Here's a question: Why won't Rockstar Games add a police mode to the games console versions of "Grand Theft Auto 5"?

After all, while so-called "modders" have added a highly popular police mode called LSPDFR to the PC version of Rockstar's game, the Xbox and Playstation console versions of GTA 5 continue to lack such a mode. This is a great shame in that it limits Xbox players to wreaking virtual criminal havoc on the fictional city of San Andreas, rather than giving them the ability to serve the finer moral values of law enforcement.

And the LSPDFR mode is exceptional: As the video below shows, it allows players to take on the role of a police officer and respond to a wide array of callouts.



More aggravating here is that there seems to be no good reason why Rockstar won't add its own police mode for consoles. After all, the game's online mode — where players can play against other human players over the internet — already offers a vast array of various races and competitions. In addition, the game's frequent updates prove that Rockstar continues to put resources behind its creative team even as the company prepares for new game releases.

Why not add a police mode to the updates list? Previous versions of GTA featured a police mode right from the point of their release date. An update would simply represent Rockstar catching up with itself, not some kind of revolutionary act. And the demand is certainly there. Run an internet search for "LSPDFR xbox," and you'll find a litany of commenters wondering why they can't share in the experiences of GTA 5 players on PC.

One excuse for Rockstar might be that it fears a police mode would cause servers to break down due to excessive memory requirement stresses.

If so, I have a solution: Rockstar could develop a police mode update that Xbox or Playstation users could download via the internet but only play in offline single player mode. That would reduce any concerns about lag online to a point of irrelevance while allowing players to enjoy a fictional, albeit greatly simplified, experience of serving as a police officer.

Sadly, it seems unlikely to happen: Had Rockstar wanted to do this, they would have likely done so by now. As such, we'll have to wait for upcoming police games produced by other companies.