History Main / CluelessDeputy

** Actually, Enos was a quite competent lawman in his own right. It was more that he was restrained by the incompetence and corruption of Boss Hogg and Roscoe. When he worked for the LAPD, he built up an impressive record. As well, he was completely honest in all of his activities and the Dukes often said he was the only real law in Hazzard that people could trust and rely on.

* Junior Justice (son of Buford T. Justice) from the ''SmokeyAndTheBandit'' movies.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in Creator/StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife (his collagues mockingly call him "Barney"), but in ''Literature/TheDarkHalf'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before [[VomitingCop throwing up]]. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.
** By ''Literature/GeraldsGame'', Norris is now sheriff (apparently one result of some of the events of ''NeedfulThings''), and has apparently gotten a bit better at presence of mind (see description of handling of Joubert's van). By ''Lisey's Story'', he's even managed to find a wife.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in Creator/StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife (his collagues mockingly call him "Barney"), but in ''TheDarkHalf'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before [[VomitingCop throwing up]]. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

** By ''Gerald's Game'', Norris is now sheriff (apparently one result of some of the events of ''NeedfulThings''), and has apparently gotten a bit better at presence of mind (see description of handling of Joubert's van). By ''Lisey's Story'', he's even managed to find a wife.

** Nolly Gardener, of ''[[SalemsLot 'Salem's Lot]]'', sort of fits the trope.

See also CluelessDetective and InspectorOblivious for other clueless law enforcement forces.

In its benign form, this just makes the Clueless Deputy TheWatson for their boss, or the protagonist detective. But it can rapidly slide downhill until the deputy acts like an idiot. Generally, the deputy has some redeeming qualities, such as incorruptibility, shooting skills or at least the willingness to serve in a dangerous job for low pay, but if the sheriff is a CorruptHick, the clueless deputy may simply be a relative who needed a job.

* On ''{{Series/Babylon 5}}'', Garibaldi was occasionalled assited by a security guard named Jack, who came off this way, particularly when going through their investigation in the first season finale. [[spoiler: [[ObfuscatingStupidity This was because Jack was The Mole]] and was willfully hindering Garibaldi's investigation.]]

* Festus Haggen of ''{{Gunsmoke}}'' was BookDumb, though otherwise pretty sharp. His predecessor, Chester Goode (called Chester Proudfoot in the radio version), was a little slower-witted.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife (his collagues mockingly call him "Barney"), but in ''TheDarkHalf'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before [[VomitingCop throwing up]]. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

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[[TheSheriff Sheriffs]] and [[USMarshal marshals]] often have deputies to assist them. In order to explain how this person isn't the sheriff or marshal, the writers will often make the character clueless.

The clueless deputy can be counted upon if the writer needs a TheGuardsMustBeCrazy moment to justify the heroes getting out of jail, or to act as an ObstructiveBureaucrat to keep information that could resolve the plot from reaching the sheriff.

On rare occasions, the clueless deputy of a CorruptHick sheriff is unaware of their superior's criminal activities, and when incontrovertible evidence is presented, will arrest the crook to preserve law and order in the county.

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

* Barney Fife, of ''TheAndyGriffithShow'', is perhaps the paradigmatic example of this trope.

* Inverted in the LooneyTunes shorts ''Drip-Along Daffy'' and ''My Little Duckaroo'', in which the sheriff (Daffy Duck) is [[LordErrorProne far more clueless]] than [[TheRadar his deputy]] (Porky Pig).

<<|CrimeAndPunishmentTropes|>>
<<|WesternCharacters|>>

* Touta Matsuda in ''DeathNote'' is consistently the slowest on the uptake in the investigation team. However, this naïve innocence is why he was chosen as assistant to chief Soichiro Yagami. He is also the best shot on the team, shooting [[spoiler:Light's hands as he is about to kill Near.]]

In its benign form, this just makes the Clueless Deputy TheWatson for their boss, or the protagonist detective. But it can rapidly slide downhill until the deputy becomes RalphWiggum. Generally, the deputy has some redeeming qualities, such as incorruptibility, shooting skills or at least the willingness to serve in a dangerous job for low pay, but if the sheriff is a CorruptHick, the clueless deputy may simply be a relative who needed a job.

[[TheAndyGriffithShow http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fife_Security.jpg]]

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife (his collagues mockingly call him "Barney"), but in ''The Dark Half'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before [[VomitingCop throwing up]]. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

* Jake in the western spoof ''SupportYourLocalSheriff''.

** Nolly Gardener, of ''[=~'Salem's Lot~=]'', sort of fits the trope.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife (his collagues mockingly call him "Barney"), but in ''The Dark Half'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before throwing up. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in StephenKing's Castle Rock stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife, but in ''The Dark Half'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before throwing up. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

* Deputy Norris Ridgewick in StephenKing's ''CastleRock'' stories. Not only does he bear a faint resemblance to Barney Fife, but in ''The Dark Half'' his superior actually finds it notable that when Norris discovered a mutilated corpse he had the presence of mind to face ''away'' from the evidence before throwing up. As we come to find out, "presence of mind" is not one of Norris's strong suits.

[[TheSheriff Sheriffs]] and [[USMarshal marshals]] often have deputies to assist them. In order to explain how this person isn't the sheriff or marshal himself, the writers will often make the character clueless.

In its benign form, this just makes the Clueless Deputy TheWatson for his boss, or the protagonist detective. But it can rapidly slide downhill until the deputy becomes RalphWiggum. Generally, the deputy has some redeeming qualities, such as incorruptibility, shooting skills or at least the willingness to serve in a dangerous job for low pay, but if the sheriff is a CorruptHick, the clueless deputy may simply be a nephew or cousin who needed a job.

On rare occasions, the clueless deputy of a CorruptHick sheriff is unaware of his superior's criminal activities, and when incontrovertible evidence is presented, will arrest the crook to preserve law and order in the county.

* Barney Fife, of ''TheAndyGriffithShow'', is perhaps the paradigmatic example of this trope. Actually, I'm not sure why this trope isn't just called "The Barney Fife."
** The likely reason is that TheBarney already exists, which describes a completely different idea (and character).