Lafayette Austin as he appears during the Green Hornet crossover arc of the Dick Tracy comic strip
Lafayette Austin is a character who appears in the Dick Tracy comic strip. Although not a part of the criminal underworld himself, Austin has various contacts with it. When Pat Patton was a beat cop in Central City, Austin was an informant of his. Years later, when Austin learns that mobster Cyrus Topper has traveled to the city in which Patton now lives and is police chief of, Austin travels there in case Patton's needs his help in apprehending Topper. Austin only appears in three of the Green Hornet crossover arc's 49 daily installments, however his tips prove crucial in helping Dick Tracy and the Major Crimes Unit in foiling Topper's extortion attempts. Austin never returns to Central City and seemingly becomes a permanent resident of Patton's city, featuring prominently in several later Dick Tracy story arcs.