Citadel Security Services

Citadel Security Services, or C-Sec, handles law enforcement on the Citadel. It is a volunteer police service answering to the Citadel Council, and is headed by an Executor, who often liaises between C-Sec and the Council.

Structure
The current Executor is a turian, Venari Pallin, whose office is located within the Presidium Embassies, near the Citadel Tower. The C-Sec Academy itself is located in the Lower Wards, partly due to the crime levels in the area compared to the rest of the station.

Befitting their "public service" culture, it was the turians who first proposed creating a police force for the Citadel, which may be why more than half of all C-Sec officers are turian. Humans appear to form the largest minority, with at least 116 officers in the Zakera ward as of 2185, followed by salarians and asari. The 200,000 constables of C-Sec are responsible for maintaining public order in the densely populated Citadel, as well as providing pirate suppression, customs enforcement, and search-and-rescue throughout the Citadel and surrounding space.

Divisions

 * Enforcement: Uniformed officers who patrol the Citadel, dispense discipline for minor infractions, resolve disputes, and respond to emergencies.
 * Investigation: Detectives who gather evidence, solve crimes, and bring their perpetrators to justice.
 * Customs: Officers who screen the passengers and cargo that pass through the Citadel's ports, confiscate contraband, and arrest smugglers.
 * Network: Technicians who deal with "cybercrimes", such as identity theft, copyright theft, hacking, viral attacks, and illegal AI.
 * Special Response: Officers who deal with hostage situations, bombs, and heavily armed criminals. In the event the Citadel is attacked, they are the front line of interior defense, armed with military-grade weaponry.
 * Patrol: The ships crewed by the Patrol division serve "coast guard" functions, such as search and rescue, piracy suppression, and interdiction of illegally transported materials. They are not used to defend the Citadel from naval attack; that task is left to the Citadel Fleet.

Recruitment
Joining C-Sec is prestigious; applicants must be sponsored by a Citadel Councilor or the ambassador of an associate Council race. Generally, applicants have many years of distinguished service in the military or police forces of their respective race, but an inexperienced applicant with demonstrable talent will be fairly considered. Most rookies are posted to the comparatively-calm Presidium to get some operational experience and familiarity with protocol before being assigned to the Wards.

Relations
While C-Sec enjoys a long and respected history with the Council itself, C-Sec and the Council's Spectres are often at odds. Many C-Sec members, notably Executor Pallin, believe that allowing Spectres to be 'above the law' is a dangerous practice. In turn, the Spectres are aggravated when C-Sec's dedication to procedure and due process hampers their investigations.

Many of C-Sec's own officers—usually detectives like Garrus and Harkin—occasionally find themselves at odds with C-Sec's strict regulations, likely in place to keep order among so many different races and factions aboard the Citadel. As Harkin discovered, C-Sec is not above keeping files on its officers if the Executor feels disciplinary action may be warranted.

Mass Effect
In 2183, after the attack on Eden Prime, the Council charged C-Sec to look into Saren and the Alliance's charge of treason. Finding no evidence to support the matter, the officer in charge, Garrus Vakarian, still wanted to pursue the issue, until being told by Pallin to drop the case. Garrus, however, continued to investigate which eventually led to the Med Clinic in the Wards. Here, Garrus ambushed a group of thugs and saved Dr. Chloe Michel's life, with the assistance of Commander Shepard. Dr. Michel offered her thanks and told them about the quarian who came to see her, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Garrus then asked to join Shepard's team.

Detective Chellick was also running an investigation about weapons smuggling and how it was getting onto the Citadel. Shepard has the opportunity to ruin the operation, but is talked down by Chellick, who then asks for the Commander's assistance. Chellick reveals the extent of the investigation and asks Shepard to assist. Should Shepard agree, and not blow the operation, then the Commander is given some mods as compensation. Should Shepard compromise the operation, Chellick is furious and says that the Commander blew months of undercover work and now they have to start from scratch.

C-Sec had also pulled aside a krogan named Urdnot Wrex, who was reported by Fist for making threats. C-Sec brought him to the C-Sec Academy "for a friendly chat." Shepard has the option to have Wrex assist during the Commander’s investigation.

Mass Effect 2
C-Sec undergoes radical restructuring between Saren's attack on the Citadel in 2183 and 2185. Humans now occupy many of the positions that were open after Saren's attack decimated C-Sec. Also, C-Sec tightened security to reduce the possibility of geth infiltration, instituting "no-fly" lists, barring weapons and bio-amps, and even barring individuals from traveling in certain circumstances, no matter how unlikely the suspect.

Captain Bailey explains the situation to Commander Shepard and can assist the Commander during several different investigations and operations aboard the Citadel. Captain Bailey can also provide the Commander with an interrogation room to assist Thane in dealing with his son. Captain Bailey also can assist the Commander in dealing with Garrus’ past.

Mass Effect: Inquisition
In 2186, Councilor Udina asks Captain Bailey to investigate Pallin, who has been seen coming and going from an office in his district. After arriving at the office, to find two dead C-Sec officers, and Pallin himself. Bailey tells Pallin about Udina’s accusations, Pallin tells Bailey that Udina can’t be trusted. Bailey says that Udina said the same thing, which Pallin counters by saying that they are all lies. Pallin then pulls out his gun and shoots at Bailey, who returns fire and hits Pallin in the chest. Pallin then charges Bailey, saying that he and Udina won’t get away with what they are doing. Pallin knocks Bailey to the floor, but Bailey shoots and kills Pallin. Later in Udina’s office, Udina congratulates Bailey on a job well done. Bailey explains his misgivings about the assignment, but Udina dismisses them and then promotes Bailey to Commander and tells him the Council will be expecting a full report of the incident.

Notable C-Sec Officers

 * Executor Pallin (Killed in 2186)
 * Garrus Vakarian (Leaves sometime between 2183 and 2185)
 * Harkin (Suspended in 2183, fired at some point between 2183 and 2185)
 * Detective Chellick
 * Officer Eddie Lang
 * C-Sec Requisitions Officer
 * Armando-Owen Bailey (Captain in 2185, promoted to Commander in 2186)
 * Sergeant Haron
 * Jordan Noles

Mass Effect

 * Citadel: Jahleed's Fears
 * Citadel: Wrex
 * Citadel: Rita's Sister
 * Citadel: Presidium Prophet
 * UNC: Hostile Takeover

Mass Effect 2

 * Citadel: The Council
 * Thane: Sins of the Father
 * Citadel: Found Forged ID

Mass Effect 3

 * Citadel: Batarian Codes

Trivia

 * The acronym C-Sec may be based on CSEC, the Canadian government's national cryptologic agency.