There are plenty of law-abiding characters on TV, but we're particularly fond of the ladies who wield badges and shout "objection!" in courtrooms to keep our airwaves safe.

With the return of 'Rizzoli & Isles' (Season 2 premieres Mon., July 11, 10PM ET on TNT) -- where stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander battle Boston bad guys as a detective and medical examiner team -- we salute those cops and lawyers who help maintain law and order (some of them are even on 'Law & Order') on TV.

Of course, all of the current TV cops on our list have some iconic legal ladies to thank, including 'Police Woman''s Pepper Anderson (Angie Dickinson); Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) on 'The Shield'; and the dynamic duo of 'Cagney & Lacey' (Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly), just to name a few.

And we can't forget their legal counterparts either, with beloved barristers like Susan Dey's Grace van Owen on 'L.A. Law'; Sarah McKenzie (Catherine Bell) on 'JAG'; the ladies of 'Boston Legal,' 'The Practice' and 'Ally McBeal'; Markie Post's Christine Sullivan on 'Night Court'; and Harmon herself, as 'Law & Order''s ADA Abbie Carmichael.

These pros all helped pave the moral way for what's now one of the most popular professions for women on TV. Here, 11 of our current favorite female TV cops and lawyers.