Led by Commissioner James Gordon, the GCPD is wall to wall heroes who fight crime on a daily basis without the comfort of superpowers or hi-tech gadgets.

The GCPD has long been steeped in corruption, with numerous officers both high-and-low ranking involved in crimes ranging from bribery to drug-trafficking and murder. The strongest blow against police corruption came when an increasing amount of conspiracy charges against Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb forced him to resign his position. The Falcone crime family, which had had a stranglehold on Gotham's underground for generations, finally crumbled when a series of killings shook the structure of the mafia organization. After the death of Carmine Falcone, the mob lashed out in sloppy, retaliatory crimes, which, in combination with rising gang violence, severely crippled organized crime in Gotham City. Simultaneously, the ebbing presence of corrupt police officers allowed James Gordon, a man determined to eradicate crime wherever it existed, to become the new commissioner.

The GCPD has had a long love-hate relationship with the Batman. Commissioner Gordon went along with him because he got the job done, but his successor, Commissioner Michael Akins, ordered Batman's arrest and had the Bat-signal removed from the roof of Police Headquarters. Corruption and rot within the police department also rose during Akins' tenure as Commissioner.

As of the events of One Year Later, James Gordon has been reinstated as Commissioner, with Harvey Bullock back on the force. Harvey came back on disciplinary probation after helping expose a criminal drug ring. Relations with Batman, including the Bat-Signal, have been established once more. It is unknown what has happened to Commissioner Akins, but it is implied that, following revelations of massive corruption within the department, including himself, there has been a drastic cleaning-of-house. The circumstances of Akins' departure and Gordon's reinstatement haven't been fully explained. Maggie Sawyer is still the commander of the MCU department, and has ended her relationship with former lover Toby Raines.

Currently appearing Members

This is a list of GCPD members currently appearing in DC titles:

• Commissioner Maggie Sawyer
• Harvey Bullock
• Nancy Yip
• Detective Alvarez
• Renee Montoya
• Kate Spencer
• Nancy Strode
• Melody McKenna
  
• Tammy Keys
• Jim Corrigan
• Sergeant Rook
• Lisa Drake
• Szandor Tarr
• Sister Justine
• Lieutenant Weaver
• Gilpatrick

Notable Former Members

• Commissioners: Gillian Loeb, Sarah Essen, Michael Akins, James Gordon, Jack Forbes, Jason Bard
• Divisions

Major Crimes Unit

Handles major crimes, often those done by Gotham's Supervillains. This department was the main focus of the series Gotham Central.

• Homicide
• SWAT
• Organized Crime Control Bureau

Other Media

The Gotham Police Department has appeared in almost every Batman related media interpretation, including Films,Television and Video Games. Many of these have specially created members of the GCPD, both Renne Montoya and Chief O'Hara were created outside of the comics originally.