Civil Protection
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The Civil Protection Unit (otherwise known as the CPU) are a branch of the Combine Overwatch that resides in Cities such as City 17, seen within Half-Life 2. The CPU are the first force that Dr. Gordon Freeman encounters when he reaches the City and discovers their hostility towards normal civilians.
[edit] Civil Protection Officer (Metro Police)
The bulk of the CPU is made up of the Civil Protection Officers, also known as the Metro Police. Unlike the other Combine soldiers seen within the game, it seems the Civil Protection Officers are not genetically altered humans but merely normal humans who have given in to the Combine occupation and/or seeking to better their lives due to it. The name Civil Protection seems inappropriate for the truth in what these officers carry out; physical assault is seen within the game through use of a stun-stick (commonly carried by Civil Protection Officers), which can with repeated use actually kill the victim being beaten. It seems that beatings by the Civil Protection are common as suggested by Barney at the beginning of the game, I'm way behind on my beating quota. Raids on civilian homes to rout out citizens who oppose or resist the Combine Overwatch are made frequently. During such raids, civilian casualties are quite high.
The Civil Protection Unit is not just stationed within the City but also on its outskirts as Dr. Freeman makes his escape through the canals it is clear to see Combine bases with Civil Protection Officers within, suggesting that they don't only act as police to the centre of the City but also as guard against outside influences, such as the Resistance. However as seen it is likely that the Resistance were able to infiltrate covertly the CPU, leading some Officers like Barney Calhoun to be useful spies to the Resistance movement.
The Civil Protection also implore the use of man-hacks which can easily clear unreachable or dangerous areas to slaughter enemies and for aerial assault, the Combine Hunter Chopper. For high-speed or armoured pursuit, the Combine APC proves to be as powerful as tank against the Resistance forces.
[edit] In Half-Life 2
The CPU holds sway over much of the power within City 17 when Dr. Freeman arrives within the City and it seems that they are used by the Overwatch as a mere policing force. However in the subsequent failed teleportation of Dr. Issac Kleiner to teleport Dr. Freeman to Black Mesa East, which temporarily transported him to the Citadel, the CPU was put on high alert to capture and kill Dr. Freeman.
In he struggle to carry out the designated objective, the Civil Protection were able to assail several underground Resistance bases known as The Underground Railroad and decimate them through use of man-hacks and aerial assaults. Despite their success in ending the Resistance's transportation method in getting refugees out of City 17, Dr. Freeman escaped and the task was carried over to the Overwatch Armed Forces outside the City.
The CPU suffered a terrible blow indeed when Nova Prospekt was destroyed and signalled an uprising in City 17, led by the Resistance Army and other citizens. The Civil Protection Officers were unable to quell the uprising and were soon replace by better equipped and trained Overwatch soldiers, with back-up by Combine synths.
When the Citadel's Dark Fusion Reactor was destroyed, it appeared the CPU was thrown into utter chaos and the Civil Protection Officers were presumed to have fled with the Resistance fled with little opposition from the remaining Combine forces struggled to maintain control of City 17.
