ROB RUN police guide: join up or survive a stop

To become a cop in ROB RUN, enlist at the Looty Bay Police Station when a slot is available. You receive department equipment and a patrol vehicle, with better equipment tied to progression and current server rules. If you are playing a Criminal instead, surrendering can preserve equipped gear even though your bag is confiscated.

Joining the department, avoiding a death and negotiating a bribe are different decisions. The comparison below separates them so you can see what is actually at risk.

Join the Police

1. Go to the Police Station in Looty Bay.
2. Check whether a slot is available.
3. Enlist and use the department-issued equipment for your shift.
4. Work on crime and contraband objectives to earn a paycheck and progress.

If you cannot enlist, check availability before treating the station as broken. A Police career is part of the player-driven city rather than an unlimited-role menu. The official help also describes backup calls that can temporarily improve equipment and pay for responding players.

Source: becoming a cop.

Read the launch changes before planning a shift

The launch update changes several Police assumptions from the playtest. Badge purchases now depend on your home district, while badges from looting and salaries have been reduced. Newly opened servers initially limit patrol officers to pistols; access to better gear develops with server age. Repeated deaths also bring longer respawn delays.

The consequence is practical: a video from an older test or an older server may show equipment you cannot obtain immediately on a fresh one. Check your current district, progression and server conditions instead of assuming a different player’s loadout should be available to you.

Source: First Changes & Server Schedule.

Know when you become a Criminal

Putting on a mask in Looty Bay enables robberies and changes your exposure to Police and other Criminals. Scouting a building before masking is different from beginning a robbery. The documented way to clear Criminal status is to leave the city, then choose your role on your next entry.

Our recommendation is to identify the exit before committing. If your plan relies on simply removing the mask after a heist, revise it: that is not the escape rule described by the developer. A teammate can help split entry, hauling and cover, but cannot remove the risk of running into another group.

Sources: heists and Criminal status and the gameplay overview.

Compare surrender, death and bribery

The full death-loss table comes from the official help center. It is a location-and-role rule, not a universal “you keep your gear” promise. Before risking an expensive kit, check which row applies to your current situation.

Sources: surrender rules and death losses.

A bribe needs bank money and acceptance

The official bribe rule requires money in your bank account. An offer alone does not complete the deal: the officer has to accept. If accepted, you retain what is in your bag and the officer receives a payment.

Prepare the banking side before relying on this option. Having unprocessed physical cash is not the same as meeting the bank-funds condition. See the money guide for opening the account and using the Laundering Desk.

Source: paying a bribe.

Decide what you can afford to lose

As a starting strategy, separate the value of your bag from the replacement cost of your equipped kit. Surrender may preserve the latter, but it does not make the run profitable or make loot immune to confiscation. A bribe may retain the bag, but acceptance is not guaranteed.

For a longer session, also consider the wipe rules: keeping equipment through one encounter does not preserve it beyond a Federal Raid. This guide gives documented mechanics and decision points, not a guaranteed combat outcome, fixed bribe price or exact respawn timer.