The Police Cruiser

Lore & Background

The Police Cruiser is a ubiquitous presence in the open worlds of Watch Dogs, representing the primary threat during high-wanted-level chases. In Watch Dogs, Aiden Pearce can use his smartphone to hack these vehicles, triggering functions like engine shutdown, door locks, or steering disruption to evade or neutralize pursuing officers. The cruisers are typically marked with distinctive livery and equipped with sirens and light bars that activate during pursuits.

In Watch Dogs 2, the San Francisco Police Department uses similar cruisers, and Marcus Holloway can hack them to create distractions or escape chases. The vehicles are often found parked at police stations, during traffic stops, or patrolling neighborhoods. Their behavior is tied to the game's wanted system, escalating from a single cruiser to multiple units with roadblocks and helicopters.

Watch Dogs: Legion expands the concept by allowing players to recruit police officers as operatives, giving access to police vehicles and the ability to call in police support. The cruisers in London are modeled after real-world British police cars, with variations for different boroughs and units. They remain a constant threat for non-police operatives during high-alert situations, their sirens a death knell for stealthy plans.

In Their Own Story

The rain-slicked streets of Chicago reflected the flashing red and blue lights as Officer Miller's cruiser screamed around the corner. 'Suspect heading east on Madison, requesting backup,' he barked into the radio. But then the engine sputtered, the steering wheel locked, and the cruiser plowed into a stack of pallets. 'What the—' Miller slammed the dashboard as the car died completely. Through the windshield, he saw a figure in a long coat and cap disappear into an alley, phone glowing faintly. 'Dispatch, suspect is a hacker. I repeat, suspect is a hacker.' The radio crackled with static, then went dead.

Reader's Guide

**Watch Dogs** - **Standard Police Cruiser**: Found patrolling streets or at police stations. Hack to trigger engine shutdown (disables pursuit), door lock (traps officer inside, buying precious seconds), or steering disruption (sends the cruiser careening into a lamppost). Flavor: 'Aiden's go-to escape tool from a two-star wanted level — a quick engine kill turns a chase into a crash.' - **Undercover Police Cruiser**: Unmarked version, often used in stealth missions. Same hackable functions but harder to spot — no light bar on the roof, just a faint glow of a laptop in the passenger seat. Flavor: 'Blends in until the lights flash, then it's a world of trouble.'

**Watch Dogs 2** - **SFPD Cruiser**: Found in San Francisco. Hack to cause distraction (siren activation that draws cops away from your position) or disable during chases. Flavor: 'Marcus uses them to create chaos in Silicon Valley — a hacked siren can lure a patrol car into a dead-end alley, leaving the driver bewildered.'

**Watch Dogs: Legion** - **Metropolitan Police Cruiser**: Found in London. Can be driven by police operatives; non-police operatives trigger alarm. Hack for engine kill or remote control. Flavor: 'For a police operative, it's a free ride with no questions asked. For anyone else, it's a rolling alarm clock.'

Did You Know?

• In Watch Dogs, the Police Cruiser's hackable functions are tied to the 'Vehicle Hacking' skill, unlocked via the skill tree.
• The Chicago Police Department cruisers in Watch Dogs are modeled after the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a common real-world police vehicle.
• In Watch Dogs: Legion, police operatives can summon a Police Cruiser as a personal vehicle, bypassing the wanted system for minor crimes.
• The sirens on Police Cruisers can be hacked to attract or repel nearby NPCs, affecting stealth and combat scenarios.