Joe West (Earth-Prime)

"If I learned one thing being a cop, it's that you can't just protect the people you think are good. You have to protect everyone. That's what heroes do. I know that. Do you? A hero is not just in the name, Barry, or in a red suit. It's the choices we make that decide who and what we become."

- Joe West to Barry Allen

Joseph "Joe" West was a former police captain of CCPD.

After the death of Nora Allen and the arrest of Henry Allen, Joe adopted the orphaned Barry Allen and raised him as his own. They then developed a strong bond and worked together for the CCPD. Barry later gained powers and became the vigilante known as The Flash, with Joe being one of the very few people knowing his secret.

When Kristen Kramer arrived in Central City, Joe realized her grudge against Metahumans and quit the police department following Frost's trial.

Meeting Wally
In 2015, Joe met his son whom he never knew existed. However, Wally kept on getting caught in trouble and Joe attempted to build a relationship with him. Wally disliked the idea and Joe switched to giving him some space, which he disliked as he felt abandoned. Eventually, they became close and had a strong father-son relationship.

Fighting Joseph Carver
In 2020, Joe discovered a mole in the department and started to investigate with David Singh not knowing he is the mole. Later, they fought against Sunshine sent to acquire the prismatic refractor which is about to be transferred to A.R.G.U.S.. As Joe and David got overwhelmed by Sunshine, Barry arrives and Joe tosses the refractor to him. Eventually, Barry locked Sunshine in his lab with no curtains which took away her powers and Joe arrested her.

A week later, Joe was nearly assassinate by Rag Doll on his own car but was able to escape from it seconds before its explosion. David and the rest of Team Flash arrives and talked to him. They suggested witness protection but Joe refused and returned to the precinct. As Joe offers Sunshine an early parole, Rag Doll jumped out of a box and attacked them. Joe fired at him but Rag Doll deflected the bullets back to him. Barry arrives and tries to stop but the Speed Force's death caused him to temporary lose his speed which resulted in Joe getting shot. They later returned to S.T.A.R. Labs and argued about Joe's safety. Joe stayed at the lab but was frustrated and went to Joseph Carver. Eventually, Joe tried to threaten Joseph and the plan backfired as Joseph deleted the audio and sent Rag Doll to attack Cecile Horton.

As Joe went to rescue Cecile, he activated a pressure bomb and tried to deactivate it through Nash's instructions. Since the instructions does not apply on the altered bomb, Joe pushed Cecile away and replaced her place. Barry sped Cecile away and returned to Joe who escaped. Joe later admitted he should go into witness protection.

Return
After Eva succeeded her plan, Joe was sent back to Central City and rejoined the team.

Four weeks after his return from witness protection, Joe and Cecile worked together on gathering information regarding Rosa Dillon's connection to Black Hole. He was then informed by Team Flash that Barry does not have enough speed to prevent a plane crash.

Later, Joe attended the opening of the Hall of Fallen Allies in S.T.A.R. Labs and talked to Barry about grief.

Trial of "Killer Frost"
"I admit, under oath, that Frost hasn't always been on the right side of the law. But I can also say that she has put her life on the line countless times to save others. Frost has fought alongside Earth's greatest heroes to save the world, which means that she's saved every person in this room including those who want to lock her up for being who she was. Not for who she is today. And, Your Honor...I don't understand how this court can force Frost to take that cure without sacrificing what it stands for: Justice."

- Captain West's statement

Abilities

 * Marksmanship: Trained in the police academy, Joe has proven to be an expert in firearms.
 * Leadership: Joe was proven to have strong leadership and was promoted to Captain.

Former Equipment

 * Guns: Joe has a standard firearm issued by the CCPD. However, he returned it to the department after quitting the force.

Trivia

 * Joe's favorite singers are Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Johnny Hartman and Ella Fitzgerald.