Ryan Hardy is the definition of too little, too late. He's constantly showing up one minute after he could do any good. But if the other police officers could do their jobs (ie: stop people under their watch from escaping or getting kidnapped and murdered), Ryan wouldn't look so bad. Then again, he befriended serial killer Joe Carroll while investigating him and even dated Joe's wife. Maybe he really is the worst.
2 of 15 Randy Tepper/Showtime
Dexter
Even if we ignore that the entire Miami P.D. never suspects their own blood-spatter analyst is a killer, there's still plenty of incompetence thriving in Miami. Quinn has repeatedly partaken in illegal activities and dated both Trinity's daughter and a stripper he met through a murder investigation. Then there's Angel, who doesn't think assault charges apply to him. If these are the guys who're supposed to enforce the laws, it's no wonder crime is so rampant.
3 of 15 Brooke Palmer/NBC
Hannibal
You'd think the head of Behavioral Sciences at the FBI would know not to put someone in the field whom he suspects might turn into a murderer. Then again, Jack Crawford works — and dines! — with the infamous cannibal, Dr. Lecter. Clearly good instincts, keen deduction and common sense aren't Jack's strong suits.
4 of 15 Will Hart/NBC, Michael Parmelee/NBC
Law & Order: SVU
There's no questioning Olivia is a great person, but as a cop, she has a tendency to get a little too close to the investigation and bend the law to help the victims. But while Olivia at least understands exactly what her job entails, Finn walks around constantly bewildered (as John Mulaney
5 of 15 Carole Segal/AMC
The Killing
Where to even begin with Sarah Linden? She stole from the FBI, she keeps confidential documents unprotected on her home computer, and she ignores the most obvious leads (and the need for warrants). Maybe she wouldn't have to cut so many corners if she wasn't always distracted by her messy personal life.
6 of 15 Kent Smith/Showtime
Homeland
Carrie Matheson is great — just not at being a professional CIA intelligence officer. While hiding a mental illness from her bosses, she started an affair with suspected terrorist Nick Brody as she was secretly investigating him. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the American government.
7 of 15 Alan Zenuk/USA Network
Psych
Shawn and Gus are smart guys, so it's always surprising when they never think about leaving fingerprints or DNA behind when they break in somewhere. Even more shocking: The Santa Barbara P.D. never seems to notice! And let's not even talk about the police's crippling reliance on a "psychic" consultant.
8 of 15 Joe Lederer/A&E
Bates Motel
Sheriff Romero, the supposed "moral" center of White Pine Bay, is as crooked as they come. All his otherwise good traits are put to shame by his illegal activity, murder and cover-ups. But hey, if you're going to be bad at your job, at least be willfully bad.
9 of 15 Ursula Coyote/AMC
Breaking Bad
When you're head of the Albuquerque DEA and your own brother-in-law is the druglord you've been hunting to no avail, your career in law enforcement is pretty much over. Especially, when your brother-in-law tapes a "confession" framing you as the mastermind of the whole plan.
10 of 15 Ben Mark Holzberg/Syfy
Defiance
Nolan's "shoot first, ask questions later" style of policing didn't pay off when he shot a kid he feared was about to assassinate incumbent mayor Amanda Rosewater. (Turns out the poor Castithan was only planning a harmless paintball gun prank.) Not only was Nolan forced to resign, but he never got close to discovering that it was all part of Datak Taar's evil plan.
11 of 15 PBS
Sherlock
It's hard to tell if the Metropolitan Police Service is really inept or if anyone would simply appear incompetent compared to the great Sherlock Holmes. Yet it seems that for any somewhat challenging crime, Sherlock is called upon and ultimately beats the real police to the punch.
12 of 15 CBS/Everett Collection
Dukes of Hazzard
Rosco P. Coltrane was one corrupt sheriff, but not because he's driven by malicious intent. He's just dumb! This is great news for the Duke brothers, since Rosco never seemed to figure out that he could "cuff 'em and stuff 'em" for resisting arrest after any of their billion car chases.
13 of 15 Eric McCandless/ABC Family
Pretty Little Liars
Despite all the horrible things "A" has done, Rosewood P.D hasn't been able to solve a single crime. Yes, Det. Wilden was seemingly involved, but one crooked cop shouldn't be able to cover up years of illegal activity. And if the cops are so intent on investigating the girls, why not check their cell phone records and see the hundreds of threatening texts they received from "A"? Get it together, guys!
14 of 15 Michael Tackett/CBS
Under the Dome
Chester's Mill devolved into pure chaos once the dome came down. The police decided the best way to keep the peace and maintain order was to promote the town psychopath, Junior, and rely on the morally questionable Barbie. But we should cut Sheriff Linda some slack. She had no intention of being in charge until her partner's heart literally exploded.
15 of 15 Bob Mahoney/The CW
The Vampire Diaries
Even though Sheriff Forbes knows vampires are the ones killing half the population of Mystic Falls, that doesn't help her solv any of her other cases. In fact, she even teams up with Damon to hunt down the vamps at one point! He is charming, but she should probably vet someone before inducting him into the town's super-secret council.