The Cops That Never Sleep (Cop prowl car films & police car chases)
A "prowl car" is a police squad car; it was a car in which the cops constantly cruised the streets, and their cars were equipped with radiotelephonic communications to report to headquarters.
Some of these films also have great police car chases.
"How did a man in your frame of mind ever become a cop in the first place?"
Chill Wills as Sgt. Joe in City That Never Sleeps (1953).
Some of these films also have great police car chases.
"How did a man in your frame of mind ever become a cop in the first place?"
Chill Wills as Sgt. Joe in City That Never Sleeps (1953).
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- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsMark StevensEdmond O'BrienGale StormProwl car cops on night duty romance a reluctant young woman who works for the department while in danger from a vengeful racketeer.
- DirectorAndré De TothStarsGene NelsonSterling HaydenPhyllis KirkReformed parolee Steve Lacey is caught in the middle when a wounded former cellmate seeks him out for shelter.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonJoanne SamuelHugh Keays-ByrneIn a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
- StarsBroderick CrawfordArt GilmoreWilliam BoyettPowerful patrol cars, fast motorcycles, and superheterodyne two-way radios combine to fight crime on the rural highways of America's wide open spaces.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsGeorge C. ScottStacy KeachJane AlexanderAn idealistic rookie cop joins the L.A.P.D. to make ends meet while finishing law school, and is indoctrinated by a seasoned veteran. As time goes on, he loses his ambitions and family as police work becomes his entire life.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderJack WebbStarsMartin MilnerKent McCordShaaron ClaridgeTwo regular police officers patrol Los Angeles.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderJack WebbBurton ArmusStarsEthan WaynePeter ParrosMiguel FernandesOfficers Doyle and Grant patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in squad car 1-Adam-12, trying to keep the city safe for everyone.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonEthan HawkeScott GlennA rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
- DirectorTed PostStarsClint EastwoodHal HolbrookMitchell RyanInspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan pursues a conspiracy of vigilante cops, who are not above going beyond the law to kill San Francisco's undesirables.
- DirectorJohn RawlinsStarsJohn 'Dusty' KingWilliam LundiganConstance MooreThe state police try to break up racketeering in a coal mining town.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverJoe PesciMartin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh pursue a former LAPD officer who uses his knowledge of police procedure and policies to steal and sell confiscated guns and ammunition to local street gangs.
- CreatorJack WebbStarsJack WebbHarry MorganDon RossPolice Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
- CreatorPaul PlaydonRick RosnerStarsErik EstradaLarry WilcoxRobert PineThe adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers.
- DirectorJon CassarStarsLarry WilcoxErik EstradaRobert PinePonch has returned to the police force, and is determined to help his friend Jon in investigating various car thefts.
- DirectorDax ShepardStarsMichael PeñaDax ShepardVincent D'OnofrioAn inexperienced rookie is teamed up with a hardened pro at the California Highway Patrol in Los Angeles; the newbie officer soon learns his partner is really an undercover Fed investigating a heist which may involve some crooked cops.
- DirectorSimon WestStarsNicolas CageMalin AkermanJosh LucasA former thief frantically searches for his missing daughter, who has been kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a taxi.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsRobert BlakeTom EwellEdward GroverThe cases of maverick undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta (Robert Blake).
- DirectorJack WebbStarsJack WebbHarry MorganVic PerrinInitially intended as a pilot for the Dragnet-1967 TV series, featuring L.A. police detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners, but not aired until 1969.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsCharles McGrawAdele JergensWilliam TalmanA well-planned robbery goes awry with tough cop Jim Cordell in pursuit of the thieves.
- DirectorRichard QuineStarsFred MacMurrayKim NovakPhilip CareyAn undercover police officer falls for the beautiful moll of a bank robber on the run, and together they plan to double-cross the hood and the cops.
- DirectorBrian DennehyStarsBrian DennehyCharles S. DuttonSusan RuttanChicago police detective Jack Reed investigates the brutal murder of a stripper while he deals with corruption and bureaucracy within his own department.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJohn PayneColeen GrayPreston FosterAn ex-con trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to Mexico in order to unmask the real culprits.
- DirectorGordon ParksStarsRon LeibmanDavid SelbySheila FrazierThe true story of two New York City cops. Greenberg & Hantz fought the system, became detectives and were known on the streets as "Batman & Robin".
- DirectorJessy TerreroStars50 CentRobert De NiroForest WhitakerThe son of a slain NYPD officer joins the force, where he falls in with his father's former partner and a team of rogue cops.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaStarsJoel KinnamanGary OldmanMichael KeatonIn 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy, a loving husband, father and good cop, is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsEli WallachRobert KeithRichard JaeckelIn San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by unsuspecting travelers.
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenBelinda BauerRoboCop returns to protect the citizens of old Detroit but faces a deadly challenge when a rogue OCP member secretly creates a new, evil RoboCop 2.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
- DirectorHugh WilsonStarsSteve GuttenbergG.W. BaileyKim CattrallThe mayor declares that anyone can enroll in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and many misfits descend on the academy, including a young troublemaker who's forced to apply or go to jail.
- DirectorPeter BonerzStarsBubba SmithDavid GrafMichael WinslowThose bumbling cadets take to the streets when three inept goons successfully orchestrate a metropolitan crime wave.
- DirectorSam NewfieldStarsGordon JonesJoyce ComptonCraig ReynoldsThe trials and tribulations of a group of newly sworn-in police officers.
- DirectorCharles T. KanganisStarsJim BelushiChristine TucciJames HandyIn this sequel to the action comedy K-9, Detective Mike Dooley and his trusty canine companion Jerry Lee get two new partners - a Doberman Pincher named Zeus and his new trainer.
- DirectorCharles C. ColemanStarsAlan BaxterJulie BishopGordon Oliver"Big Tim" Halloran retires as Police Chief, and hopes his son, Tim, will join the police force. But the son opts for racketeering and, running a garage for Velvikak Taxicabs. He uses his father's police entrée for knowledge of squad car activity, leads a gang on bold holdup jobs in the heart of the city. Tim's boyhood friend, Allen Coltrin, works in the police lab. Myrna Kingsley, daughter of the new chief, wavers between Tim and Allen with her affection. All are on a collision course that does not bode well for two of them.
- CreatorShawn RyanAaron Rahsaan ThomasStarsShemar MooreJay HarringtonDavid LimFollows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. sergeant and his team of highly-trained men and women as they solve crimes in Los Angeles.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsSean PennRobert DuvallMaria Conchita AlonsoAn experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn RandolphJack KehoeAn honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
- DirectorHarold BeckerStarsJohn SavageJames WoodsFranklyn SealesAn LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBarry FitzgeraldHoward DuffDorothy HartA step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
- CreatorEdward HumeStarsTony MusanteSimon OaklandSusan StrasbergThis series Is based on the real-life story of New Jersey detective David Toma. Toma was a master of disguise and undercover work. Toma himself made a cameo appearance in many episodes.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsPaul NewmanEdward AsnerKen WahlIn New York City, South Bronx's main police precinct is nicknamed Fort Apache by its employees who feel like troopers surrounded by hostiles in a wild west isolated outpost.
- DirectorJerry ParisJames SignorelliStarsSteve GuttenbergBubba SmithDavid GrafWhen a new gang moves into town it's up to the screwball police team to stop them.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodCharlie SheenRaul JuliaA veteran detective is assigned a rookie partner after his previous partner is killed by a car theft gang. He is determined to apprehend those responsible for his friend's death but his new partner isn't really up to the task.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsWalter MatthauBruce DernLouis Gossett Jr.In San Francisco, California, one victim in a mass murder is a police detective. His partner and a new partner investigate in the city's seamy side.
- CreatorChuck AdamsonGustave ReiningerStarsDennis FarinaBill SmitrovichTony DenisonThe saga of a Chicago police detective's efforts to stop a young hood's ruthless rise in the ranks of organized crime.
- DirectorTom MankiewiczStarsDan AykroydTom HanksChristopher PlummerThe equally strait-laced and "by-the-book" nephew of Joe Friday must work with his more laid-back partner to solve a mystery.
- CreatorLarry BrodyRichard FielderStarsDavid CassidySimon OaklandWendy RastattarTwenty-something officer Dan Shay operates undercover in the Los Angeles youth scene.
- DirectorRichard RushStarsAlan ArkinJames CaanLoretta SwitSan Francisco police detectives Freebie and Bean are determined to bust local crime boss Red Meyers at any cost, even if this means destroying the whole city in the process.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsElliott GouldRobert BlakeAllen GarfieldDefying orders to lay-off the case, two Los Angeles vice-squad cops go after a local mobster and use unorthodox methods to achieve results.
- DirectorHoward W. KochStarsRobert DuvallVerna BloomHenry DarrowAfter a suspended New York City cop's ex-partner is murdered, he vows to clean up the streets.
- DirectorBarry ShearStarsAnthony QuinnYaphet KottoAnthony FranciosaTwo New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.
- CreatorAlbert RubenE. Jack NeumanStarsGeorge KennedyJohn SteadmanBarbara RhoadesThe exploits of Los Angeles beat cop Bumper Morgan.
- DirectorLowell DeanStarsLeo FafardAmy MatysioSarah LindAs a series of strange and violent events begin to occur, an alcoholic policeman realizes that he has been turned into a werewolf as part of a larger plan.
- DirectorClark JohnsonStarsSamuel L. JacksonColin FarrellMichelle RodriguezAn imprisoned drug kingpin offers a huge cash reward to anyone that can break him out of police custody, and only the L.A.P.D.'s Special Weapons and Tactics team can prevent it.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverGary BuseyTwo newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
- DirectorJon WattsStarsKevin BaconJames Freedson-JacksonHays WellfordA small-town sheriff sets out to find the two kids who have taken his car on a joy ride.
- DirectorFred DekkerStarsRobert John BurkeNancy AllenMario MachadoRobocop saves the day once more. This time the half man/half robot takes on ruthless developers who want to evict some people on "their" land.
- DirectorJerry ParisStarsSteve GuttenbergBubba SmithDavid GrafThe alumni of Commandant Lassard's Police Academy (1984) return to the school to train new recruits and prevent its closure.
- StarsBruce SetonRobert RaglanPhilip DaleDramatization of murder investigations and other criminal cases that Detective Superintendent Robert Fabian, a real-life Scotland Yard Inspector and the host of the show, worked on.
- CreatorNat HikenStarsJoe E. RossFred GwynnePaul ReedSitcom featuring the zany hijinks of New York's finest.
- DirectorBill FishmanStarsDavid JohansenJohn C. McGinleyFran DrescherBrash NYC policeman Officer Gunther Toody is partnered with stiff, by-the-book Officer Francis Muldoon to protect an important mafia witness prior to testifying against orgainzed crime in Brooklyn, all the while dealing with their personal lives, overbearing spouses, common criminals, arms dealers, and their officious boss Captain Anderson.
- CreatorHerman MillerStarsDennis WeaverJ.D. CannonTerry CarterA New Mexico deputy marshal gets assigned to Manhattan's 27th Precinct.
- CreatorJack WebbStarsJeff OsterhageBernard WhiteThalmus RasulalaTwo strait-laced L.A.P.D. detectives, Vic Daniels and Carl Molina, fight crime.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsJake GyllenhaalMichael PeñaAnna KendrickShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
- CreatorMitchell BurgessRobin GreenStarsDonnie WahlbergBridget MoynahanWill EstesRevolves around a family of New York cops.
- StarsMaury HanniganJ. Keith SimsMichelle WiesnerBank robbery in Topeka Kansas
- StarsKlaus J. BehrendtMiroslav NemecUdo WachtveitlAn anthology series that follows the work of homicide detectives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
- CreatorJohn LangleyMalcolm BarbourStarsRuben BarelaAndrew FincherAlex CoxCamera crews follow police officers while they work.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsSteven SeagalKeenen Ivory WayansBob GuntonTwo cops are forced to work together to solve a chain of mysterious killings by a killer nicknamed "The Family Man".
- DirectorJim DrakeStarsSteve GuttenbergBubba SmithMichael WinslowThe misfit Police Academy (1984) graduates now are assigned to train a group of civilian volunteers to fight crime once again plaguing the streets.
- CreatorRick HuskyStarsWilliam ShatnerHeather LocklearAdrian ZmedThe weekly adventures of tough-as-nails veteran police officer Sgt. T.J. Hooker, who rides the beat with his rookie partner Vince Romano.
- CreatorEric Ellis OvermyerStarsTitus WelliverJamie HectorAmy AquinoAn L.A.P.D. homicide detective works to solve the murder of a 13-year-old boy while standing trial in federal court for the murder of a serial killer.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsRichard GereDon CheadleEthan HawkeThree unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths.
- DirectorBenny BoomStarsGabriel MachtRobert PatrickCarly PopeDetroit PD borrows an LA SWAT leader as instructor for 2 weeks training of their SWAT team. After a real SWAT action, a madman with special skills, obsessed with revenge, is released on bail.
- CreatorShawn RyanStarsMichael ChiklisCatherine DentWalton GogginsDrama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
- CreatorJed MercurioStarsMartin CompstonVicky McClureAdrian DunbarDrama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
- StarsRobert BockstaelBarbara BuddLen CarlsonAlex Murphy, a police officer, mortally wounded in the line of duty, is turned into a powerful cyborg and continues to serve the public trust, protect the innocent and uphold the law.
- CreatorBrian ClemensStarsGordon JacksonMartin ShawLewis CollinsBodie and Doyle, senior agents of the British intelligence service CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their handler George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-level crimes.
- CreatorBarry PoznickJohn StevensStarsErik LarsonDave LaughlinJohn Eric Lee SmithIn this high-octane series on TruTV (formerly Court Tv), Over the Limit takes viewers along for the ride with police officers who patrol the streets for rowdy people who are over the limit - and over the top. This show features the brave men and women on the force from all across the country chasing the speeders driving over the limit, and some of them are also over the legal alcohol limit. Intoxicated and out of control, from coast-to-coast. Created and produced by ZOO productions (who also created and produced 7 seasons of Speeders for Tru Tv). With exclusive access to police departments in a wide range of "party cities", there's no shortage of wild surprises, unbelievable excuses, and action-packed arrests. Over the Limit documents what happens as police officers confront the unruly people who are over the limit. See it all, from the officers' responses to high-speed chases, and DUI stops, to bar brawls, and parties gone wild. Over the Limit ran from 2010 to 2010 and has two seasons. You can watch it now on the True Crime Network. Episode highlights include a seemingly extremely inebriated man who lost his pants; a woman speaking gibberish caught wandering the street; a man who gets tossed out of a bar; a golfer who appears to be wasted, but the cops are shocked by what happens after they give him a sobriety tests; and fraternity brothers who get busted with open beers in their car. Other popular segments included cops who catch some unsuspecting drug users in a public bathroom; a couple are caught partying in their car; and a woman becomes irate after she's stopped for a missing headlight.
- DirectorGraham BakerStarsJames CaanMandy PatinkinTerence StampIn 1988, Earth makes the first contact with an alien civilization. In 1991, these aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after three years of quarantine.
- StarsMarc GraueJared NollDaron CooperCameras ride along with Troopers as they keep the streets safe and hunters honest while at the same time taking advantage of the breathtaking landscape that Alaska State Troopers are lucky enough to call "their office."
- DirectorJohn CaleJohn Cale's film, also known as "Fluxfilm No. 31", presents a silent and underexposed one-minute sequence of blinking lights on a police car shot at night in a New York City neighborhood.
- CreatorMark RodgersStarsLloyd BridgesDwan SmithEddie EganBeat cop Joe Forrester walks the mean streets of Los Angeles.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverJoe PesciWith personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads that are trying to free their former leaders out of prison and onto American soil.
- CreatorE. Jack NeumanJoseph WambaughStarsScott BradyMel ScottDon MeredithDetective Cheng is commissioned by Interpol to destroy the "Empire of Chaiba", a worldwide criminal organization based in Southeast Asia, he initiates an undercover operation to infiltrate the organization.
- DirectorRobert ButlerStarsWilliam HoldenLee RemickJoe SantosBumper Morgan is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after twenty years on the job, but is not letting up on the criminal element on his beat.
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseRosamund PikeRichard JenkinsA homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsCharles DurningLouis Gossett Jr.Perry KingA group of Los Angeles cops decide to take off some of the pressures of their jobs by engaging in various forms of after hours debauchery.
- DirectorNicholas RayIda LupinoStarsIda LupinoRobert RyanWard BondRough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.
- CreatorRobert Ben GarantKerri KenneyThomas LennonStarsCedric YarbroughThomas LennonRobert Ben GarantAn irreverent look at what goes on behind the scenes in Reno, Nevada's Sheriff's Department.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsRyan O'NealBruce DernIsabelle AdjaniA getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.
- DirectorOren MovermanStarsWoody HarrelsonBen FosterSigourney WeaverSet in 1999 Los Angeles, veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the renegade cops, works to take care of his family, and struggles for his own survival.
- CreatorBarbara AvedonBarbara CordayStarsTyne DalySharon GlessAl WaxmanTwo female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsWilliam PetersenWillem DafoeJane LeevesA fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.
- StarsRichard EdenYvette NiparBlu MankumaAlex Murphy is RoboCop, a cybernetic policeman. A creation of a vast corporation, he fights crime and occasional corporate conspiracy in the near-future of Old Detroit.
- DirectorTony GiglioStarsSam JaegerAdrianne PalickiMichael Jai WhiteA SWAT compound comes under fire from an international terrorist who relentlessly and violently pursues a mystery man who was apprehended by Seattle SWAT after a raid went horribly wrong.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsSylvester StalloneHarvey KeitelRay LiottaThe Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsSteve McQueenJacqueline BissetRobert VaughnA nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.