Officer Barbrady is the main police presence in "South Park," serving the town's population and keeping the peace. Well, at least he tries.
But like the rest of the adults in the series, Barbrady is incompetent more often than not, and you'd hardly point to him as a shining example of his profession. True, he might not be as corrupt or evil as many of the other characters and he has been fired multiple times — but if you have a crime to solve, you'd probably want to call just about anyone else.
There might be a good reason for this. A 2012 theory speculates that the character is simply a regular citizen who has come to believe he is part of the police, but is not actually employed by them in any way.
According to this theory, the rest of the town feels sorry for Barbrady, so they maintain the pretense as a way to keep him content (and occupied). As evidence, the theory points towards his fake-looking police badge, no one ever calling him to solve real crimes, and his consistent lack of partners and colleagues. Barbrady has always operated as a sort of "one-man team," out of a small building with other characters seemingly coming and going from what seems like his own personal jail. Even in a small town, it would be unusual for an officer of the law to possess such autonomy. So, is it possible his appearances on "South Park" are actually a kind, elaborate gesture from the townspeople to maintain the delusion of a grown man playing cops and robbers?
