I’ve been rewatching Monk reruns and a question comes to mind. Captain Stotlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher are, respectively, the head of a San Francisco police district and his deputy. It’s my understanding that these are pretty much administrative positions, not investigative ones. So why, in Monk, are Stotlemeyer and Disher always at crime scenes, and executing warrants, and out in the field so much? I mean, I assume their district has detectives.
Because it’s television, and you can do whatever you want.
All I know is that Randy Disher was originally named Randy Deacon, so that the first two letters of Leland Stottlemeyer and Randy Deacon spell Lestrade.
Assuming your understanding of their positions is correct (I don’t know either way), it’s the same reason CSIs on the CSI series do interrogations and stuff.
They needed authority figures who had the ability to override usual protocol and bring Monk into cases. They also needed working cops who could officially investigate along with Monk. Combining the two roles saves a lot of salary and confusion for casual viewers.