What's APF in True Detective Season 4 and What It Means in the Show?

In the first episode of the new season of True Detective, Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) appears as one of the first people in the abandoned research facility. The only thing she manages to find is a tongue and because of that, the case immediately seems exceptionally mysterious.

Related:True Detective Confirms Popular Rust Cohle Theory Linking Seasons 4 and 1

Danvers is here because she's part of the Alaska Police Force, which automatically takes over investigations and is reluctant to cooperate with the Alaska State Police, where our other main character of the season, Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), serves.

What is APF?

The Alaska Police Force operates in Ennis. The city and the uniformed services protecting it were invented for the needs of the new season and do not exist in reality. The choice of name is interesting because if the creators of the series wanted to recreate the reality as closely as possible, they should have named the unit Liz Danvers Ennis Police Department â?? after the city, not state.

The fictitious Alaska Police Force is in charge of all the action in and around Ennis. This applies to crimes, investigations and responding to emergencies. We also know that by working locally, Liz Danvers is familiar with the residents, knows their history of law compliance, and understands their life situation.

Navarro and her way of doing things are the complete opposite of what Jodie Foster's character stands for. The Alaska State Police, which is actually called the Division of Alaska State Troopers, operates throughout the state, but its functions are mainly limited to enforcing the law on roads and highways. We know from the series that Navarro previously worked for APF and was transferred to AST due to an investigation that now returns years later. Two women are connected by a common past and the next episodes of the series will probably reveal the behind-the-scenes of work at APF and reasons for Nevarro losing her job.

At the same time, it seems that not everyone within the APF is working as a team. Hank Prior is the prime suspect, who keeps files of some cases in his apartment, but when asked about them, he pretends not to remember. They clearly have a problem with someone else poking around. Plus, Prior doesn't like it when you point something out to him, and people aren't too keen on listening to Danvers either.

Perhaps in the next episodes, for personal reasons, he will block the investigation of the two heroines, maybe wanting to hide something in connection with the case being conducted. His actions may play a significant role in subsequent episodes and influence the conflict within the APF. So, the unit and the actions within it can have a significant impact on the investigation, which is at the center of this season.

More:Who's Ted Connelly played by Christopher Eccleston in True Detective Season 4?