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(Click on the picture for a larger version, or see the other thumbnails below)
This massive collection of black and white buildings makes up the Police Complex.
When LEGO City 2 was first conceived, it was designed to be a perfect utopia. All the citizens were well educated, financially stable, and ethically pure. In theory, it was the perfect place to live. Unfortunately, as LEGO City 2 began to mature, its citizens actually began emigrating to other towns because LEGO City 2 was felt to be too boring and "plastic."
Around this time, the city counsel also found itself in possession of a huge budget surplus. Various analysts were hired to study the problem. They concluded that good could not be adequately appreciated without the balancing effect of evil. Without the constant tug-of-war between good and bad, people felt empty, as if there were no purpose to their lives.
The solution to this was to find a way to introduce a "sanitized" version of evil that would provide the perception of volatility without unpleasant consequences of true evil like greed, corruption, injury, and death.
An early suggestion was to create a state-sponsored religion that focused on a mythical evil LEGO skeleton. However, the idea was dropped because it was felt that the well-educated populous of the city would reject the idea of a such a super-natural, malevolent entity, especially when it appeared out of nowhere. (Some of the prototype skeleton costumes and figures are now on display at the LEGO City 2 fun house.)
Finally, the council agreed that the perception of evil could be safely created by erecting a huge, menacing Police compound. Actors would be hired to act as criminals and a very lucrative deal was cut with the local TV station to publicize a few of these actor-criminals antics.
An entire infrastructure was created that emulated many of the practices of classic dictatorships. Of course, the LEGO City Police "dictatorship" had no real power, but by spreading appropriate propaganda, it created a perception of power.
The designer felt that a mix of medieval Gothic and post-modern Deconstrivism was an appropriate mix to radiate the desired feeling of human insignificance. Unlike medieval Gothic cathedrals though which demonstrated man's insignificance in the face of God, this structure seeks to subjugate man to the will of the state.
(Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version)
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This is the main shot of the building. Click on the thumbnail to see an enlarged version. | |
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This image shows the rear of the building. The internal parking garage can be seen at the lower-right. A motor-cycle is currently exiting. The white flying buttresses help prevent the downward thrust of the massive upper section from pushing the base of the building outwards. A small decorative garden is situated on the bottom, middle of the photo. This provides a convenient break area for the police personnel. |
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This picture shows the main entrance on the south side. The front porch is patterned after a Gothic cathedral. However, white flying buttresses protrude from both the side entrances as if they have been drawn out from the sides of the building. This gives the structure its deconstructive edge. A new actor-prisoner can be seen peering out of the window on the top of the picture. On the day this photo was shot, this prisoner was being processed after he supposedly attempted to rob the bank across the street. The local TV station was conveniently present for the entire attempt and subsequent apprehension of the criminal by the police force. In actuality, the criminal is a full-time elementary school teacher that "moonlights" as a criminal for the city. Immediately after being processed, the criminal's lawyer (provided by the city) claimed that the Police had violated the criminals rights because a technicality in the arrest procedure hadn't been followed. Therefore, the "criminal" had to be released. Suspiciously enough, all criminals seem to get released soon after their arrest in LEGO City 2. The prison tower is situated to the right of the photo. It is typically filled with prisoners to give the populous a feeling that there are many criminals in their mists. In actuality, the "criminals" and police officers often trade rolls on a day-by-day basis depending on their moods at the time.
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This is the west facade as seen from the street. An anti-aircraft turret can be seen on the upper-left. It was felt that the desired feeling of insecurity would be improved by insinuating that air attack of the city was possible. The best way of radiating this attitude was to install air defenses on the police building. This has turned out to be quite successful with the local television station doing a series of in-depth news reports on the possible air threats that might conceivably attack LEGO City 2. These reports have received record ratings and the populous has become suitably happy with the potential discord in their city. At the bottom of the photo, a statue of a police officer lounges in a circular window hurling verbal propaganda at pedestrians on the street below. Normally, these consist of generic sayings like "Freedom is Slavery," "War is Peace," or "Big Brother is watching you.' However, during some time periods, an operator uses a special audio-visual system to hook up to the vision, speech, and movements of the figure. In this case, the figure "personalizes" his verbal barrage depending on what innocent bystanders happen to be walking by.
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This is a picture of the original set of structures. This original building was not felt to radiate the proper feeling of insecurity. Therefore, an army of Police automobiles, motorcycles, and helicopters was purchased to give the populous the feeling that crime might be anywhere at any time. The pinnacle of this mechanical menagerie is located atop the special research facility at the bottom of the picture. This is the XL1 anti-terrorist attack craft. Able to take off and land vertically, the XL1 transitions into horizontal, jet-powered flight for fantastically fast response time. Although never used in combat, the XL1 is tested on a daily basis. Besides being an amusing diversion for Police personnel (who have little else to do), these over-flights are felt to be a good deterrent for any malevolent minds thinking of using heavy weapons or military vehicles. After all of these vehicles were purchased, the city still had a huge budget surplus, so the complex was expanded to the much larger structure it is today.
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