Aaron Castor

The Baltimore Police Department plays an integral part in ''The Wire''.

Command

The department is led by a Police Commissioner assisted by Deputy Commissioners of Operations (often shortened to Deputy Ops) and Administration. The Police Commissioner answers directly to the city mayor and outlines the departmental goals which are then enforced by the Deputy Commissioners. The Deputy Ops wields a great deal of power and is responsible for the day-to-day activity of the department's district and investigative unit commanders.

The Administrative Deputy oversees the Internal Investigations Division (IID) and other units. The real life chain of command from the Commissioner downwards is Deputy Commissioner, Chief, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Detective/Officer. However, in the series, any mention of the ranks of Chief, Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain are omitted. Presumably this is to avoid confusion and make the relationships between different members of the hierarchy clearer to the viewer.

Detectives fall into a rank that coincides with their administrative position. The Criminal Investigations Division (CID), commanded usually by a Colonel, is the division responsible for the Homicide unit, Narcotics unit, and Major Crimes Unit (MCU) among others.

The IID, homicide unit, and narcotics unit are each led by a Major. MCU is commanded by a lieutenant. A Major commands each of the nine patrol districts - the Central, Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern, Western and Northwestern districts.

Department commanders

William Rawls

Rawls is Acting Commissioner on a temporary basis. Rawls is Caucasian, and Mayor Tommy Carcetti is unwilling to attempt a permanent promotion fearing that it would not be acceptable to the politically influential and largely Black ministers. Rawls is a careerist and is feared by many of his subordinates. He has been known to punish anyone who crosses him with transfers to undesirable posts. Rawls is played by John Doman.

Cedric Daniels

Daniels is the Deputy Commissioner of Operations. He is a direct commanding officer of many of the show's characters in earlier seasons. Daniels previously worked as a lieutenant in the Eastern District Drug Enforcement Unit, CID Narcotics Unit, and was the first commander of the MCU. Daniels is promoted to Major and Western District Commander after his successful case work in the MCU.

He draws Carcetti's attention as a young and capable Black commander and is quickly promoted to CID Colonel. He is eventually promoted to Police Commissioner, but resigns to practice law. Daniels is played by Lance Reddick.

Stanislaus Valchek

Valchek is the Deputy Commissioner of Administration. Valchek was previously the Southeastern District commander. His grudge against Frank Sobotka led to the formation of a specialised detail which became the Major Crimes Unit. Valchek is well-connected with the city's politicians, and was promoted because of his political association with Mayor Carcetti. Valchek is played by Al Brown.

Bobby Reed

*Played by: Tony D. Head
*Appears in:
:Season one: "The Buys"; "Lessons" (uncredited); " The Hunt" and " Cleaning Up".
:Season three: " Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation"; " Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".
:Season four: "Misgivings" (uncredited)

Reed is a Major in the Baltimore Police Department and commands the Internal Investigations Division. He is very loyal to Ervin Burrell's command, often more focused on protecting Burrell's status and command than on rigorously investigating individual officers. He often appears with discrediting evidence about officers for Burrell to use as blackmail.

In the first season Reed investigates the brutality charges made against Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski for blinding a teenager in one eye. Reed dismisses the witnesses based upon their criminal records but suspends Prez from street duty pending a Grand Jury hearing. Reed then intervenes when the Barksdale detail stop State Senator Davis' driver (who received a bag full of cash from a Barksdale soldier) and again when Daniels tries to withhold the location of a Barksdale stash house to protect his investigation.

In the third season, Reed attends the weekly comstat meetings of Ervin Burrell and William Rawls. In the fourth season, Reed briefly appears when Burrell is contemplating the best method to keep his appointed position as commissioner.

Former members

Warren Frazier

*Played by: Dick Stilwell
*Appears in:
:Season one: " The Hunt".
Frazier is the Commissioner in season one. He gives the order for citywide raids following the shooting of Kima Greggs. As actor Dick Stilwell died in a real-life car accident after appearing in this single episode, his character is retired and replaced by Ervin Burrell as commissioner.

Ervin Burrell

Burrell is a by-the-book careerist officer who reached the level of Commissioner. Initially appointed as an Acting Commissioner, Burrell negotiated for a permanent posting with the Royce administration. When Carcetti replaced Royce he immediately began looking to depose Burrell. He is eventually forced to resign in a scandal over manipulation of crime statistics but receives a highly paid replacement job in order to leave quietly. Burrell is played by Frankie Faison.

Raymond Foerster

*Played by: Richard DeAngelis
*Appears in:
:Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "The Wire"; " The Cost"; " The Hunt" and "Sentencing".
:Season three: " Time After Time "; " All Due Respect "; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".
:Season four: "Refugees"
Raymond Foerster was a Major and unit commander of the Baltimore narcotics division in season one. According to Season 4, he served 39 years on the force, suggesting he joined the BPD in 1967. When Judge Phelan questioned Deputy Commissioner Burrell about the Barksdale operation, Majors Foerster and Rawls faced his subsequent wrath and demands for more information. Foerster's response was to ask his shift lieutenant Cedric Daniels for a report and then to assign Daniels and his team to the Barksdale detail.

When Daniels's investigation became drawn out and relied upon wiretaps and surveillance, Foerster took the side of Deputy Commissioner Burrell against Daniels when he tried to explain the necessity of this technique to reach the heads of the organization. Foerster's and Burrell's insistence on using buy busts led to the operation that resulted in the shooting of Detective Greggs. Foerster visited Greggs in the hospital with many other command officers and appeared anxious when trying to find a tape recorder to replay the last transmissions before she was shot.

Foerster was promoted to colonel and took over as commander of the criminal investigations division when Rawls was promoted to deputy commissioner of operations. He was replaced as the Narcotics Major by George Smith, an associate of Major Colvin. He attended Rawls' weekly comstat meetings and worked with Sergeant Jay Landsman in running the homicide division. He was put under intense pressure to keep the murder rate down.

Foerster continued to command CID in season four and was involved in the management of the murder of a state's witness that became a politically important case. When Burrell ordered Foerster to replace veteran investigator Ed Norris with rookie homicide detective, Kima Greggs, Foerster realized that Burrell hoped to slow the investigation, assuming Burrell's intent was to prevent the investigation from revealing the victim's witness status as a possible motive for the murder before the upcoming mayoral election. Foerster argued with Burrell and Rawls about the decision and discussed it with Jay Landsman.

Actor Richard DeAngelis suffered from cancer during this time and was often absent from work. Repeated courses of chemotherapy failed to cure the disease. DeAngelis died of cancer after filming scenes for the fourth season. Landsman announced the Colonel's death to the homicide unit, stating that he served 39 years in the department without leaving a trace of bitterness or hatred with any officers, a miraculous career by BPD standards. A police wake was held at an Irish bar in his honor.

Major Crimes Unit

The Major Crimes Unit was established by Cedric Daniels in season three as part of a prior agreement with Commissioner Ervin Burrell. The unit's main responsibility is to build cases against high-profile targets responsible for murder, drug distribution and money laundering in Baltimore. The unit was originally formed by a group of detectives dumped upon Daniels by shift Lieutenants to make a case against Avon Barksdale. It is currently under the command of the Criminal Investigation Division. It is run by Lester Freamon, even though on paper it is commanded by Lieutenant Asher.

In the first season the detail's office is located in the basement of a downtown building where the only redeeming features are working telephones and electricity. In the second season, the detail is moved into an old building located at 1911 South Clinton Street in the southeastern part of town, leased by the Transportation Authority courtesy of Major Valchek. The office remains the permanent location of the unit when it is formed in season three.

Current members

Command

=Jimmy Asher

=
*Played by: Gene Terinoni
*Appears in:
:Season four: " Boys of Summer"; "Home Rooms" and "That's Got His Own".
:Season five: "More with Less"
Asher is the lenient lieutenant who was picked to command the Major Crimes Unit by Cedric Daniels. He normally lets the detectives do as they wish while working on his beach house in Delaware. Lieutenant Charles Marimow replaced him for purposes of properly "supervising" the Major Crimes Unit under the orders of Deputy Commissioner Rawls. With Daniels' promotion to C.I.D. colonel, Asher is reinstalled as commander of the unit again as Freamon feels he will effectively let the detectives do what they need to make a case without interference from the commissioner's office.

=Lester Freamon

=

Freamon is a quiet and methodical veteran detective who makes major contributions to the unit's investigations. He is the unit's de facto commander, as he lays out their investigative strategies and specifically chose Lieutenant Asher to be the shift Lieutenant due to his lenient, hands-off attitude.

Detectives/Officers

=Kenneth Dozerman

=
*Played by: Rick Otto
*Appears in:
:Season three: " Time After Time", " All Due Respect" and "Back Burners".
:Season four: "Refugees", " Alliances", "Know Your Place", "Misgivings", "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades".
:Season five: "More with Less", " Clarifications", "Late Editions", and "–30–".
Kenneth Dozerman is a plainclothes cop in the Western District. In season 3, he is part of Carver's Drug Enforcement Unit squad. He becomes friends with Herc and Carver while working in the squad accompanying them in various activities off duty. Dozerman gets shot in the face and critically injured in a buy bust operation gone wrong and gets decommissioned from duty for the rest of the season. Major Colvin uses Dozerman's shooting as the impetus for his "Hamsterdam" experiment, a way to reduce crime and not see any more of his men get hurt. The shooter also steals Dozerman's service weapon and Bunk Moreland is ordered to locate it. Dozerman is presented with it at a press conference.

In season four, Dozerman transfers to the Major Crimes Unit when Herc transfers in, filling the gap left by Greggs and Freamon leaving. Dozerman takes part in Lieutenant Charles Marimow's first series of failed raids as unit commander. Following these raids he helps Herc to set up video surveillance of Marlo Stanfield. Dozerman remains in the unit as an ally to both Herc and Leander Sydnor, who mentor Dozerman on his investigative strategies. All three detectives maintain a dislike for Marimow's caustic command style often fearing the repercussions that he has threatened them with. Dozerman remains in the unit following Marimow's departure and Herc's suspension under the new leadership of Lester Freamon.

In Season five, Dozerman is still with Major Crimes working with the detail on the row house serial murders. He still meets his old Western district DEU buddies for drinks along with Herc. After Major Crimes is disbanded, Dozerman is transferred to the Tactical division.

=Jimmy McNulty

=

McNulty is known as “natural police” and ultimately whom the show centers around. He is dedicated and a highly driven Baltimore police detective but is riddled with many complicated personal problems, such as a ruined marriage, a series of flings with multiple women, and alcoholism. McNulty came up under the guidance of Bunny Colvin, a western district Major, who often refers to McNulty as “Bushytop” for McNulty’s wavy or curly locks of hair. McNulty is liked by non-commanding officers and is most friendly to Bunk and Kima Greggs. The first three seasons foundation story revolves around McNulty’s obsession with arresting Stringer Bell.

=Leander Sydnor

=

Sydnor is a young, married detective in the Baltimore Major Crimes Unit with a talent for investigative work and the stomach for drawn-out cases. Sydnor has been part of the Major Crimes Unit throughout seasons one, three, and four of the show.

Former members

Command

=Cedric Daniels

=

Daniels left the unit when he was promoted to Major, taking the District Commander post in the Western.

=Charles Marimow

=
*Played by: Boris McGiver
*Appears in season four: "Home Rooms", "Refugees", " Alliances", "Corner Boys", "Misgivings