Lawyers (Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, Kim Wexler, Chuck McGill), Law Enforcement, Juarez Cartel, Los Pollos Hermanos, Omaha, Petty Criminals, Other Characters
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Albuquerque Department
Tim Roberts
Detective Tim Roberts
Portrayed By: Nigel Gibbs
A detective investigating the murder of Fred Whalen.
- Call-Forward: He previously appeared on Breaking Bad as a detective and friend of Hank Schrader.
- Minority Police Officer: He is a black detective.
- Saved by Canon: Since he's appeared on Breaking Bad already, he'll live through Better Call Saul.
Baker & Saxton
Officer Baker & Officer Saxton
Baker, Saxton to the right
Portrayed By: Alex Désert (Baker) & Stoney Westmoreland (Saxton)
Two police officers assigned to investigate the burglary of Wormald's house.
- Call-Forward: Saxton is one of the officers who respond after Skyler calls in domestic disturbance complaints in Breaking Bad.
- Deadpan Snarker: They question Wormald on what he does for a living, and Saxton jokingly laments not getting into IT since such a job would clearly net a flashy Hummer like the one in Daniel's driveway.
- Saved by Canon: Saxton reappears in Breaking Bad to address the White household, so he won't be in any imminent danger along Saul's journey.
- Spotting the Thread: Out of all the clutter in the messy burglarized house, they notice the space in front of one of the couches and are able to deduce just where Wormald was hiding his cash.
Coleman & Salerno
Detectives Coleman and Salerno
Coleman (left), Salerno
Portrayed By: Troy Winbush (Coleman) & A Russell Andrews (Salerno)
Two detectives who interrogate Wormald after police officers discover the secret compartment in his house.
- Lying to the Perp: They try to convince Wormald they just want to help him get his baseball cards back. Fortunately for Wormald, Jimmy and Mike know what's really going on and are able to get Wormald out of trouble.
- Perp Sweating: What they intend to do with Wormald, following their more cordial dialogue with lines that apply more pressure. Jimmy makes sure to get him out of the room before it can continue.
- So Crazy, It Must Be True: They ultimately let Wormald off after Jimmy uses quick thinking to explain how Wormald had a hiding place for non-criminal purposes. They at least ask for evidence of said claims, however.
- Stunned Silence: They remain speechless at some intervals as Jimmy mentions and describes "squat cobbling" to them.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Said in response to hearing the full explanation of "squat cobbler". Jimmy swears he isn't making it up, since it'd be too ludicrous to be a lie.
Dunst & Russo
Detective Dunst & Detective Russo
Detaining Jimmy
Portrayed By: Dorian Missick (Dunst) & Vincent Laresca (Russo)
Two detectives assigned to find the missing Kettlemans.
- Cassandra Truth: Jimmy tries to explain to them how the Kettlemans actually faked their kidnapping, but neither of them is willing to listen.
- Manipulative Bastard: After Jimmy lays a hand on Mike, the two detectives try to manipulate Mike into threatening to have Jimmy charged with assault unless Jimmy talks his client, Nacho, into confessing to the kidnapping.
Escalara
Detective Escalara
Portrayed By: Daniel Knight
A detective assigned to observe Mike's interrogation about the deaths of Hoffman and Fenske.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. There is a Don Escalara which Gus mentions in Breaking Bad.
Platt
Office Platt
Portrayed By: Colby French
An undercover police officer who learns that Jimmy is selling drop phones and decides to intervene.
- Contrived Coincidence: He turns out to actually have a history with Huell Babineaux, having arrested him in the past for pickpocketing. He then uses this to his advantage to lengthen his charges on Huell for assaulting him, making it look like Huell did it for revenge even though Huell appeared to not even recognize him.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: He is in plain clothes and doesn't identify himself as a police officer. Jimmy figures it out, but Huell doesn't until it's too late.
Philadelphia Department
Matty Ehrmantraut
Officer Matt "Matty" Ehrmantraut
Portrayed By: Nicholas Liam King (as a child)
Mike's son, and Stacey's husband. A police officer in Philadelphia who was murdered after his corrupt colleagues suspected he wouldn't have their backs.
- Broken Pedestal: His father inspired him to pursue his career as a police officer. Hearing Mike admit to actually being a Dirty Cop completely breaks him, and their resulting argument over the phone marks a major souring of their relationship.
- By-the-Book Cop: Mike wants it known that his son was never a Dirty Cop like him. Unlike his superior and partner, Matty wanted to do the right thing as an officer and report their corruption. Even when he doesn't, he hesitantly agrees to go along with everything, but only after much agonizing.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Stacey remembered him having an argument with Mike prior to his death. Mike said it was when he tried convincing Matt to go along with the corruption as he did, which pissed Matt off to know his father was a crook.
- Death by Origin Story: His death is the turning point for Mike, helping establish a major part of his past and why he came to Albuquerque.
- The Ghost: His adult self never appears on-screen. Season 4 shows a flashback scene of him as a child, however.
- Honor Before Reason: He wanted to stick to his morals and report his fellow officers' corruption, even though it would risk his own life due to how crooked and distrusting his precinct was. It took Mike considerable effort to make him change his mind, and he still did so with enough hesitation to look suspicious.
- Lawful Stupid: Of the 'wanting to uphold an ordered world and moral values' variety. He'd stubbornly stand by the idea of being a moral cop even when it meant putting his life on the line, and it takes an agonizing argument with his father to make him agree to the pragmatic route.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Much to Mike's admiration, Matty led a career as a moral and upstanding officer in Philadelphia and refused to partake in any corruption and shady dealings. It actually shocked Matty to learn of his father's crooked nature as an ex-cop.
- Posthumous Character: He's long-dead before Better Call Saul starts.
- Relative Button: Mike has a hard time keeping himself calm whenever people reference and discuss Matty in front of him. It takes a long time for him to be able to talk about him or hear people talk about him without getting absolutely furious.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Matt refused to be corrupted and had intended to turn in Hoffman and Fenske. His hesitation got him killed.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's already dead before the series starts, but his death is what drives Mike to the Albuquerque underworld, as a combination of guilt over his death and a desperate need to provide for his remaining family gives Mike the incentive to take off-the-books work, cross paths with Hector Salamanca, and eventually sign on with Gus Fring.
- So Proud of You: In two ways. He was very proud of his cop dad, to the point of becoming one. And his dad was very, very proud of him, not just because he became a cop; he always considered his son a better man (not without good reason). The tragedy was that the corrupt reality of the work environment eroded everything between them, although Mike will never stop being proud of the son he feels he failed.
- Token Good Cop: For the way Mike describes it, Matty seems to have been the only uncorrupt cop in all of Mike's Philadephia precinct, and truly cared about doing his job and upholding the law. This ultimately got him killed when Hoffman and Fenske arranged for his death because they were worried he would report their embezzlement and bribery. In "Five-O", Mike ends up describing how crushed he was having to try to convince Matty to take their bribe to save Matty's own life and reveal to him that his idolized father was just as dirty as the rest of them.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Only cop that wasn't corrupt and refused to walk along until his dad broke his heart with the Awful Truth, and he still got killed by his partners because they were scared of a change of heart.
- Uriah Gambit: Was set up to be killed in an ambush.
Hoffman & Fenske
Officer Troy Hoffman & Sergeant Jack Fenske
Portrayed By: Lane Garrison (Hoffman) & Billy Malone (Fenske)
Partner and commanding officer, respectively, of Mike's late son Matty.
- All for Nothing: They murder Matty Ehrmantraut because he showed too much hesitation in turning dirty, like them. They were afraid he'd go to Internal Affairs, but Mike had already convinced Matty to go along with it. They kill him anyway; even from their twisted point of view, Matty's murder was senseless.Fenske: You got something you want to get off your chest, something you want to say to us?Mike: You killed him. You killed Matty. And you killed him for nothing. You killed him because you were scared of what you thought he might do.
- Asshole Victims: Absolutely nobody feels sorry for these guys when Mike pulls out a gun and shoots them. Even In-Universe, most of their department agree they had it coming, and it's even implied that Sanders lets Mike off the hook for their murder voluntarily.
- Boom, Headshot!: Both are shot in the head by Mike.
- The Corrupter: According to Mike, Sergeant Fenske convinced Hoffman to be a dirty cop, and Hoffman offered to cut Matty in as partners.
- Cop Killer: Of the crooked police killing other officers type. They staged Matty's death since they decided he wasn't trustworthy, and they were prepared to do the same to Mike once he started figuring things out in front of them.
- Dirty Cop/Killer Cop: They take kickbacks from gangs, steal from evidence, that sort of thing. But when they're cornered, they outright murder their own, killing Matty Ehrmantraut when they fear he'll rat on them.
- Dirty Coward: Their murder of Matty was driven by paranoia - they thought he might have talked, and that was enough reason to kill him.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Sanders and Mike apparently know a good chunk of their department that won't be missing the both of them.
- Hate Sink: They define their statuses as cold and cowardly Dirty Cops by killing Mike's son to keep their shady business under wraps, seeing Matty as untrustworthy for mere hesitation. Sanders notes that much of the department thinks they both got what was coming to them.
- He Knows Too Much: Their primary worry, exploited by Mike. Matty hesitated in participating in their corruption, so they staged his death after deciding he wasn't reliable. Once Mike starts mouthing off about knowing that the two killed Matty and how he'll expose them, Fenske decides they should kill him to prevent word from getting out.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Mike uses their own plan against them, with their driving providing him the perfect spot to kill them off.
- In-Series Nickname: They greet Mike as "Mikey" when on friendlier terms.
- It Works Better with Bullets: Fenske tries to fake Mike's suicide with his own gun. Unfortunately for him, Mike deliberately left it unloaded and packed a second one to kill him with.
- Karmic Deaths: They're both shot to death by Mike, the father of the fellow cop they killed.
- Kick the Dog: Plotted the death of By-the-Book Cop Matty Ehrmantraut, even after he swallowed his morals to look the other way for them.
- Mercy Kill: Though it's mainly to cover up their actions, Fenske reasons to Hoffman that Mike's drunken spiraling means they're really doing him a favor in staging his death.
- Never Suicide: They intend to kill Mike and cover it up by framing his death as a suicide after months of grief.
- Old Cop, Young Cop: Fenske has experience as a corrupt cop and has to reassure his younger subordinate Hoffman that they need to get rid of Mike.
- Posthumous Character: They're both dead before the start of the season, though we witness their deaths in "Five-O".
- What You Are in the Dark: Mike wants to know what they'd do and say when confronted with the idea of him threatening to report on them. Once they drive him to a seclusive area and Fenske lays out how they'll frame it, Mike reveals his own angle and waits with his gun at the ready to see if they'd truly be willing to go through with it. Fenske proves him right by trying to use the empty gun; now having absolutely no doubt whatsoever about what happened, Mike finally pulls the trigger.
- You Killed My Son: The pair of them murdered Mike's son. They are repaid in kind.
Sanders & Abbasi
Detective Greg Sanders & Detective Abbasi
"Help us out, Mike. Help us catch the bastard that killed Matty."
Portrayed By: Barry Shabaka Henley (Sanders) & Omid Abtahi (Abbasi)
Two Philadelphia detectives brought out to Albuquerque to question Mike.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's implied that Sanders already knows for a fact that Mike killed Hoffman and Fenske but is willing to look the other way, especially because he clearly notices Mike lift Abbasi's notepad yet does nothing to stop him.
- Hero Antagonist: Abbasi is pretty nasty to Mike and determined to see him locked up, but only because he (rightly) suspects Mike is hiding something criminally big. Mike seems to understand that Abbasi is just being a good cop.Sanders: That whole precinct was a sewer. Wouldn't be surprised if there's a few more early retirements. Might be a good thing: new blood.Mike: Like the kid.Sanders: Yeah. He's all right.
- Hot-Blooded: Abbasi is a passionate new recruit looking to lay down the law on the likes of Mike and Jimmy, hoping to land something big for his career.
- Jaded Professional: Sanders is an old buddy of Mike's, and is just as world-weary as he is. Having been on the force for awhile, he's seen just how low their department had gotten over the years and suspects plenty of officers will be making "early retirements" thanks to the fates of Hoffman and Fenske.
- Meaningful Background Event: When Jimmy and Mike pull the coffee spill off, Sanders can be seen in the back noticing Mike lifting the notepad out of Abbasi's jacket. Mike manages to get away because Sanders was willing to say nothing to protect his old friend.
- Mr. Exposition: They explain to Jimmy, and by extension the audience, who they are, Mike's background, and who Matty was during Mike's interview and interrogation.
- New Meat: Abbasi, as Sanders acknowledges.
- Old Cop, Young Cop: Sanders being the old cop and Abbasi being the ambitious newcomer.
- Old Friend: Sanders is a pal of Mike's from back in the day.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Abbasi is the Red Oni, passionate and trying to make something of himself as a new recruit. Sanders is the Blue Oni, who is just as world-weary as his friend Mike.
- Relative Button: Before leaving to interview the daughter-in-law again, Abbasi tells Mike that he's hoping none of his character will rub off on the rest of the family as a last-second jab. Unlike the usual instances of this trope, it seemingly adds to Mike's respect for him.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Mostly applies to Abbasi, who knows Jimmy and Mike are clearly covering criminal activities but isn't going to be able to do anything about it, despite what he thinks.
- Villain Respect: Despite Abbasi being out to get him, Mike can't help but admire the young man's dedication to his job and sense of justice.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Due to being the New Meat, Abbasi doesn't quite get how things work just yet and thinks he's going to bring Mike in. He isn't.
- Worthy Opponent: For all the hostility Abbasi has towards him, Mike understands why he acts the way he does and actually appreciates the idea of people like him eventually filling the ranks of their precinct.
Tucumcari Department
J. Widermuth
Deputy J. Widermuth
Portrayed By: Michael Hyland Cole
A deputy overseeing the efforts to get Everett Acker out of his house.
- Clueless Deputy: No matter how transparently absurd and fake Saul's manipulations are, he can't do anything in response but make some calls and then shut down the eviction efforts for the time being.
Alberqueque DEA
The DEA Agents
