Defined
I knew when I agreed to the transfer it would be hard. That's one of the reasons I took it. In Metropolis, you don't get this kind of thing. Superman has put fear of God into all the little fish and takes out the big fish for breakfast. Metropolis cops spend half their lives cleaning up someone else's messes. Gotham cops spend half their lives proving someone else's cases.
I had heard of him even before I came, but I never realized what he did for the force here. Big Blue made cops' lives easier, if more boring, but Batman? He's another story.
A cop's life in Gotham is defined by the Bat. Whether you've seen him, whether he's helped you with a case, whether he's taken your whole investigation out from under you and pulled something completely different out of thin air. And most important, whether you we smart enough to let him.
I've heard all the stories. The Joker, shooting Gordon's wife and daughter (they say Jim Gordon was the best cop to ever come to Gotham, and I think I believe them). Two-Face, breaking the law he swore to defend. Mr. Freeze, turning on of my best officers into a popsicle. I've heard the stories. And when he does come, when I see him, I'm letting him have the case, I'm letting him have the pain, I've letting him have everything. Because when he comes and takes a case from you, it's your life on the line.