The Coruscant underworld police, or simply Underworld Police, was a special forces law enforcement section of the Coruscant Security Force patrolling the lower levels of the Galactic Republic capital planet Coruscant. Underworld police officers were notoriously hardened and burly in comparison with the sleek GU-series Guardian police droids that maintained law and order in the upper reaches of Galactic City. The underworld police were also known for their heavy leather and metal armor with mechanical eye coverings, which gave them extra protection and anonymity, while denoting an authoritative presence. Coruscant cops patrolled both on foot and in police speeders and with the advent of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist Alliance, the underworld police also utilized the patrol transport when needed.
When the fugitive Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano was lost by pursuing clone trooper forces, the Coruscant Security Force was alerted that she had last been seen heading into the lower levels. Coruscant cops in the underworld were notified and given wanted posters and descriptions of Tano. Several underworld police officers spotted her at a train station and gave pursuit but she managed to escape them. Later, two underworld officers noticed an explosion at a warehouse where Tano was and, reporting the anomaly, it lead to the capture of the wanted padawan. After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Coruscant Security Force was bolstered by the addition of Imperial stormtroopers to maintain order in the lower levels. Stormtroopers would often patrol with the underworld police officers and both were used by the Empire to violently put down revolts and enforce Imperial re-location or detention policies of undesirable aliens and suspected rebel sympathizers.
The Coruscant Security Force utilized police officers in the underworld of the planet of Coruscant who stood in contrast to the polished GU-series Guardian police droids that were primarily charged with law enforcement in the upper levels of Galactic City. Coruscant cops in the underworld were known to be burly and hardened officers as they worked in the cutthroat environment of the planet's lower levels. They wore heavy leather and metal armor, with their heads completely covered, and mechanical eye coverings to protect them from the many dangers they encountered from the criminal elements of the underworld. The armor gave them a presence of anonymity and authority, and had the added effect of giving them a mystic reputation, as to others it was unclear if they were humanoid, droids, or something else. Coruscant cops were armed with a heavy blaster pistol, and they utilized the patrol transport and the Panther police interceptor for patrol and pursuit. Known to go through a vigorous training program, a black market version of the Coruscant underworld police test was illegally disseminated throughout the galaxy.
Coruscant cops in the underworld
During the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano was arrested by the Coruscant Guard for the murder of Letta Turmond, the suspected perpetrator behind the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. However, Tano managed to escape unknowingly with the assistance of rogue Jedi Barriss Offee, who had in truth killed Turmond and was also responsible for the bombing.
During the escape, several Coruscant Guards were killed by a lightsaber leading the pursuing troopers to believe it was Tano. In response to this, the Jedi Council ordered Tano's arrest. The Coruscant Security Force was told that she had been last seen fleeing to the lower levels, and so the underworld police officers were put on high alert. As the underworld cops exchanged wanted posters with Tano's image, she managed to temporarily avoid notice by using a cloak to hide her identity. However, at one point two officers boarded a train that Tano was on and they began checking IDs of the passengers. As Tano attempted to leave the train at the next station, she ran into three more officers on the platform. The cops identified Tano and moved in to arrest her. Tano pushed the officers away using the Force, throwing one back onto the platform. He signaled ahead to other units as the train left the station and the remaining four officers gave chase.
Dodging passengers, Tano fled through the train cars from the pursuing underworld cops. A passenger attempted to hold her and the police officers managed to briefly overpower Tano. However, she fought them off during the scuffle and opened a door of the train. She then jumped onto the adjacent platform as the train passed and, believing herself safe, Tano began walking away. Three officers standing on the platform noticed her and ordered her to stop. Tano fled from the station and towards an open turbolift door. The cops, seeing they were about to loose their quarry, opened fire on her with their blasters, but Tano had already entered a lift by that time had escaped the officers' shots. The search continued and shortly thereafter, two police officers on Level 1315 spotted an explosion at a warehouse. They gave an alert to a search group composed of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Master Plo Koon, and Coruscant Guard shock troopers, all of whom responded and were able to capture Tano at the warehouse. Tano was placed on trial but vindicated by Skywalker who discovered the true traitor was Barriss Offee.
A police officer during the time of the Empire.
As the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance was formed to fight to restore the Republic's ideals. Imperial forces were sent into the lower levels of Coruscant to enforce the relocation of species that had joined the Alliance such as the Mon Calamari. The Coruscant Security underworld officers assisted the Imperial stormtroopers with the relocation efforts, specifically in the Old Market Sector, however, the Mon Calamari resisted. The resulting riots were brutally put down by the underworld police and stormtroopers.
Years later, after the destruction of the planet Alderaan by the Death Star, rumors of what had occurred began reaching the Alderaanian population, most of whom lived on Level 3204. Vigils were held which soon became heated and angry when images confirming Alderaan had been destroyed followed the rumors. The vigils turned into rioting which lasted for several days until the Coruscant police and the Imperial stormtroopers were sent in to restore order. As the troopers and underworld officers marched into the streets, the stormtroopers opened fire with their blasters. One of the casualties was Reffe who died during his tirade against the Empire. The crowds, frightened, dispersed. The following day, the underworld police arrested anyone caught out in the streets. The day after that, stormtroopers began going door to door stating that Rebel spies had recruited local residents and Alderaanians had to be taken in for questioning.
After the relocation of the Alderaanians, an underworld police officer was on patrol with a stormtrooper when they entered a cantina on level Level 1997. Recognizing two Alderaanian juveniles, Santiago and Anandra Milon, from his facial recognition display, the stormtrooper gave chase on his own, leaving the underworld cop behind. The stormtrooper was able to catch up with Anandra and attempted to arrest her. However, during the struggle, a Herglic came to Anandra's rescue, overpowered the Stormtrooper and threw him over the level's railing, killing him.
The Coruscant underworld police first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, in the episode "To Catch a Jedi," which aired on February 24, 2013. They were specifically conceived by George Lucas to add to the environment of the underworld. They also received an entry in the online StarWars.com Encyclopedia and its successor, the Databank. The underworld police were later featured in One Thousand Levels Down, a short story published in Star Wars Insider 151 on July 22, 2014.
- Ultimate Star Wars
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
- Collapse of the Republic
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
- "Crime and Punishment" — Star Wars Insider 209