COPS (animated TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids COPS |
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Title screen for COPS
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| Developed by | Bruce Shelly |
| Directed by | Kevin Altieri |
| Voices of |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward |
| Producer(s) | Richard Raynis |
| Running time | 22 min |
| Production company(s) | DIC Animation City Crawleys Animation |
| Distributor | Claster Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | October 5, 1988 – February 20, 1989 |
COPS (which stands for Central Organization of Police Specialists) is an American animated TV show. It was made by DIC Animation City and shown by Claster Television. This cartoon aired from 1988 to 1989.
The story is about a team of highly trained police officers. They work to protect a make-believe place called Empire City. Their main job is to stop a group of bad guys led by "Big Boss." The show's catchy slogans were “Fighting crime in a future time” and "It's crime fightin' time!"
In 1993, the show was re-aired on CBS on Saturday mornings. It got a new name, CyberCOPS, to avoid confusion. This was because a different live-action police show called Cops started in 1989. The cartoon was based on a line of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1988. These toys were called C.O.P.S. ’n’ Crooks.
Each episode of the show has a title that starts with "The Case of...". For example, some titles were "The Case of the Iron C.O.P.S. and Wooden CROOKS" or "The Case of the Half-Pint Hero." Each episode also had a special COPS file number.
The music for the series was created by Shuki Levy. The main COPS theme song was written and composed by Haim Saban.
Many characters in the cartoon did not have action figures. These included Mainframe, Brian O’Malley, Whitney Morgan, Nightshade, Ms. Demeanor, and Mirage.
Characters
COPS Team
COPS stands for Central Organization of Police Specialists. This special team was put together to fight against the C.R.O.O.K.S. and other villains. Here are some of the main COPS characters:
- Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess (voiced by Ken Ryan) — He is the leader of COPS and the chief of police in Empire City. Baldwin was an FBI agent called in to stop Big Boss. He got badly hurt in a car crash. To save him, doctors gave him a special cybernetic (robot) torso. This new torso could stop bullets, earning him the nickname "Bulletproof." He then formed the COPS team.
- P.J. "LongArm" O'Malley (voiced by John Stocker) — LongArm is a police sergeant in Empire City. He is the second-in-command of COPS. He is very kind and can often convince young criminals to change their ways. He has a wrist device that shoots out a handcuff-like grabber. This can catch criminals or act as a grappling hook. LongArm is like a regular beat cop.
- Rex "Bowser" Pointer (voiced by Nick Nichols) — Bowser was a police officer from the Chicago Police Department. He loves animals and works with Blitz, his robotic dog. Bowser is like a K-9 officer, who works with police dogs.
- Blitz — Bowser's robotic dog. Blitz can think like a human.
- Walker "Sundown" Calhoun (voiced by Len Carlson) — Sundown is a former Texas Sheriff. He often wears a cowboy hat. He is very good with a lasso and is an excellent shot. He is known for doing special investigations. Sundown is like a Texas Ranger.
- Susie "Mirage" Young (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) — Mirage is a female police officer from the San Francisco Police Department. She is very skilled at working undercover. Mirage is like a vice officer, who investigates certain types of crimes secretly.
- Sgt. Colt "Mace" Howards (voiced by Len Carlson) — Mace is a police sergeant from the Philadelphia Police Department. He is known for his smart plans and his laser "Mazooka" weapon. Mace is like a S.W.A.T. officer, who handles dangerous situations.
- Dave E. "Highway" Harlson (voiced by Ray James) — Highway is a police officer from the California Highway Patrol. He is an amazing motorcycle officer. Highway is like a motorcycle patrol officer.
- Stan "Barricade" Hyde (voiced by Ray James) — Barricade is a quiet police officer from the Detroit Metro. He is known for being calm and for using his M.U.L.E. device for crowd control. Barricade is like a Riot Control officer. He also helps in talking to people during difficult situations.
- Donny "Hardtop" Brooks (voiced by Darrin Baker) — Hardtop is a new police officer in Empire City. He drives the COPS' Ironsides vehicle. He also has a crush on the news reporter Whitney Morgan. Hardtop is like a patrol and pursuit officer.
- Hugh S. "Bullseye" Forward (voiced by Peter Keleghan) — Bullseye is a police officer from the Miami Police Department. He is the best police helicopter pilot on the team, which is how he got his nickname. Bullseye is like a police helicopter pilot.
- Tina "Mainframe" Cassidy (voiced by Mary Long) — Mainframe is a police computer specialist in Empire City. She is amazing with computers and helps solve tricky cases. Mainframe is like a police technical analyst.
- Wayne R. "CheckPoint" Sneeden III (voiced by Ron Rubin) — CheckPoint is a military officer from Alabama. He works for the United States Army and joins the COPS team. He can be fearful and nervous, but he always stays with the team to get the job done. CheckPoint is like a U.S. Army military police officer.
- Robin Wade (voiced by Zevi Wolmark) — Robin is a military officer from a family of soldiers. His military skills make him a special part of the COPS team.
- Hy "Taser" Watts (voiced by Len Carlson) — Taser is a police officer from the Seattle Police Department. He is known for using tasers on criminals who try to fight back.
- Robert E. "A.P.E.S." Waldo — A.P.E.S. is a police officer from the Boston Police Department. He has special grappling hand devices, like LongArm's. A.P.E.S. stands for Automated Police Enforcement System.
- Roger "Airwave" Wilco — Airwave is a police officer from the Los Angeles Police Department. He is an excellent communications expert.
- Francis "Inferno" Devlin — Inferno is a firefighter from the San Francisco Fire Department.
- Dudley "Powderkeg" Defuze — Powderkeg is a police officer from the Washington D.C. Police Department. He is an expert at disarming bombs and other explosives.
- Max "Nightstick" Mulukai — Nightstick is a police officer from the Honolulu Police Department. He is a master of martial arts.
- Sherman A. "Heavyweight" Patton — Heavyweight is a military officer who joined COPS. He drives their A.T.A.C. (Armored Tactical Attack Craft) vehicle.
Supporting Characters
- Mayor Davis — The mayor of Empire City.
- Commissioner Highwaters — The female police commissioner of Empire City.
- Whitney Morgan (voiced by Jeri Craden) — She is the top reporter for ECTV and is known as the prettiest reporter in Empire City.
- Beamer — Whitney Morgan's camera robot.
- Brian O’Malley — LongArm's son.
Home Video Releases
You can find C.O.P.S. on DVD!
- In 2003, Sterling Entertainment released a DVD called C.O.P.S. — Fighting Crime in a Future Time.
- In 2006, Shout! Factory released C.O.P.S. — Volume 1, which had the first 22 episodes.
- Later, Mill Creek Entertainment released the full series on DVD. Volume 1 came out in 2011 with 32 episodes, and Volume 2 had the remaining 33 episodes.
- In 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment released C.O.P.S. — The Complete Series on DVD.
Broadcast History
C.O.P.S. first aired in 1988. It was later re-titled Cyber C.O.P.S. and shown again on CBS from March to September 1993. The show also re-ran on the USA Network from January to March 1995, using its original title.
See also
In Spanish: C.O.P.S. (serie animada de televisión) para niños
