50 Best Rock Songs About Law Enforcement
Best Rock Tracks on Law Enforcement and Authority
There’s a strange pulse that runs through songs that deal with cops, badges, and the idea of control. Some are stories from the wrong side of the siren, others feel like someone trying to outdrive a flashing light in the rearview. You can hear the static of rebellion in the riffs, the stomp of boots on asphalt hiding under a guitar solo that goes on a little too long. These tracks don’t sound neat or moral—they sound like a chase. And that’s the point.
The thing about law enforcement themes in music is they don’t always land where you expect. Some tracks talk straight, some wrap the idea in metaphors or moods, and a few barely touch it but still live in that space of tension and consequence. You’ll find pieces that flirt with justice and authority but never fully take a side. There’s room for irony, anger, swagger, even something close to sympathy. And while a few lean heavy on storytelling, others only borrow the symbols—the siren, the blue light, the badge—and run off with them.
It’s not limited to rock either. The same pulse shows up in pop, rock, country, and R&B songs, stitched through beats and basslines that echo the same unease. Some cuts here aren’t literally tied to cops, but they carry that charge anyway—the defiance, the watchfulness, the pushback. These are the best rock songs on law enforcement that hold that restless energy and blast it loud enough to turn heads.
Top 10 Law Enforcement Rock Songs
1. 'I Fought the Law' by The Clash
2. 'Police on My Back' by The Clash
3. 'The Guns of Brixton' by The Clash
4. 'Breaking the Law' by Judas Priest
5. 'Jailbreak' by Thin Lizzy
6. 'Highway Patrolman' by Bruce Springsteen
7. 'Johnny 99' by Bruce Springsteen
8. 'Police Truck' by Dead Kennedys
9. 'Police Story' by Black Flag
10. 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine
Rock Songs About Police and Justice Systems #11 to 20
11. 'Rumble' by Link Wray and His Ray Men
12. 'Caught by the Fuzz' by Supergrass
13. 'Dream Police' by Cheap Trick
14. 'Used to Be a Cop' by Cowboy Junkies
15. 'Hate the Police' by Mudhoney
16. 'Dicks Hate the Police' by The Dicks
17. 'Riot Van' by Arctic Monkeys
18. 'Cops and Robbers' by The Hoosiers
19. 'Jolly Coppers on Parade' by Randy Newman
20. 'I Shot the Sheriff' by Eric Clapton
Best Rock Songs on Crime and Policing #21 to 30
21. 'State Trooper' by Bruce Springsteen
22. 'New York City Cops' by The Strokes
23. 'Jailbreak' by AC/DC
24. 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' by Pink Floyd
25. 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' by Bob Dylan
26. 'Hurricane' by Bob Dylan
27. 'The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde' by Georgie Fame
28. 'Down by the River' by Neil Young
29. 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' by AC/DC
30. 'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2' by Pink Floyd
Popular Rock Songs About Law Enforcement #31 to 40
31. 'Bankrobber' by The Clash
32. 'The Regulator' by Bad Brains
33. '2+2=5' by Radiohead
34. 'Living With the Law' by Chris Whitley
35. 'Cop Car' by Keith Urban
36. 'Justice' by Warrant
37. 'American Skin (41 Shots)' by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
38. 'The Night Chicago Died' by Paper Lace
39. 'Bad Boys' by Inner Circle
40. 'I Can't Drive 55' by Sammy Hagar
Best Rock Songs on Law Enforcement and Crime #41 to 50
41. 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' by Fela Kuti
42. 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police
43. 'Karma Police' by Radiohead
44. 'So Ya Wanna Be a Cop?' by 7 Seconds
45. 'The Judge' by Twenty One Pilots
46. 'I Don't Care Anymore' by Phil Collins
47. 'The Commissioner' by The Specials
48. 'Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)' by Neil Young
49. 'The Trial' by Pink Floyd
50. 'Sweet Little Sister' by Skid Row
© 2025 Carson McQueen
