No doubt for some members of the police force, the thrill of having a weapon and the law on their side can make them feel like they're as good as any comic book hero.
But one police officer has been accused of taking it a bit too far after displaying a skull representing The Punisher - Marvel's lawless and violent avenger - on the back of his car.
A picture of a patrol car belonging to New South Wales Highway Patrol in Sydney, Australia was shared to Facebook earlier this week, with the black skull symbol clearly visible in one of the corners of the car's back windshield. Guess the owner's a comic book fan.
Rather than praise them for their taste in comics, community Facebook page Police in the Area criticised the officer for showing the skull on an official police vehicle, labelling the symbol as 'inappropriate'.
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"In parts of this country you get alienated, harassed, obstructed, silently accused and photographed for the insignia you wear on your clothing," the owners of the page wrote.
"Insignia that the police say represents living outside of the law. No other symbol signifies living outside the law like the Punisher skull.
"This insignia represents extra-judicial killing. Completely inappropriate for a police force."
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Others, though, didn't see the big deal, saying that a sticker representing what is only a fictional character shouldn't be taken seriously. It wasn't like it belonged to a genuine terrorist group or anything.
"If you don't commit crimes you don't have anything to worry about," one person wrote.
"Over dramatic much?" a second wrote.
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One person even made the suggestion that the sticker on the vehicle could be seen to represent The Punisher's honorable characteristics - we're assuming that a propensity for serious violence isn't one of those.
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"I think the reason behind it being on the police vehicle would be to have honour, be brave and also have determination," the person wrote. Well, that's one way of looking at it, I suppose.
A NSWP spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: "There is an expectation that when all New South Police Force vehicles are seen by the community of NSW, they are presented at a high standard at all times."
Being a comic book fan is cool and all, but for a cop, showing your fandom of a murderous vigilante while you're out catching criminals probably isn't the best way to go.
Featured Image Credit: MarvelTopics: Viral, Police, crime, Facebook, Community, Australia