The Significance of APF in True Detective Season 4: Explained

Introduction

True Detective: Night Country establishes APF (Alaska Police Force) as an important entity in its overarching narrative, and the law enforcement agency's significance will likely grow as the show progresses. Like its predecessors, True Detective season 4 presents a standalone mystery drama driven by the sudden disappearance of a group of scientists from an Alaskan research facility. The season also draws several subtle references to True Detective season 1 and even expands the story elements set by it.

Kali Reis as Det. Evangeline Navarro and Jodi Foster as Det. Liz Danvers in True Detective season 4

Following the series' trend, True Detective: Night Country also introduces two law enforcers as its protagonists, Chief Liz Danvers (Jodi Foster) and Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), who set out to get to the bottom of the overarching crime. However, what makes it significantly different from season 1 is that it gets two law enforcement agencies, APF and state troopers, involved in its central murder mystery. This not only creates a unique dynamic within the investigation but also adds a layer of complexity to the individual story beats of its main characters.

Jodie Foster as Liz Danvers in True Detective: Night Country

APF Sets Up A Big Part of True Detective: Night Country's Story

Kali Reis as Det. Evangeline Navarro and Jodi Foster as Det. Liz Danvers in True Detective season 4

APF Sets Up a Big Part of True Detective: Night Country's Story

True Detective: Night Country's opening episode sows the seeds of a potential conflict between different law enforcement forces. By highlighting how Danvers as the detective and Navarro as the trooper already have some underlying unresolved issues with one another, the show seems to set the stage for a lot of friction between them. Considering how Annie's case likely connects to the murders of the researchers in True Detective: Night Country, Danvers will eventually cave in and seek Navarro's help. However, like Rust and Martin from season 1, the two will form an uneasy alliance born purely out of necessity before finding some common ground.

navarro-stands-next-to-police-car-in-true-detective-season-4

It will not be long before Danvers' boss, Ted (Christopher Eccleston), will also weigh in on the researchers' case, considering its complexity and scale. His potential intervention could further widen the divides in the APF because both Navarro and Danvers are pursuing the case for personal reasons. Danvers initially denies that the researchers had anything to do with Annie K but still asks Peter to steal her file from his father. This proves that, like Navarro, she, too, is deep down seeking answers about what happened to Annie. If Ted tries to take over, both Danvers and Navarro will have a problem, complicating the dynamic between the law enforcers.

Danvers (Jodie Foster) shows Navarro (Kali Reis) something on her phone in True Detective season 4

Is True Detective: Night Country's APF Real?

Most cities in Alaska have their own individual police agencies. For instance, the primary law enforcement agency in Fairbanks, Alaska, is called the Fairbanks Police Department. While there is an Alaska Department of Public Safety, the Alaska Police Force does not exist. It is a fictional agency created for True Detective: Night Country's fictional town of Ennis. Interestingly, the Alaska Police Force logo in True Detective: Night Country seems to have a polar bear in it, which might hold some significance given how season 4's episode 1 features polar bear imagery as symbolism.

Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) bites her lip in True Detective's police station

True Detective season 4 drops new episodes every Sunday on HBO Max.

Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Navarro (Kali Reis) walk down a hospital hallway in True Detective season 4