Harry Callahan (Reimagined)

Harry Callahan is a San Francisco police Inspector.

Harold Francis Callahan was born and raised in San Francisco, California, the first-born son of Clinton and Margaret Callahan. He grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco with his parents and his sister Jeanne. After Harry graduated from high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, he went on to the School of Infantry at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. There, Harry attended the Marine Rifleman Course. Afterwards, he was assigned to a rifle platoon in 3rd Battalion 1st Marines. Harry eventually rose to the position of automatic rifleman and then fire team leader.

He left the Marine Corps after four years of service and applied to join the San Francisco Police Department. After completing the entire application process, Harry went on to the SFPD Regional Training Center Basic Academy. Upon graduating from the Police Academy, he was assigned as a patrol officer to the Northern Police Station.

Just two years into his career as a police officer, Harry was promoted to Inspector and assigned to the Homicide Section of the Personal Crimes Division. Three years afterwards, he was transferred to the newly-established Major Cases Section. In that capacity, Harry is part of a unit responsible for building cases against high-profile targets responsible for multiple homicides, city-wide drug distribution and money laundering in San Francisco.

As an Inspector in the Major Cases Section, his primary concern is protecting and avenging the victims of violent crime. Though proficient at apprehending criminals, Harry's methods are often unconventional; while some claim that he is prepared to ignore the law and professional and ethical boundaries, regarding them as needless red tape hampering justice, his methods are usually within the law – he takes advantage of situations that justify his use of deadly force, sometimes almost creating those situations.

While his partners and many other officers respect and admire him, others see him as unfit to serve on the police force. Harry often clashes with superiors who dislike his methods, and judges and prosecutors are wary of handling his cases because of frequent violations of the Fourth Amendment and other irregularities. He has a reputation as someone who does not hesitate to cross professional and ethical boundaries in pursuit of his own vision of justice, especially when the law is poorly served by an inept bureaucracy.

Often assigned every dirty job that comes along, Harry has been given the nickname "Dirty Harry" by his fellow officers.

Note

 * A version of this character appears in the Dirty Harry film series.