Inspector Gadget wasn't a cop though, right? He was like an independent contractor? You never saw him go down to a station or anything.

Also it's kind of a Jason Mendoza deal, like - can you be a bastard if you're too dumb to know what's going on, ever?

And, if Inspector Gadget is too stupid to be morally culpable for his own actions, does that mean his niece, Penny, is the real cop?

Is the dog a cop?

I mean, the obvious answer is that Inspector Gadget isn't a cop because you never see him doing "cop stuff."

Imagine how hilarious the results would be if he did, though.

"Go-Go Gadget Riot Shield!" *coat inflates*

Tries to write a ticket because the protesters are obstructing a thoroughfare, accidentally sprays all the cops with ink, they're all sliding around.

Tosses a message from the Chief over his shoulder, message self-destructs, destroys the 13th Precinct building.

Other cops are trying to throw tear gas grenades, Inspector Gadget is like "Oh my, what IS that odor? Well, I can take care of this." Pops his helicopter out of his hat and blows the tear gas back at the cops.

"Gadget, do you understand what's going on here?"

"I... thought it was a birthday party?"

Side note: the song "Go-Go-Gadget Gospel" by Gnarls Barkley was a truly disappointing song with the greatest title I've ever heard.

Ultimately I'm pretty sure that if you could explain to Gadget what was going on he'd be on the side of the protesters.

So would Penny.

Brain's a little snitch.

Fun fact: as a small child, some local TV station I used to watch would air Get Smart and Inspector Gadget back-to-back and it was years before I put together that they were the same guy.

Also Agent 99 was my first human crush.