Regulator (Fallout 3)

The Regulators are a group of self-appointed lawmen who wear cowboy style hats and Regulator Dusters after the fashion of gunslingers. In the Capital Wasteland they are led by Sonora Cruz and operate out of a farmhouse.

If the player has the Lawbringer perk, he/she can trade fingers taken from the corpses of evil humans killed by the player, for good karma and Bottlecaps. The Regulators will also attempt to claim the bounty on the player's head if he or she commits serious crimes, such as destroying Megaton or enslaving people in the Capital Wasteland.

Members
Regulators wear Regulator Dusters, and use laser weapons (Laser Pistols and Laser Rifles) although more commonly they are equipped with Combat Shotguns, Chinese Assault Rifles and Combat Knives. In terms of durability and combat challenge, they are about equal to a Talon Company Merc (although with severely less protective armor). Regulator patrols typically operate in 3-man squads when searching the Wasteland for the player character if that player is evil or very evil. They are very deadly and effective at close range (if they have Laser Rifles, long range) and it would be wise to take out the one with the longest range weapon first and then backpedal (whilst firing) to some cover and take potshots at the one with the Combat Knife or Combat Shotgun.

If you have the Lawbringer perk, a Dead Regulator will be found outside of the entrance to Arlington/Wasteland Metro in Arlington Cemetery North. He will have a bounty note for Junders Plunkett. It says he was last seen in Canterbury Commons, but really he is in the nearby Arlington House. You can kill him and take his finger. It is worth 1,000 caps back at the Regulator HQ.

Lucas Simms, the sheriff of Megaton, is also a Regulator.

Bugs

 * There is a bug where a player can pick-pocket a regulator, and he/she will have a named bounty for the player on them, even if the player is completely good. (confirmed XBOX 360,PC, and PS3)
 * Sometimes the Regulators will go through their dialogue as if they are hostile, but upon completion, they do not fire and appear friendly. They do not move or in any way pursue the player. Once fired upon, or more preferentially a well placed grenade, they do become hostile and return fire. They have the players bounty on their bodies. (confirmed Xbox 360)
 * If the player has access to the Regulator HQ and murders all of its Regulator inhabitants, Sonora Cruz will still remain friendly towards you and act as if nothing has happened. (confirmed on PS3 and Xbox 360)
 * Sometimes giant rad scorpions with spawn nearby and scare off Sonora Cruz.

Trivia

 * The Regulators may be a reference to the Regulator-Moderator War that took place in East Texas during the 19th century because no proper law enforcement was present at the time. This would also explain the cattle, cowboy hats, and dusters.

Appearances in games
Sonora's Regulators appear only in Fallout 3. It must be noted that these Regulators are NOT affiliated in any way with Caleb's Regulators in Fallout 1. They share absolutely nothing in common other than, out of pure coincidence (and some irony), the same name.