Page "The Dukes of Hazzard" Paragraph 18

* Rosco Purvis Coltrane ( James Best ) is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man and brother-in-law of its corrupt county administrator, Jefferson Davis " J. D.

" Hogg (" Boss Hogg "), whom Rosco referred to as his " little fat buddy ", " Little Chrome Dome ", " Little Meadow-Muffin ", and several other names.

In the very early episodes, it was mentioned that Rosco spent the first 20 years of his career as a mostly honest lawman, but after the county voted away his pension Rosco joined Hogg in an effort to fund his retirement in his last couple of years as Sheriff.

As the series settled down and found its footing, this was soon dropped into the background, and by the end of the first season had been virtually forgotten ( and his role as Sheriff appeared to be open ended ).

He is also the younger brother of Lulu Coltrane Hogg, Boss Hogg's wife.

Rosco frequently initiated car chases with Bo and Luke Duke ( whom Hogg wanted to get rid of due to them constantly exposing his corrupt schemes ), but the Duke boys were usually able to easily elude Rosco by outwitting him, with him usually meeting some accident in his patrol car as a result ( from which he would nearly always escape uninjured-only two episodes, the fourth season's " Coltrane Vs. Duke " and season six's " Too Many Roscos " toy with the concept of him being hurt during one of these escapades ).

These chases were often the result of Rosco setting up illegal speed traps such as a false or changing speed limit signs and various other trickery, which would evolve into being increasingly more cartoonish and far-fetched as the seasons passed.

While he enjoyed " hot pursuit " much like a little boy playing with toy cars would, he ( and Boss Hogg as well ) never intended for anyone to get seriously hurt.

His middle initial, ' P ', was added at the start of the second season, and only one episode ( the third season's " Mrs. Rosco P. Coltrane ", in which he is subject to a scam marriage ) revealed his middle name, ' Purvis '.

Rosco also had a soft spot for his dog Flash, introduced at the start of the third season.

His radio codename was " Red Dog ".

When James Best briefly boycotted the show during the mid-second season, he was temporarily replaced several " one off " Sheriffs, the longest standing being Sheriff Grady Bird, played by Dick Sargent, who appeared in two episodes (" Jude Emery " and " Officer Daisy Duke ").