dirty cop
Badge gone bad
A dirty cop is a police officer who engages in corruption—taking bribes, planting evidence, stealing from crime scenes, or protecting criminals in exchange for money or favors.
The phrase is standard in crime fiction and journalism: The investigation revealed a network of dirty cops on the cartel's payroll.
The modifier dirty marks the betrayal of a position that demands integrity.
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
- crookedBent or dishonest
- bad appleCorrupting group member
- badgeWorn symbol of membership
- bribeIllicit payment for favor
evidence · planted · evidence tampering · shakedown · shake someone down · payoff · vice · narcotics · snitch · informant · internal affairs · rat · bust · police brutality · cover-up · looking the other way · on the take · protection
- cop filmsLethal Weapon, Hot Fuzz, RoboCop, Serpico, The French Connection
- Crookscrook, swindler, fraudster, embezzler, con artist
- thriller tropesplot twist, red herring, cliffhanger, whodunit, femme fatale
- criminalsmurderer, thief, burglar, criminal, killer
- police slangperp, collar, bust, APB, BOLO
- Traitorstraitor, turncoat, betrayer, Judas, Benedict Arnold
dirty copEliot Ness
Prohibition-era federal agent
straight arrow · decorated officer · whistleblower · untouchable · white knight
dirty, dirtier, dirtiest, dirtily, dirtiness, dirt, cop, cops, copped