I like Rockstar games because they are generally open world games where the player gets to explore the region and does not necessarily have to finish the campaign first before free roaming. Although in my case, I almost always finish the campaigns, exploring cities and countrysides is a huge interest drawing me to particular games like RDR II and GTA V.
Synopsis
Before I can speak about the law enforcement aspect in the game, let's quickly talk about what RDR II is about for those who might not be familiar. The player is Arthur Morgan (played by voice actor Roger Clark), a member of a gang led by Dutch Van Der Linde (played by Benjamin Byron Davis). The gang also includes other key players like John Marston who is the main player in RDR (the sequel released in 2010). The gang's criminal acts throughout the region lead them to flee from various attacks from other forces. One notable opponent is Leviticus Cornwall (John Rue), an oil magnate whose assets are a target. As the gang becomes more and more isolated, the gang members must decide whether they should abandon their criminal activities and integrate society as towns modernize and Sheriffs become stricter and more difficult to deal with. Throughout the game, they are pursued for their illegal activities by Sheriffs and their deputies from various towns, assisted by bounty hunters, all determined to dismantle the gang.
RDR II geography
As always, Rockstar did a good job in the vast land they created, representing the American frontier era, the Wild West as it is known. It is generally understood among the gaming community that the game has five American territories that can be viewed today as states. In no particular order, they are West Elizabeth, New Hanover, New Austin, Lemoyne and Ambarino. Each of those states -- with the exception of one -- have towns surrounded by larger rural areas. Those towns are usually run by Sheriffs or police departments. RDR II universe is vastly rural with differing climates: you have snowy mountains in the Grizzlies, warmer weather on West Elizabeth and what seems like a hotter environment in New Austin.
On a horse, by foot, train or public stagecoaches, the player can travel throughout the universe and explore areas as he/she sees fit. There are various interactions within the game as the player navigates various environments. He could be confronted by random enemies, be bitten by a snake, attacked by wolves or be a good samaritan and offer help to someone.
The small town of Armadillo in New Austin. From Fandom.
Arthur Morgan pictured here in the Grizzlies West mountains. From Gosunoob.com.
Law enforcement
As stated above, RDR II is mostly rural with small towns settled in the vast diverse lands. The only territory/state that doesn't seem to have a town of its own is Ambarino. Ambarino is the mountainous region divided in two region: Grizzlies West and Grizzlies East. Based on my observation, there doesn't seem to be any settlement other than a Native American former reservation. That reservation's residents have long moved out by the conclusion of the campaign. There is however what appears to be an enemy camp with members attacking if the player gets too close.
What I have observed when I played the campaign is that Sheriffs are stationed in the small towns and are the primary law enforcement within that town and in the surrounding rural area. If you're wanted, you will have deputies in horses looking for you. There doesn't seem to be any set uniform for the deputies. They are identifiable by the Sheriff star badge. Occasionally, you'll also see those deputies transport prisoners along the road in caged stagecoaches. They will warn you to stay away. You also have bounty hunters assisting law enforcement in locating wanted criminals. Sheriff's Offices and police departments in fact rely a lot on bounty hunters, and the player can also take on the role. Sometimes, the Sheriff or Chief of police will warn you that due to budget cuts, the agency will no longer rely on bounty hunters to locate criminals and will try to use their own deputies or officers for such missions.
Two towns are big enough to have their own police departments instead of a Sheriff's Office. Saint Denis and Blackwater both have police officers patrolling their streets and fighting crime.
Saint Denis seems to have the most sophisticated police force as it is the biggest town in the game. Saint Denis reminds me of New Orleans as its residents will often greet you in French. Their officers are heavily armed and have a distinct blue uniform. Just like in a modern city, they patrol on foot and are seen standing at public spaces. They also have horses when pursuing a wanted person and are the only agency in the game using whistles when in pursuit.
Blackwater, smaller than Saint Denis but bigger than all the other towns, also has its own police department with dark blue trousers as its official uniform. Based on my reading of other blogs in the gaming community, BPD has a smarter artificial intelligence. Many players have apparently noticed that officers are better able to climb ladders, navigate small spaces and gain better firing positions. Gaming bloggers are also saying that BPD officers' weapons are also more powerful than other officers and deputies. It was tested and revealed that up to 50 officers can be mobilized at a time for confrontations in Blackwater.
Above, the Sheriff's station in the town of Valentine. Below, the player, acting, as a bounty hunter, drops off a wanted suspect at the Saint Denis Police precinct. From GameFAQ and Youtube/FPSKarma.
Realism of pursuits of wanted suspects
I have tested both the Sheriff's members and the Saint Denis police officers and how far out they will go out of their jurisdiction to pursue a suspect. I initiated a manhunt in the town of Annesburg by robbing a parked train right at the train station. Deputies, presumably from that area, pursued the train all the way to the Ambarino state line but seem to give up pass that line. I'm not sure if it was coincidence or an acknowledgement from the artificial intelligence within the game that they were out of their jurisdiction. Either way, I tested them again by putting the train in reverse back to the New Hanover state line and killing one of them. I drove the train again West well into Ambarino and was met by other deputies coming the other way. I'm not sure where those deputies came from; Ambarino does not have any visible Sheriff station as it is essentially townless.
I had the same experiment with Saint Denis officers. I shot a police officer standing guard across from the mayor's mansion and fled through the bridge linking the Bayou Nwa region to the city. The officers pursued me literally until just past the second bridge out of the city limits when I saw Sheriff deputies coming the other way. I tested this scenario three times and it was the same outcome. The conclusion: police officers know their jurisdiction. In my second experiment, one group of city officers were seen in horses around the second bridge and were looking for me in county territory, but it was just outside the city limit. In real life, a city police officer can look for a suspect outside of city limit if the crime was committed within city limits. In my third experiment, I saw a Sheriff deputy coming on a horse from within the city limit looking for me; presumably he passed through the city coming maybe from the North East end.
Tumbleweed and its Sheriff
This small town is part of the New Austin territory. It is a desolate town, but not worse than Armadillo which is directly affected by the cholera. Tumbleweed has no train stations but trains do pass through from a nearby railway.
Sheriff Sam Freeman, who is Black, reminds me of a real Sheriff in contemporary America: David Clarke formerly of Milwaukee County, Wis. In fact, they seem to look alike (see pictures below), and have the same personality when it comes to fighting crime, in my opinion. Coincidence Rockstar? When riding into the town for the first time, the player sees a deputy or bounty hunter entering the town with a suspect from Del Lobo. The Sheriff asks the lawman what the crime is and shoots the suspect dead after learning he had robbed a stagecoach.
Sheriff Freeman (left) from Red Dead Redemption II (source: Fandom) and Sheriff Clarke (source: The Livingston Post).
If you are familiar with Sheriff Clarke, you'd know that he holds controversial positions on hot topics like immigration and crime and is not apologetic about those positions. Sheriff Freeman seems to be the same way in his methods. Occasionally, the player can find him in one location in town, near the saloon, talking about law and order and how strangers will be treated if they commit crimes.
Although I haven't tested this, it was said in the website Fandom that it is dangerous to engage Sheriff Freeman as he will kill the player with one shot, regardless of the player's health status. However, I've seen one Youtube video of someone successfully taking him down (and there might be more videos as there are many very good gamers out there). Either way, killing him or not, he will re-spawn in Tumbleweed resuming his duties as Sheriff as if nothing happened.
In this footage, Sheriff Freeman is seen preaching about law and order in the first part of the video. From Youtube/JauntyMellifluous
Conclusion
For in-game law enforcement enthusiasts, RDR II offer plenty of opportunity to explore the large regions as a bounty hunter playing side missions for various Sheriffs and police Chiefs. You can also just patrol the diverse terrains with your horse and discover new areas, just like in Grand Theft Auto V. A few criticism I will offer about the law enforcement aspect in the game is that the Sheriff stations do not have horses hitched in front of them. How do deputies ride around? It would have been more realist to add horses with "Sheriff" or "Police" marking on their saddles. Another thing: although you do see police officers patrol Saint Denis and Blackwater, you don't see it so much in rural towns. The deputies only show up if there is crime reported or you see them transporting a fugitive of justice. Consequently, RDR II has room for improvement when dealing with its law enforcement aspect. I'm sure it has room for improvement in other aspects as well.
