GTA Online has many different roles you can take on, but it may be better for some to leave a life of crime and become a cop. Breaking the law has always been the lifestyle of many Grand Theft Auto characters that walk in Los Santos. However, those looking to pursue a career as a police officer will have to access a certain cheat code that activates a unique mode within the game.

Ironically, you have to break the law before you can start enforcing it. There are no Police Academies in the city for you to enroll in a course or take on missions that would help you earn a badge for your character. You may want to grab all MK2 weapons in GTA Online to improve your arsenal as you prepare to take on the army of criminals constantly on the streets at any moment.

Steal a Police Car

The first step to becoming a cop is to steal a cop's car from local officers in your pursuit of justice. There are many ways to get behind the driver's seat of a police-owned vehicle, but these methods could also endanger your character. The easiest ways to get a car with those familiar red and blue sirens are:

• Calling 9-1-1: Use the in-game cell phone to request police to arrive at your location. Once a few cops are there, you can steal their vehicle after dealing with the responding officers however you want.
• Go to the Police Department: Simply take an available cop car from the parking lot of the main police building in Los Santos.
• Cause Trouble: Committing crimes will certainly deliver plenty of police cars to your current location. Deal with the incoming enemies that try to arrest you, then take one of their cars and avoid getting caught.

Be careful not to get three stars or higher when trying to get a cop car. Doing this may give you more attention than you bargained for and draw too many officers to your location than you can handle.

How To Be A Police Officer

After stealing a police car, you have to activate Director Mode in GTA Online to become a cop. The Rockstar Editor menu has an option for Actors with a section dedicated to the Los Santos Police Department in the Emergency Services tab. Select LSPD and reload the game to be given the same status as an officer of the law in the city who can help fellow officers at any time.

The Director Mode can be found after you pull up GTA Online's menu and select the main editor tab to your right. At the bottom of the following menu is an option to access Director Mode and all its features.

Anyone who initiates this special mode can help cops wherever they are in Los Santos and stop day-to-day crimes as they happen. Despite the clear limitations of this setting, the ability to roleplay as a cop provides an experience you wouldn't find while playing GTA Online normally. Other mechanics for Director Mode will let you fine-tune other game elements to set up your preferred settings.

One of the limitations of Director Mode is that it cannot be activated if you are Wanted, inside a vehicle, or participating in an active mission. The best place to turn on this unique setting is from within a safe location where you cannot accidentally stir up trouble. Getting a star may prevent you from putting on an officer's badge until you can become a law-abiding citizen once more.

Using GTA 5's Director Mode In Single-Player

Director Mode can also be used in the single-player mode of Grand Theft Auto V. Anyone playing on a PC can input the cheat code "JRTALENT" to activate Director Mode and become a cop outside GTA Online. Console players can do the same by dialing 1-999-5782-5568 on their mobile phones.

Unfortunately, GTA Online does not feature crossplay between systems and does not support players on different game versions, all activating Director Mode together to form a police department.

Activating the Director Mode on a PC or console deactivates achievements or trophies earned from the base game of GTA 5. If you intend to meet different goals tied to these completion rewards, use a separate save file for your police roleplay. Thankfully, using Director Mode on one file does not automatically turn it on in other games you load from your other saves.

Servers for your games will likely continue until Grand Theft Auto 6 releases sometime in 2025 as of this time of writing. The popularity of roleplay options seen in GTA Online may influence what becomes possible in this future title as it finishes development. Therefore, your experiences of being a cop in GTA 5 may carry over into the next title in the franchise as official content.

Things to Do as a Cop

YouTube creator Elanip and many others have discovered tons of ways to stretch the boundaries of what GTA Online offers when you become a cop. Creating your own patrols with different friends allows you to protect and serve all of Los Santos. On the other hand, sticking to the highways could let you catch dangerous drivers as they blatantly disregard the speed limits set by the city.

Some of the highlights of being an officer may be seen in high-stakes shootouts with dangerous criminals as they rob stores or take hostages. Popular games such as cops and robbers take this idea to a natural extreme, but you will have to find a large group of people to start this customized game within a game. The hardest part of being an officer in GTA Online is finding others to play along.

The possibilities for what you can accomplish after you become a cop in GTA Online depend on your creativity, and the willingness of other players to respect your authority.

Source: YouTube/Elanip