops immediately near you), you should really pull over to jack another car or get sprayed, especially if you're still well within the wanted area.
Gripe

RebutThe radius is another thing that's irritating. I get in the chopper, and somehow, I can't evade the radius. It stays where it was. Crappy realism, I mean, you evaded the cops, but not the radius? Pathetic.

RebutIt would be hard not to notice a helicopter over head, would it? Not, they can still track you if your in a helicopter. There are very few places to hide in the sky.
Rebut To escape while in a helicopter you can fly very fast and then bail out into water and hope that boats don't find you. You fly far enough to evade a 4 star wanted level but i havn't tried 5 or 6 stars.
Gripe

RebutThe thing that annoys me about the radius is that it punishes good driving rather than rewards it. If you drive fast through traffic without crashing and get well outside the radius, another cop car appears out of nowhere and you retain your wanted level. Driving slow or crashing near the edge of the radius usually results in losing the wanted level.

RebutOf course youll be punished for driving too smoothly as you would be more likely to run into more cops and it make sense, the system actually WANTS you to hide once you get out of the radius, not to drive like hell("Im here come and get me!!!" while complaining about cops chasing you). You should just STOP at the radius edge with your drift break if your skills are so great, instead of crashing there, or if your are so good at driving-- you should probably maintain in high speed while avioding respawned cops."I mean, you evaded the cops, but not the radius? Pathetic." no its not... its not the "radius" will kill you or bust you, its just a area where police will spawn more, that said, you ARE evadind the cops, does that makes no sense? if it isnt making sense for you well,Pathetic...

Gripe RebutYou can't evade or outrun your wanted level in a helicopter.

RebutIt's rather difficult to run away when everybody in the city can see you flying 200 meters up in a helicopter. Don't you think?
RebutYou can evade and outrun wanted levels when they are low (i.e. 1 or 2 stars) as not as many police are searching for you.
RebutThere is a way, albeit kind of a cheap one. If you have Playboy X's safe house, you can fly low over the roof and bail out onto the balcony. Then you can run inside and save your game, which should clear your wanted level.
Rebut To escape while in a helicopter you can fly very fast and then bail out into water and hope that boats don't find you. You fly far enough to evade a 4 star wanted level but i havn't tried 5 or 6 stars.

Gripe RebutCops somehow manage to stay alive even after multiple gunshots, and their weapons do more damage to the player. They seem to be bullet sponges, and still get up after a full magazine from an AK has been shot into them at medium range.

RebutSome of them have body armor. As members of a police force they would have superior weapons and training.
Gripe

RebutI don't think beat cops wear body armor, and their weapons are exactly the same as the ones the player can use.

RebutNOOSE wear body armor, plus police have had training for years to get great with a pistol, plus they know where to shoot, unlike most players.
RebutI would be indeed surprised if there were any police officer on the street today that aren't wearing kevlar. There's just no excuse in today's society to be without it. I find headshots to be the most painless and effective way to thwart the LCPD.

Gripe RebutUndercover police officers do not appear at 3 wanted star levels or higher.

RebutThere never were undercover police officers. Those seen in casual clothes in previous GTA games were FBI agents.
Gripe

RebutYes there were. There were casual clothed police clothes equipped with a sort of sub-machine gun in GTA VC and GTA VCS driving VCPD Cheetahs. Also, even if there were never undercover officers before, there's no reason why it couldn't be in "realistic" GTA IV.

RebutI don't remember seeing any in the previous games either. Besides, maybe you just haven't come across any?
Gripe

RebutPay and Spray has become almost useless. When no cops are around, it's easier to just outrun them. When they are around, you can't spray.

RebutBut there's more to a Pay 'n' Spray than losing Wanted Levels. They will change the paint of a car if you don't like it to the color you've driven most, and they will also repair damaged vehicles. It just doesn't make sense for a cop to be right on your tail when you enter a Pay 'n' Spray, only to ignore you when you drive out.
Gripe

RebutEven when the cops ignore you, your car does'nt get resprayed to clear wanted levels, so this heavily detracts realism as the cops prevents players from entering the Pay N Spray.

RebutYou try to flee the cops, and you go into a garage right in front of them and they somehow lose you? That is what was taken out of this game, and added more realism. Think a little harder next time about what is and isn't realistic.
RebutIt's possible to enter a Pay n Spray while you are at the center of the search circle as long as the cops don't see you go into one. This is a lot better than trying to evade the search circle.
Gripe

RebutAbout the "Undercover Officers"- I know that was originally a joke about the show "Miami Vice". Keeping them around would have been cool. Although the VCPD Cheetah isn't in GTA IV, I think it could easily be replaced with the FIB Buffalo. As for the 80's style officers, I believe that a couple of badass "Jack Bauers" could easily take their place.(Yes, I know that there was no New York Vice, besides a crappy movie, but the idea is still valid.)


Gripe RebutThose annoying pedestrians keep calling the cops whenever I do one small shove, making it harder to score a few bucks without those boys in blue knowing.

Rebut It's the attempt at realism. If someone came up to you on the street, shoved you and said "Give me all your money", wouldn't you either run or punch them, before calling the cops?

Gripe RebutCops do not initiate a car chase to pursue other criminals, much like in GTA San Andreas, which heavily detracts realism.

Rebut Actually cops do initiate car chases, just not as frequently. Not only can they do that, but they can also arrest unlawful pedestrians and put them in a nearby cop car. GTA IV is more realistic compared to San Andreas, by the way.
Gripe

RebutBut I don't see other criminals driving and performing drive-bys to cops while being chased. All they do is peerform foot pursuit and catch a criminal only. This pulls realism away.

RebutCops can stop criminals faster then you think they can, so you are less likely to see a car chase that started in Alderney end in Dukes.
RebutStatistically, only 1 in 10 of the people who run from the police are armed felons. The rest are just regular people who panic and/or don't want a ticket. So if you become a cop and get into a chase, the suspect will, most likely, not be armed and/or shooting at you.
RebutRandom car chases happened a bit too frequently in GTA:SA, I think. Plus, quite often police would chase after and gun down unarmed civilians just because they tapped a police car (or, even more ridiculous, were pushed into a police car by another crash, meaning it wasn't even their fault). Scratch a police car's bumper > get shot in the face by its driver? Even an extremely corrupt police force couldn't get away with murdering unarmed minor offenders in broad daylight like that.
RebutCar chases are not that common in New York City, even outside of Manhattan. Where as in California, they occur once, maybe twice daily.

Gripe RebutCriminals no longer carjack vehicles.

RebutYes they do.
Rebut Not true, you can see cars being jacked in parts of Tudor. It's rare, but it happens.
Gripe

RebutYeah. Completely rare. been in Tudor, stood there and watched. no criminals ever carjack vehicles. Lacks realism.

RebutWhat if you had an expensive car and some carjackers jacked you? That happened to me in GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories a lot. It was very annoying.

Gripe RebutWhatever happened to the "good citizen bonus" you got in GTA:VC? It was kinda cool.

RebutWould a cop in your town really want someone taking the law into their own hands?
RebutUnless you can be a good samaritan , taking the law into your own hands IS illegal.
RebutOn occasion, if you knock over a criminal running from an officer, and he sees it, they will thank you for your help but you receive no monetary reward, just a good feeling.

Gripe RebutYou can't bribe the police to get your weapons back, like in GTA:VCS. Shouldn't that have been put in, it was in a PSP game, so it would be easy to put into a PS3 game

RebutRemember the Mayor's Crackdown on Firearms? This means all guns are repossessed and taken else where.

Gripe RebutYou can't earn a special reward right after you kill all criminals appear in the "Wanted List" in each different islands. This means no more earning extra armor protection.

Rebut The reward of kill all criminals in wanted list on each island is the achievement that's enough
Gripe

RebutToo bad you don't earn anything from your PS3 version. A lame effort by R*

Rebut I have the PS3 version. The reward is the possibility to gain 100%
RebutSince the PS3 implemented trophies you now get a reward for it.

Gripe RebutYou can't become a cop, and I don't mean steal the police uniform and impersonate one. I mean you can't call 555-RECRUIT and become an actual officer.

RebutNormal academy training takes a very long time, about 12 weeks average, and requires a lot out of applicants. Niko most likely doesn't have the time to undergo LCPD training. Besides, if you have several arrests, that would disqualify you at the start of your background check. Besides, I think Niko has his reservations about police, coming from eastern Europe, where most police agencies are corrupt.
RebutIsn't that basically what you are, when you accept the vigilante missions? You're a cop without a badge.

Gripe RebutThere isn't any database about Niko Bellic in the in-car computer access.

RebutI think you and Niko both know he's a wanted man. Niko knows what he's done in his past, and I don't think he wants to be reminded of it. If you really want to find out Niko's crimes, you can just go on the in-game internet and go to the LCPD Most Wanted website.
Gripe

Rebut There is no such website,the main lcpd website has no links to a most wanted site

RebutYes there is. Search around the site on the in-game internet. There is a most wanted page.

Gripe RebutShouldn't Alderney have it's own police department? It is technically "The Independent State of Alderney", so why does the LCPD service Alderney as well as Liberty City?

RebutAlderney is based off of New Jersey. Would you want be a cop in New Jersey? It's not even really a state. More like a ticking time bomb.
Gripe

RebutIn real life, New Jersey has many police departments all over the state. NJ isn't in the NYPD's legal jurisdiction. What's the ticking time bomb about?

RebutI was hoping that joke would have lasted a little longer but anyway,R* claims that Aldereney is in the GTA IV area and is part of the story. Cops are the least of their plot hole worries.
RebutThis is highly unlikely in real life, but the LCPD and/or its officers' union, if the LCPD has one, may have a contract with the State of Aldereney to extend the LCPD's legal jurisdiction into Aldereney.

Gripe RebutIf hot dogs and chicken give us health, then why do we have hospitals with trained doctors, why not just drag the guy to a vender?

RebutYou cannot give a dead man food. A person can eat food when the person is alive. If you were a doctor, would you drag a dead guy to a vending machine, and stuff a bag of chips in his mouth?
RebutWhat does that have to do with cops?

Gripe RebutIf you have 2 or more stars whilst outside your safehouse, cops will take whatever cars are in your parking space to chase after you in, causing them to disappear.

RebutIt's called requisition, meaning cops will take your car to chase after a criminal. If you don't want the cops to steal your car so bad, DON'T DESTROY THEIRS!
RebutI gripe about GTA IV all the time but, I've never once encountered this.But think about it.The LCPD is a corrupt force of greedy cops. If Stealing your cars helps them get paid, they'd do it. It's a corrupt city and it besides, you could go find another.
RebutEver see the movie "US Marshals"? They take a car in that movie when they're going after Mark Warren in New York City. Same thing in the first "Rush Hour" movie when Chris Tucker is going after Jackie Chan on a "borrowed" motorcycle. It's called requisition. They give the car back when they're done using it. They don't steal it or impound it. Even the LCPD wouldn't do that. See those movies before you say that the police steal cars.

Gripe RebutHow come that when you get arrested, you can't get your vehicle back, like in San Andreas?

Rebutmaybe in liberty city u could not get your vehicle back

Gripe RebutIf you run away from the cops they shoot at you, even if you don't have a gun. Killing people just because they freak out is illegal

RebutActually, they hold their fire when you're at one star, unless you start assaulting them.
RebutNiko isn't just some criminal. The cops know who he is (I've heard them yelling his name and the like). This probably explains why he gets arrested for minor violations like bumping into a police car (which, if light, seems like something that would only be a ticket). Therefore, if he tries to resist arrest, the police are allowed to shoot at him. They don't really become extremely aggressive until 3 or 4 stars (though when you get up there they really want you dead, to the point where getting arrested is next to impossible).

Gripe RebutPolicemen sometimes shoot and kill security guards.

RebutA misfiring maybe? Nobody's perfect.
Gripe

Rebut No, he purposely killed a guard for shooting me.

RebutWait, what kind of security guards have a gun in the first place, unless they're the Secret Service or something? Some security guards do not have the authority to kill civilians, even if they are committing a crime. That's the police department's job.

Gripe Rebut Pointing a gun at a civilian near a police officer merits no response! I can't believe that he would just stand around like that.

RebutWould you want to get in the way and get shot? No. No you wouldn't.
Gripe

Rebut But that's his job! Damn corrupt cops......

RebutCops ignore lots of things, like moving violations (running red lights, speeding, driving in an oncoming traffic lane, the list goes on), trespassing, being in a stolen cop car (since they will give you the 1 star if you hit them, they clearly know you aren't a cop), etc. Those oversights aren't ignorance or mistakes, they are just there because it would really break the game if every time you ran a red light you got a 1-star wanted rating. For that matter, 1-star ratings are easy enough to get out of that it's really not a big deal to have one anyway.

Gripe Rebut Why is it that Niko can resist arrest on foot, but if he is pulled out of a car, he has to surrender? Why I can't I just shoot, and possibly kill, the cop trying to jack me to evade capture, at the expense of a 3-star wanted level, if I'm not already at or above said wanted level?

RebutUsually after a high speed chase, there are multiple officers surrounding your vehicle, and when pulled out of your car, you are basically thrown to the pavement if you try to fight, and the cuffs go on immediately, which means the fight's over. Cops win.
RebutI came to the conclusion that the cop would see you reaching for the door handle or off of the steering wheel and kill you before you could make your move.

Gripe RebutYou cannot perform a hand-to-hand combat against an officer. Niko is forced to raise his hands up at gunpoint, thus halting the combat engagement. Also, if you shoot an officer, you'd end up havin a 3-star wanted level and will have the cop cars swarm in on you.

RebutSeems realistic to me. If you start beating up an officer he will try to escape and he'll pull a gun on you. Also, if you try to kill a police officer in real life, don't you think police would be swarming in around you?