Rabid Bears

Rabid bears are maniac cops who've taken it upon themselves to patrol the highways of the Boomlands. The vast majority of rabid bears were law enforcement officers before the Boom. They saw the world go up in flames, spent months holed up in bomb shelters, and then. . . just. . .went back to work. Some of them go about their duties just as they did before, chasing down suspected criminals and handing out traffic citations without quite grasping that the governments who previously employed their services are dead and gone. Others understand that the world is fundamentally different and have appointed themselves to the role of protector and peacekeeper, acting as judge, jury, and executioner when needed. The latter variety tend to be the most dangerous, but they're also the most likely to catch a bullet from some drifter or diner punk who isn't in the mood to play cops & robbers with them.
By far the most dangerous rabid bears are those who have banded together to form their own police forces. Such groups often set up their own prisons and even (kangaroo) courts that serve as a twisted mockery of the pre-Boom legal system. These freelance police departments become even more dangerous when a mostly-sane camp or warlord manages to direct their "law enforcement" activities toward outsiders, using them to provide loot in the form of confiscated "evidence" and using the people they arrest as slave labor. It's a dangerous game, but those who play it well can benefit greatly.

Perception

Social Status

A stupor trooper's treatment and chances of survival often depend on how the insanity manifests. Those who content with writing traffic citations and engaging in other mostly harmless activities are often humored or even looked after by the locals. Those who think they're Dirty Harry don't usually last very long unless they're part of a larger group of crazed cops.

Demographics

Most rabid bears were cops before the Boom, but the condition can also affect former security guards, neighborhood watch members, wannabe vigilantes, and other would-be "good guys with guns." While it's not unknown for people who were children when the bombs fell to appoint themselves law enforcement officers or even join up with existing "police" units, they are thankfully rare. Due to the demographics of pre-Boom police forces, the vast majority off rabid bears are white men, but women and Dragnuts of other ethnicities are not unheard of.

History

Most rabid bears have been patrolling their old beat since they left the bunker, but their shifts were largely uneventful until the rise of dinertowns increased the volume of long-distance travel. Groups of loco law dogs working together is an almost exclusively post-diner phenomenon.

Operations

Tools

Rabid bears use standard-issue police weapons, vehicles, and equipment--often the very equipment they were issued by their employers before the Boom--whenever possible. Those who are lucid enough and have the necessary skills or sane allies often modify their equipment, especially the cars, to be more effective in the Boomlands. They also frequently supplement their police-issued weapons with heavier firepower confiscated from "criminals." Such confiscation also provides them with gas, bullets, and other consumables.

Workplace

Most rabid bears who don't realize the world has ended patrol the same highways they patrolled before the boom. Those who are more cognizant of post-Boom reality typically assign themselves a jurisdiction around their base of operations. Rabid bears who have been co-opted by more sane players go wherever they're ordered.

Alternative Names

Stupor Trooper, Dudley Do-Wrong, Psycho Cop, Batshit Barney, Dragnut, Loco Lawman, Freelance Police