CPF | Civil Protection Force

Civil Protection: Enforcers of the Occupation

Following the suppression of Earth’s sovereign governments, the Combine established a hierarchical enforcement system designed to maintain order, compliance, and psychological subjugation within the urban centers they constructed across the planet. At the heart of this apparatus is the Civil Protection Force, more commonly referred to as Civil Protection, or simply “Metropolice.”

The Civil Protection Force (CPF) functions as the primary law enforcement garrison within any Combine-administered city. These units serve under the authority of a City Administrator—a human appointee entrusted with local governance—while operational oversight is provided by the omnipresent Dispatch system, an integrated Combine AI designed to coordinate patrols, monitor bio-signals, and issue orders with machine-like precision.

While not outfitted for heavy combat, CPF officers are issued a standard suite of equipment tailored for intimidation, control, and suppression. This typically includes:

• A reinforced urban Kevlar vest
• An integrated full-body suit with biometric telemetry
• A respirator-mask system providing voice modulation and limited environmental filtration
• A modified USP Match sidearm
• A high-voltage stun baton, an evolution of pre-war riot control tools

Each unit is also hard-linked via neural interface to Combine biosurveillance systems, allowing Dispatch to monitor health, location, and even emotional spikes in real time. In cases of officer death, this neural feedback often results in an automated broadcast—“Unit down, remaining stabilization team code: isolate”—and subsequent reinforcements.

Public perception of the CPF is predictably grim. The force is known for its abrasive and authoritarian behavior, characterized by a combination of psychological degradation tactics and physical brutality. While their presence is a constant reminder of Combine control, it is the diversity of their composition that draws the most scrutiny.

Unlike the Overwatch Transhuman Arm, which is composed of heavily modified post-human soldiers, Civil Protection units are entirely human, and often voluntary recruits. The Combine's strategy for CPF recruitment is pragmatically indifferent to background. Criminals, former convicts, and disenfranchised individuals are offered enlistment in exchange for improved rations, status, or pardons. Alongside them serve former law enforcement officers, bureaucrats, or otherwise “loyal” citizens—those who have proven useful and obedient in the eyes of the Combine.

This ideological and moral inconsistency results in a fractured force: some officers enforce order with a cold, militarized discipline; others wield power with sadistic glee. The result is a militarized police force riddled with internal hierarchy, paranoia, and unchecked aggression, leading to widespread resentment among civilian populations.

To the oppressed citizenry, Civil Protection is more than just a security detail—it is the first face of the Combine, and a constant, echoing reminder of the freedom they once had.

Civil Protection Operations and Organizational Doctrine

The day-to-day operations of the Civil Protection Force vary depending on city, region, and the overarching policy of the City Administrator in charge—but a core set of responsibilities remains consistent across Combine-administered Earth. Civil Protection officers are tasked with ensuring total societal compliance within designated city limits and adjacent Outlands regions. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Routine patrols through designated residential and industrial sectors
• Interdiction of anti-civil activity and arrest of malcompliant individuals
• Oversight of Union-sanctioned labor operations, including quarantine enforcement during infestations
• Escort and protection of Combine officials and priority figures
• Manning of checkpoint outposts, rail depots, and urban control stations
• Enforcement of curfews, citizen relocation orders, and suppression of unrest

CPF presence is also occasionally extended beyond the city perimeter into Outland sectors, where their primary roles shift toward containment, monitoring of escaped citizens, and interdiction of resistance elements attempting to smuggle contraband or information into the cities.

It should be noted that no two Combine cities are exactly alike. Each Administrator operates with a degree of autonomy, tailoring CPF operations to the socio-political climate and resistance activity in their locale. As a result, some CPF divisions have undergone rebranding or restructuring, adopting unique nomenclatures, uniforms, and operational styles. In a few extreme cases, entire CPF units have been reassigned to specialized duties, such as intelligence collection or biotic pacification. Despite this variance, two elements remain strictly standardized across all deployments:

1. Dispatch – the omnipresent AI liaison responsible for intra-city communications, threat escalation, and officer monitoring.
2. Rank Structure – a rigid hierarchy maintained by the Combine's upper administrative echelons to ensure consistency, compliance, and promotion tracking across all occupied zones.

To this end, Civil Protection forces across the globe adhere to one of two officially sanctioned ranking frameworks, known collectively as the Mixed Command System and the High Command System. While functionally identical, these systems differ in naming conventions and minor ceremonial customs. Cities may choose either structure depending on their Administrator’s preferences or historical precedent.

The two recognized ranking structures are outlined below:

Rest is WIP.