We know Night City is a dangerous place, it isn’t safe for everybody. It’s a hyperreal version of the roughest cities in America. Poverty has increased, corruption is everywhere, gangs run a large part of the city along with corporations indirectly committing crimes while maintaining their own security and control. There has to be at least some form of law enforcement to reel in the crazies, bring some order to the insanity.

NCPD

Amidst how hectic the city can be the police still patrol their beats mostly outside of corporate-owned locations. The average cop isn’t heavily equipped and mostly follows the law and code of conduct but it doesn’t mean they are immune to corruption. Players will encounter brutal and excessive cops during quests especially involving the story.

Speaking of quests since the NCPD are underpaid and stretched thin all over Night City, they basically have open jobs that anyone can do for them called NCPD Scanner Hustles. These difficulty varies as well as the type of tasks that are required. The cops, like everyone else, reach out to mercs and solos. Some mercs who can scan people and read their profile will notice those with bounties can be subdued and turned in dead or alive. The Hustles and bounties are optional, of course.

Earlier mentioned that the average cop aren’t decked out of course but they do have a squad for dealing with people with military grade hardware or just wrecking havoc everywhere, the Max-Tec aka Psycho Squad. They’re the next step above SWAT, augmented with hi-tech cyberware and weaponry to outclass any target that is typically hard to kill. With no regard for casualties the Max-Tec will stop until they down their target.

The cops aren’t allowed everywhere in Night City. They answer to the mayor and council board but most of the board is filled with corporations hence who they truly answer.

Corporate Agent

Locations under corporate control are strictly internal security or hired services from the military corporations – Militech, Arasaka or Lazarus. These megacorporations have the best they can offer drones, firearms, tanks and several aircrafts.

Some solos and mercs are hired as security detail, for example Adam Smasher is specifically high-level security detail for Arasaka.

The corporate cops working internally are loyal to the core unlike the NCPD.

NetWatch

Developed to respond to cyber crimes, these guys are the police of the Net. They mostly fight against Netrunners and work with corporations to protect their assets. They protect the Blackwall, a section of the Net that keeps free A.I.s from infecting everything. They primarily use software to track and fightback against their targets but they are also armed operatives in-person.

Trauma Team

An independent corporation of a tactical response team of medics who enter an situation to save their client. Known for both their medical expertise and rapid response time. A single team consists of a senior MedTechie, an assistant, two security details and a pilot. They answer 911 calls or alerted when a direct client is in danger needing medical assistance. They respond to situations from 10-3 minutes depending on the coverage plan the client signed up.

Considered as one of the most powerful corporations, Trauma Teams are now mostly run by independent franchisees however they haven’t lost reputation.