The Shield Quotes

William: Just tell me why I do it.
Dutch: To dominate. To feel the...
William: No! That's not right.
Dutch: You exert power over...
William: No!
Dutch: You're compelled to.
William: By what?
Dutch: Organized sociopaths tend to...
William: Is that who you think you were chasing this whole time? A type? Some answer on an exam? Who would you be chasing right now if you hadn't stumbled over my parking tickets?
Dutch: But I did find your parking tickets.
William: What happens if the next guy reads the street signs?

TV Show: The Shield
Lem: Dude, what was that back in the clubhouse?
Shane: Just because we're on this team, doesn't mean we can't become a problem. If there's one thing Vic's good at, it's solving problems.
Lem: Dude, Vic's never gonna kick you off the Team.
Shane: Hey, if Vic ever thought that me and Mara were becoming a problem, you'd let me know wouldn't you?

TV Show: The Shield
Operator: Hello, you've reached the Police Department's main switchboard. Please listen carefully to the following options. To be connected to a supervisor, because one of our jackass thugs mistreated you, and you want his goddamn badge, press one.
Ronnie: Cop I know sent it to me.
Operator: If you committed a crime you think you can bullshit your way out of, press two. [Cops laugh]
Ronnie: It's great, isn't it?
Vic: If you shut up and let us listen.
Operator: If you're shirtless and threatening your girlfriend with a knife, and don't want one of our officers interfering with you your "love," press three.
Danny: Priceless.
Operator: To report an act of inter-racial profiling, put down your crack pipe and press four. [group laughs] If you can't locate one of your seven unsupervised, fatherless children, press five.

TV Show: The Shield
Vic: Married huh?
Shane: Yeah, yeah, I can hardly believe it myself.
Vic: Well, I'm sorry I missed that. [pause] Look, you sure you know what you're doing?
Shane: I know what I want.
Vic: Just.... just don't make the same mistakes I made. And you'll be fine.

TV Show: The Shield
Choi: I discussed the situation with community leaders. If they chose to warn him there's nothing I can do.
Vic: Oh, so they make the call for you instead!
Aceveda: Hey, that's conspiracy.
Choi: We don't want cops like him intruding into our lives!
Aceveda: Just give us Kim
Choi: I won't do that. [Vic tries to grab Choi]
Aceveda: Then you'll get more cops, not less. [To Vic] Grab every unit you can, turn those shops upside down! I want every inch of Koreatown smothered!
Vic: Like white on rice.

TV Show: The Shield
Corrine: Matthew doesn't even think he did anything wrong. How am I supposed to reason with him?
Vic: Somehow.
Corrine: I can't spend every second with him. You...you, can't take him, what are we supposed to do? Put him in a home?
Vic: You're serious?
Corrine: [Pause] No.... I don't know.
Vic: We are not gonna put him away.
Corrine: I don't want to.
Vic: Then don't bring it up again!
Corrine: Megan has a shot at a normal life. Is this fair to her?
Vic: Of course not. But that doesn't mean we commit our son!
Corrine: I am doing everything I can!
Vic': Well, then I'm going to have to step in.

TV Show: The Shield
[Waylon dressed as a beggar walks up to Vic's van]
Vic: Hey, take a walk.
Waylon: You take a walk.
Vic: Waylon, what the hell are you doing here? You're going to tip these assholes off!
Waylon: Me? Why don't you just paint 5-0 on the side of the van?
Vic: You're sitting in the Spook Street crew? What for?
Waylon: What do you care. You're compromising everyone. Trish is in the store, Annie's over there-
Vic: You're stepping on our case!
Waylon: We were here first!
Vic: [drops a coin in Waylon's cup] Get lost!
Waylon: You get lost!
Vic: Aww, Jesus Christ!

TV Show: The Shield
Shane: Show and tell, kids!
Vic: Show us what you're doing, and we'll tell you why it's a crime!

TV Show: The Shield
[The Strike Team runs down the stairs to see Lem burning the money]
Vic: What are you doing!?!
Lem: Keeping us safe!
Shane: Put the goddamn money down Lem!
Vic: This won't help us.
Lem: Look, if there's no money to find, Aceveda and the Feds can't touch us!
Shane: Lem, back off. [draws his gun] Back goddamn off right now! [Everyone holds still] Back off man, I mean it.
Ronnie: Shane...
Lem: Shane...put down the gun.
Vic: SHANE!
[Shane & Lem stare at each other; Shane slowly puts the gun down]
Shane: Please man, don't do this man. Please.
Vic: It's gonna be alright. I promise.
Ronnie: Come on man, I mean COME ON MAN!
Lem: You guys, you guys are the only family I got, alright? I'm not gonna let any of us go to prison.
Vic: That's a decision for the four of us to make, not just you.
Lem: I've always gone along with everything you ever wanted, and all it's done is get us deeper and deeper into shit.
Vic: STOP IT!
Lem: Just let me finish this please.
[Vic tackles Lem]

TV Show: The Shield
Ronnie: [Rolls open a carpet to find a bunch of heroin] Oh, I want the rest of the day off!

TV Show: The Shield
Dutch: Vic knew the name of the bar that O'Brien says he found the marked money in. You and I were the only ones who saw the case file.
Aceveda: You think Vic is involved?
Dutch: Here's a guy who can overturn the Armenian mob in a week, but hasn't been able to find anything on the money train in three months? If he's that good, how does a multi-million dollar laundering ring get ripped off in his backyard without him knowing anything about it?

TV Show: The Shield
Dutch: [about public defenders] Having a thankless job is bad enough, getting shot for it is just insulting.

TV Show: The Shield
Lem: I got a bunch of receipts here.
Vic: For what?
Lem: Uh, for dry cleaning.
Vic: What else?
Lem: Uh, for thousands of dollars on these oriental rugs.
Ronnie: You don't dry clean oriental rugs!
[The rest of the Strike Team stares at him]
Ronnie: My...my mom had some. She made me hand-clean 'em when I was a kid.

TV Show: The Shield
Mihalis: [on the phone] I'll be with you in a minute.
Vic: [hangs up phone] You'll be with me now.
Mihalis: What do you want?
Vic: Your favorite frequent flyer, Margos Dezirian. [punches Mihalis in the nose] MARGOS!
Mihalis: Oh my God, I don't know the man, I just leave him messages for him.
Vic: Good. I'll dictate, you dial! (hands him the phone) You tell him that Goma called, sounded strange. He wanted a one way ticket to...where would someone go to hide from Margos?
Mihalis: Hell? [Vic threatens to punch again] Venezuela.
Vic: Good. You tell him, that Goma wanted the ticket delivered to him, at his house. Try not to sound too stuffy.

TV Show: The Shield
Aceveda: What's going on?
Dutch: Some cowardly shitheads messed with her desk.
Aceveda: I'll look into it.
Claudette: Yeah, right!
Aceveda: Excuse me?
Claudette: Oh, don't tell me you're not a part of this, I just got carried out of Victorville.
Aveceda: I spoke to Ben Horton's boss and the Chief. He wasn't too please to hear what you'd been doing.
Claudette: You mean to tell me this entire house would rather me pack up and leave, rather than look into this?
Aceveda: Chief and I did discuss this house... and who's gonna run it when I leave. He's decided to go another way. Bring in somebody else.
Dutch: So now she's not getting the Captain's seat? You gotta be shitting me!
Aceveda: It wasn't my choice, it was hers. She understands.

TV Show: The Shield
Vic: [Shoves gun in Armenian's face] You tried to get us killed you little prick. Alright. [Ronnie points gun at Armenian, Vic shuts the door, slams pen and pad of paper on table] Write. WRITE! L-I-F-E. New word. [shoves gun on forehead] NEW WORD! S-U-X. Ronnie, open that window. [Ronnie opens window, Vic puts note in Armenian's pocket] Looks like you're gonna die a bad speller.

TV Show: The Shield
Vic: Antwon Mitchell.
Antwon: Do I know you?
Vic: I know your mugshot.
Monica: I worked with Rich Nelson.
Antwon: How's he doin'?
Monica: Passed, three years ago. Cancer.
Antwon: Damn, cancer's rough. But he was always talkin' about how he was gonna piss on my grave. Guess I gotta go grab a forty and pay my respects.

TV Show: The Shield
Vic: I didn't get the Street Crime Detail I put in for.
Aceveda: Well, I didn't know you were lookin' to transfer.
Vic: Well, why did you write a four-page letter sabotaging it? I just got off the phone with someone who owes me a favor over there. You goddamn buried me with the selection committee.
Aceveda: I apprised them of your qualifications.
Vic: You stabbed me in the back! You didn't want me to find out about it until you ran out of here, right?
Aceveda: I wouldn't pass you along to become someone else's problem.
Vic: Who's been running your precious little garage sting?
Aceveda: Oh, you mean that load of crap you sold me for a goddamn, nine minor busts? Yeah, I saw you tap dance on that one for a few weeks. So while you were out on the street strutting your stuff, I made Ryan run through every bust you had working. And it didn't take long.
Vic: So what is this? Payback?
Aceveda: Consider it the bill coming due. You ran the Strike Team into the ground. To get you under control I popped you in front of video tapes for six months, and you even managed to botch that. You're a joke! [Vic tries to take a swing but is blocked off by other officers] You really thought after everything I wouldn't get the last word?

TV Show: The Shield
Billings: Bathroom. Family of four drown one by one.
Rawling: Damn.
Vic: Welcome back to Farmington.

TV Show: The Shield
Examiner': Federalies found him with a bunch of fake Mexican ID's and an expired California driver's license. [lifts sheet] Benjamin Wescotton Gilroy?
Vic: Shit!
Examiner: That a positive ID?
Vic: How did he die?
Examiner: Take your pick. Sclerosis, malnutrition, official cause was suffocation. Aspirated on his own vomit. Christ, this guy was the Assistant Police Chief? What happened?
Vic: Take your pick.

TV Show: The Shield
Rawling: [addressing a group of officers] Starting today, all drug and gang related homicides will go through Vic Mackey. I've posted a list of ten detectives and twenty uni's who will work directly under Vic. You'll be leading a task force designed to learn everything we can about the roughly fifty gangs who operate on our turf. Their membership, their businesses, chains of command. Federal asset forfeiture laws will now be enforced in Farmington. A drug dealer uses a car to distribute drugs, we're gonna seize that vehicle. A gang sells crack out of their back room, we're gonna take that home.

TV Show: The Shield
[Vic and his team bust into Choppa's room]
Vic: Assume the position, ladies. Hands on your head right now! Hands on your head!
Choppa'' : [puts hands on his head] Since when niggas kicking it a crime? Oh yeah, that's right - since around forever.
Vic: Ah, chilling's cool. Those teeth are a felony, though. [slaps Choppa's cheek]
[A gun is found]
Vic: You plottin' retribution? Huh?
Choppa: No, man. We got a circle jerk jumpin' off. Why don't you grab some vaseline and join in?

TV Show: The Shield
Rawling: Explain to me why taking this house was the right thing to do yesterday, and the wrong thing today.
Vic: Yesterday we had to stop the shootings.
Rawling: This house was bought with drug money. The mother knew it.
Vic: You said it would be a P.R. nightmare.
Rawling: Either it works or it doesn't. To make exceptions, to put a prettier face on it....sounds more like Aceveda than me. [Rawling walks out of the home and signs paperwork] Take it.

TV Show: The Shield
Rawling: You've cost this city tens of thousands of dollars in clean-up.
Raga: Send me a bill.
Rawling: We will. But you tell me who's planning this war with Poolboys, who's giving you these messages, I can make things better. [To Danny] Bring her something to eat while she thinks it over.
Raga: Burger and fries.
Danny: Settle a bet first. What's Raga stand for?
Raga: Righteous Angel, Gorgeous Ass.
Rawling: I don't admire the artwork, but I gotta admire the confidence.

TV Show: The Shield
Dutch: So, you're going under with Slick, right?
Claudette: Do me a favor, get somebody else.
Dutch: It's our case...
Claudette: Well, I'd rather not.
Dutch: Well, that's great. That's fantastic. [Claudette starts to walk away] Hey! Hey, don't you walk away from me! Not after I've had your back everyday, for the past six months. [Dutch walks over to her] Look. This is our way to get back into the rotation, okay? They'll never buy me in this one, it has to be you.

TV Show: The Shield
Suvato: We'll check it out.
Vic: Good, look for flowers, he poses as a delivery guy to get into the house.
Suvato: Right homes.
Vic: Someone sees him I want a call.
Suvato: Hey! aren't you gonna swear us in?
Vic: Blessed is he who delivers this asshole onto me.

TV Show: The Shield
Shane: [After beating up Halpern] You know what, tell Antwon there's a new scoop law. [Pointing to Halpern] Come pick up his dog shit.

TV Show: The Shield
Dutch: I'm busy. And stop treating me like a suspect.
Claudette: You had a chat with Beth Encardi? If we carried the Webster case, maybe they'd let us out of the doghouse? Something along those lines.
Dutch: Fine. I confess. At least now we're getting confessions from other people too. Real criminals, killers.
Claudette: What are the errands that you have us running for the DA?
Dutch: Nothing. One of us needed to manifest this.
Claudette: You went behind my back?
Dutch: After being ignored head on for six months, you bet I did!
Claudette: But, it wasn't your deal to make.
Dutch: You're the best partner I ever had, I hung in with you, waiting for you to see this through, instead you just dug yourself in further. I wasn't going to sit on my hands, and watch you wreck your career and mine along with it. I got dinged pretty good in this too you know-
Claudette: But this was my fight.
Dutch: And you lost. So I threw in the towel with the DA and I'd do it again. And if you wanna be pissed at me, fine. Go ahead!

TV Show: The Shield
Vic: [To Aceveda] Hey, press conference hasn't started yet. You still got time to figure out how to take credit for all this!

TV Show: The Shield
Rawling: Councilman. Getting me up there under the pretext of soliciting public support and then undermining me. Huh. Thanks for the crash-course in sandbagging.
Aceveda: I came willing to be convinced, I wasn't.
Rawling: Congratulations. You pushed half that crowd into Antwon Mitchell's hands.
Aceveda': Oh that's a slippery slope. Using the boogey-man to run roughshot over people's rights.
Rawling: Don't you have enough to do on city council? Or is this some power-trip of doing my job as well?
Aceveda': Actually, my job duties now include Vice-Chairing the Police Committee. Helping oversee how these seizures are implemented.
Rawling: Well... I guess we need to figure out how to get along now.
Aceveda': Learn to do what I say and we'll be just fine.

TV Show: The Shield