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"We're police officers. And police officers don't strike."―Sergeant Reed[src]
Sergeant Warren Reed was a desk sergeant with the Detroit Police Department.
Swamped with problems, overworked and a man who did things by the book, Reed's dedication to duty was legend. To him, a police officer was not merely doing a job - they were a vital staple of society, the face of civilized society, representing the people, the restraint and the triumph of law over lawlessness. To say this takes precedence over his officer's well-being is not fair; Reed had a hard time accepting their lack of funding and mismanagement, but to him, a visible police force on the streets, and the individual officer's sense of duty to the citizens of Old Detroit, was more vital to society than the actual effectiveness of those officers. He was angered by rumors of a strike, and said that agents of the law do not have the luxury of labor disputes. Quelling such rumors, he remarked "we are police, not plumbers!"
Biography[]
Metro West[]
As Alex Murphy first arrived at Metro West, Reed confronted a lawyer and his client, kicking them out of the precinct. Murphy then handed his resume to Reed, who ordered him to get his armor and suit up.[1]
Later, Reed and Cecil entered the locker room to remove Frank Frederickson's gear, announcing that the funeral was the following day and requested that all officers not on duty were to attend and any donations for his family should be given to Cecil.[1]
Later, Reed watched Anne Lewis scuffle with a suspect that she arrested and he introduced her to Murphy as her new partner and ordered her "show in the neighborhood" to Murphy.[1]
Murphy was brutally killed by crime lord Clarence Boddicker and his gang. Unknown to Reed, Murphy was transformed into the cyborg officer known as RoboCop. RoboCop soon arrived with Bob Morton and Reed was stunned to see the new cyborg officer. After his shooting training, Reed handed him a key for his police cruiser.[1]
Later, Reed argued with Kaplan and other officers about a potential police strike, just as RoboCop entered with Clarence Boddicker in custody. Boddicker spat blood onto Reed's desk and requested a phone call. Reed was forced by Dick Jones to release Clarence Boddicker and his gang, just as the police strike began.[1]
Metro North[]
Afterward, Reed was transferred to Metro North along with RoboCop and Anne Lewis and a new cult led by Cain was on the rise. There, he was swamped by several suspects, barely able to speak to them one at a time.[2]
Reed confronted Holzgang as RoboCop was being removed from the police station for reprogramming, following a defeat by the Nuke Cult. Reed told him that he was a cop like everyone else, and he expected RoboCop to be walking again. Holzgang gave him a derisive response, telling him that he was out of warranty.[2]
Back at Metro West[]
Reed was transferred back to Metro West along with RoboCop and Anne Lewis, as people began to be driven out of their homes. Reed was at the desk when RoboCop and Lewis returned from the TV station. Reed later gave a briefing to all the officers about how a new crime wave in Detroit was linked to the presence of a "new guy." Deciding the best course of action was to find out if the new guy made contact with the Torch Heads, Reed ordered RoboCop to investigate an arcade that had become a high activity area for punks. When Manson questioned about there being any word on Officer Briggs after his disappearance, Reed responded that it had been 24 hours since Briggs last contacted anyone at Metro West, thus Briggs remained missing. When RoboCop asked if the two cases were connected, Reed suggested that Briggs' informant must be found if the police were to learn anything new, before dismissing everyone.[3]
Despite Reed ordering RoboCop to pursue a group suspected into breaking into a police armory, RoboCop pulled out of the pursuit to assist Lewis in rescuing officers Donnelly and Jensen from the Splatterpunks.[4]
Sergeant Reed in the battle with the OCP Mercenaries
Reed was devastated over the death of Officer Anne Lewis who was killed by Paul McDaggett. He also helped the rebels fight against the Rehabs led by McDaggett, feeling that as driving people out of their homes was not a job for a cop.[4]
Personality[]
Reed was a tough no-nonsense police sergeant, whom while running a police department that was privatized by a company like OCP, still tried to treat his station and his officers no different than a public police force. The notion of a strike made him both feel fear and anger, knowing that without some kind of law and order, Old Detroit would tear itself apart. However, despite that insistence, he did care about his fellow officers like he would his own family. When he first met Alex Murphy, he sternly advised him that Metro West was a lot tougher than Metro South, by stating Murphy would have to work for a living there. When he heard the news of Fredrickson dying, he personally helped Cecil collect his personal belongings to give to the man's family.
While he was initially shocked at RoboCop's appearance upon meeting him the first time, he warmed up to him upon finding out he was Murphy. At one point, when RoboCop was in pursuit of Boddicker's gang, Reed smiled and asked "Need a car?" and tossed the keys to RoboCop, who caught them with precision.
When Cain dismembered RoboCop, Reed referred to him as "one of mine," and when RoboCop arrived to avenge Lewis, he did not stand in his way, only warning him of the warrant for his arrest.
Behind the scenes[]
Reed was portrayed by Robert DoQui in RoboCop, RoboCop 2, and RoboCop 3. DoQui died in 2008, thus only his likeness is used in the 2023 video game RoboCop: Rogue City. Due to the game's credits not identifying the voice actors' roles, it is unclear who provided Reed's voice.
Reed was originally meant to be killed off in RoboCop 3 instead of Anne Lewis; however, Frank Miller was forced to change the script thanks to executive meddling. In the comic book, Warren Reed was killed while Anne Lewis survived.