Ray Buttowski

"Everyone has their vices, Phelps, and everyone can be bought out for the right price. Everyone has that weakness or greedy site that can always be exploited. I should know - it's the way I get my dough."

- Ray to Cole, telling him some ways to get dough

Ray Buttowski is a major character in L.A. Noire. Ray is the corrupt Chief Detective of the Drug department. He is Cole Phelps' partner during his time at the Drug desk. Ray later becomes a secondary antagonist during the Arson desk.

Biography
Ray was born on 30 August, 1942, in San Francisco, California. He is from a Polish-American family and the older brother of another detective, Stefan Buttowski. While Stefan would be spoiled by his parents a lot and it would always be his way or the highway, Ray never had such love and was often patronised by his parents, which possibly led to him being like he is today; cold, arrogant and hateful of Stefan amongst other people. Buttowski served many years in the LAPD, partnered with Vance Colliery until eventually moving up to the Drug desk. While Colliery became Lieutenant of the department, Buttowski became the most Senior Detective. Ray's workings as Chief Detective allowed him to become immensely informed and affiliated with the city's organised crime and mobsters such as Mickey Cohen of the Marina Family. Ray has been in Vice for "more years than he wants to own up to." according to him himself. According to Herschel Binggs, Ray was influenced by the notorious dirty cop Vernon Mapes.

Today, Ray is still alive, and lives as a retired man in Miami, Florida.

Events of L.A. Noire
"I'll be keeping an eye on you. I could spend a little time basking in reflected glory."

- Ray referring to Phelps' heroism during the war

Buttowski first met Cole Phelps during his first day as a Traffic Detective, and is first depicted as friendly and interested in Cole's work. He tells Phelps that he could spend some time basking in his "reflected glory".

Their paths later crossed again while Phelps was questioning Marlon Hopgood, prepared to arrest him, however, Buttowski arrived and informed Phelps of Hopgood's status as a Drug informant, thus protecting him from charges and Traffic jurisdiction, much to Phelps' outrage. However, after arresting Mark Bishop, Ray offered congratulations to Phelps for solving a grand case and for his promotion, but was scolded by Traffic Captain Gordon Larry for possibly trying to take over the case. Ray took Phelps and his younger brother Stefan Buttowski to The Blue Room club, and personally introduced Phelps to singer Elsa Lichtmann. There, it was shown that Buttowski had an intense dislike for Elsa, whom he hit for "disrespecting" him, because she was upset at Lou Buchwalter's untimely death and once even referred to her as a "German junkie whore".

"They really picked a prize shithole for our first date."

- Ray commenting on the crime scene where Cornell Tyree and Tyrone Lamont were found dead

Realising Phelps' growing fame and success, Ray pulled in several favours to request and secure Phelps' promotion to the Drug Department from Homicide. When promoted to the Drug desk, Phelps becomes partners with Ray. Their first case together solved the stolen morphine distribution, ending with the arrest of several dealers and the death of Lenny Finkelstein, generating good press for the Department while discrediting Mickey Cohen.

The two later moved on to solve several other cases, including busting a marijuana reefer distribution ring, a prize fight racket, and a burglary gang. Phelps' time with Ray gave him insight into the politics, corruption and questionable methods of the Drug Department. While investigating the 111 Club shootings, Phelps attempted to get a lead from Elsa. However, Buttowski discovered that the two were engaged in an affair, something he could use as a bargaining chip for his secret hatred for Cole.

Ray was involved in a scandal with the rest of the Drug Department, which involved taking bribes from a high-class prostitute known as Tanya. The scandal threatened to ruin the current administration if it went public. Mayor Fletcher Bowron, Police Chief William Worrell, and District Attorney Donald Sandler were approached by Ray who offered a solution. Ray revealed to them Phelps' affair with Elsa, a story to help distract the press, but in exchange to be a part of their syndicate.

Phelps and Buttowski discovered a gang war for the stolen morphine between Cohen's organisation and a group of former Marines, supposedly responsible for the SS Coolidge heist. Despite stopping some of the assassination attempts against the former Marines, the case remained unresolved, as Phelps was charged for adultery by his wife thus suspended and later demoted to Arson.

Having turned Phelps into a pariah to conceal the Drug Squad's corruption, Ray was introduced to the Suburban Redevelopment Fund and their nefarious deeds. Buttowski worked as hired help for Lenard Monroe. Ray was tasked to warn Phelps to stop investigating Elysian Fields Development, to conceal SRF's conspiracy. Ray later investigated and compiled a criminal intelligence report on Dr. Harlan Fontaine, detailing his transactions in dealing the stolen morphine, thus giving Monroe leverage against Fontaine as insurance.

"I knew this creep was in on the morphine heist. A victim of his own product."

- Buttowski on dead Courtney Shelton

Ray, Phelps, Officer Mitchell and Herschel Binggs later discovered the murdered body of Courtney Shelton, killed by Fontaine from an overdose of morphine. However, Ray disregarded and slandered Shelton as "a victim of his own product", causing Phelps to pull his gun on Buttowski in anger. Saddened by his former comrade's death, Phelps defended the deceased Shelton, praising him as an honourable and brave Marine who served his country and threatened to shoot Ray for disrespecting Shelton's memory. Composed, Phelps took the opportunity to tell Buttowski that SRF's plans were failing and warned him that his corruption would be exposed, though Ray was unmoved by Phelps' threats and laughed at them.

Ray was able to conceal his corruption and involvement with Monroe, and walked away from the scandal a free man. Presumably, he took part in a deal with Leonard Petersen.

After Phelps' death, Buttowski, along with Phelps's other partners and members of the force, attended the funeral to pay their respects. Ray delivered the eulogy, reminding everyone of Phelps' bravery during the war and his efforts as an LAPD officer. Buttowski renounced the rumours against Phelps, causing Elsa to walk out in grief and anger, stating that Ray was disgracing Phelps' memory. Buttowski then honoured Phelps' legacy, praising him as a good husband, father and friend. Ray left the podium and shook Petersen's hand.

Personality and traits
"Look at this chump, with his $200 suit and $2000 car."

- Jack Kelso on Buttowski

Sardonic and highly cynical, Ray has little respect for others. This is evident from various racist and misogynistic remarks that he makes throughout his time as an LAPD officer. He is probably the only Detective in the game that often questions or complains about his commander's orders. He also occasionally shows a propensity for violence, when he strikes Elsa Lichtmann for being "disrespectful" towards him. He seems to care very much about his appearance, wearing a $200 dollar suit, and also enjoys mocking Cole's appearance.

Buttowski and Phelps repeatedly clash with each other over police procedure, their duty as LAPD officers and morality. Phelps has a more standard 'eradicate crime' idea, whereas Ray expresses the idea that crime has to be controlled and managed. On their first case, they see two junkies dead after using nearly-pure morphine from a new, unknown source. Ray is disgusted as the chaos and harm caused by someone horning in on the city's criminal system.

Despite their differences, Phelps and Buttowski had an efficient partnership. Both of them can be intimidating and react fiercely to duplicitous suspects. Buttowski, like Phelps, is no stranger to fistfights and shootouts. In addition, Ray occasionally shows little regard for Phelps' safety, as shown by the dialogue in "The Naked City", however even that regard is held in very low standards.

Ray is very savvy with political and criminal ongoings. Mickey Cohen is familiar with him, and Ray supports his crime family's operations by buying meat from Hernandez's Slaughterhouse. Ray is also very street-smart, sadistic, and a bitterly sarcastic detective. Buttowski is also cocky and arrogant, as he tells Phelps that his younger sibling "Stefan and Dusty Galloway couldn't work a Drug case if their lives depended on it." He considers Stef a pushover and Dusty a hopeless drunk. He also claims Stefan was always "mommy's favourite". Because of his reputation throughout the department as a heavily corrupt detective, he is shown to be strongly disliked and mistrusted by several higher members, notably Herschel Binggs, Gordon Larry, and James Donnell.

Buttowski is also an opportunist. He stole a roll of money worth $1,000 which was actually evidence, after claiming "the department owed him a buck", when the department only owed him $20. He also evidently took bribes and had a personal stake in a fixed boxing match between Albert Hammond and Kit Galahad. He also tells Phelps in "The Black Caesar" that he is a good friend of a Marina, Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Furthermore, Ray knew of Phelps' interest in Elsa, and ultimately used this information to bargain his way into the SRF syndicate and into Lenard Monroe's payroll.

Trivia

 * Ray smokes Marlboro cigarettes heavily which could explain his never-ending coughing. He also drinks occasionally.
 * During shootouts, Ray is a lot more careless than Cole's other partners. He rarely uses cover and usually can be seen to fire his weapon from the hip one-handed. Despite this, he still mocks Cole for not taking cover and calls him a coward.
 * Ray is disliked by Cole Phelps and most other major characters in the game such as his own brother Stefan Buttowski, who mocks him during "The Driver's Seat" and Herschel Binggs calls him an s-wipe on several occasions.
 * Ray was actually trying to convince Cole to have an affair with Elsa all along.