History Characters / TheWireBaltimorePoliceDepartment

A jerkass lieutenant notorius for destorying units and alienating his men, he is put in charge of the MCU by Rawls specifically to break it when the MCU begins pressing corruption cases harmful to the Royce administration shortly before the election. His style of command quickly drives both Lester and Kima out of the unit, leaving Sydnor as his only actual detective, until a newly promoted Herc and Dozerman transfer in. It's not until he's replaced as head of the MCU that it begins to come out of its doldrums.

* {{Foil}}: To Judge Phelan. Both are influential public servants who set in motion a major criminal investigation thanks to their political clout. While the judge also has some selfish reasons such as pride, he's mostly moved by professional offense and some sense of justice. For Valchek it's all personal and narrowminded.
* HistoryRepeats: Valchek becomes the new Burrell [[spoiler: after being promoted to Commissioner]].

* MeanBoss: Verbally abusive towards his underlings.

* NiceHat: Valchek wears and seems to like the police cap more than any other chieftain. Appropriately, his last scene has him trading his then current cap for the Commissioner's one.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Quite possibly the worst example of this in the entire show, which is saying something. Even Rawls and Burrell do some actual "police shit" from time to time, Valchek rarely, and unabashedly tells the other Majors that he'll cheat the stats if he has to.

** He doesn't shy away from misogynist remarks. When Kima is assigned to a red ball case, he casually denounces it because she's "a rookie, ''a broad'' no less," which gets a ''miffled'' ReactionShot from Theresa D'Agostino.

The police commissioner during the first season, an idiot boss of the highest order and totally removed from anything resembling real police work.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Shown twice despite his little screentime. When Kima is shot he assumes that Norris, a white detective addressing Daniels, is Kima's superior, gives the condolences to him, and then seems rather nonplussed to be corrected about it. Also, when he finds out that Kima is a lesbian he refuses to go to Kima's partner to extend condolences, as police brass usually does to show they're standing with the family.

-->You're a good man sergeant. You got good instincts, and as far as I can tell, you're a decent supervisor. But from where I sit, you ain't shit when it comes to policing. Oh, don't take it personal, it ain't just you, it's all our young police. Whole generation of y'all. No, you think about it; you've been here over a year now, Carver, and you got nobody looking out for you. Nobody willing to talk to you.

-->(to Namond)... If you tell anybody, I'll cut your balls off.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In season 3, he goes against police department policy and essentially legalizes drugs in his district because he believes it will reduce the amount of violent crime and make it easier for social services to reach out to addicts, and thus accomplish what he views as the ultimate goal of policework - making people safer. It works, but only for awhile.
* TemptingFate: Bunny tended to brag a lot to the point of being smug.

* BadBoss: He openly states that anyone who doesn't do exactly what he says and get exactly the results he wants will not only be bounced out of the MCU, but he will do his best to completely end their career within the Baltimore Police entirely.

* MeanBoss: Loves to verbally demolish and threaten his underlings at the police department.

* HeelRealization: Colvin was just riding out his last six months on the job until Dozerman getting shot makes him realize how useless and complacent he's been and decides to give it one last go with Hamsterdam.

* NumberTwo: Colvin's second in command.

* JerkAss
* JerkassHasAPoint: Whilst it does't excuse his generally obnoxious behavior, he does have a legitimate reason to despise Herc, after [[spoiler: Herc steals, then loses, an expensive camera from police stocks.]]

* HighTurnoverRate: All but the most dedicated or foolhardy detectives transfer out of units that he commands.

* TakeThat: The character shares a last name with a former boss of David Simon's whom Simon feuded with bitterly at the Baltimore Sun.
* ThePeterPrinciple: An ImpliedTrope. Marimow voices pride in having worked his way up the ranks from the bottom, but if he ever was competent at any level, (his attempt to raid the Stanfield gang casts at least some doubt on that) he certainly isn't now.

* YouHaveFailedMe: He views the police officers under his command as ''tools'', and won't hesitate to fire them when they didn't follow exactly what he's telling them to do.

* YouHaveFailedMe: Doesn't hesitate to say that he will try to end the career of anyone who can't perform in his unit.

-->Me? I'm just the police.

-->Me? I'm just a police.

-->Me? I'm just the police.

* BadLiar: When several of the middle schoolers pay him back by covering him in yellow paint, (and Michael steals the ring he stole from Omar, who stole it from Marlo) Walker claims that he was jumped by an entire gang of Bloods who were delivering a declaration of war against the police. [=McNulty=] calls bullshit on the story.

* DirtyCoward: He relies on his status as a police officer to protect him from any potential payback for his actions, as most gangsters are reluctant to mess with cops due to the massive consequences. When faced with somoene willing to stand up to him despite him being a cop, his tough guy bravado disappears.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Repeteadly calls bullshit on anything related to [=McNulty=]'s murdered vagrants... not because it's all a lie (which it is from the beginning) but because Jay is annoyed by anyone who goes above and beyond to add new red names on the board, specially if they are forsaken "fiends" or "mopes".

* WhatTheHellHero[=/=]RightHandVersusLeftHand: Daniels chews him out after Jay drops the ball and fails to inform the Major Crimes detail about the murder of Glekas in the storehouse, allowing the Greeks to clean the crime scene. It's particularly jarring because it's a rare example of sheer incompetence for once, not his usual and planned obstructionism. Landsman apologizes, but the damage is already done.

* LongBusTrip: After D'Angelo's trial in the first episode, he's not seen again until the final season.

-->I don't know exactly what you're up to, but I know this: If someone picked up a phone around here, your shit is critically fucked

A stripper working at Orlando's, the "gentleman's club" that operates as a front for the Barksdales. She's more or less completely uninvolved in The Game, and only works at the bar, spending time with the men who sit there drinking... as long as they keep buyng drinks and tipping, that is. She begins a relationship with D'Angelo and even moves in with him, but is infuriated when Kima and Lester reveal that a group of the Barksdale lieutenants let a friend and co-worker of hers die unattended of an overdose at a party they had, and promptly moves back out and helps the MCU get some badly needed info to help put Avon away. During the investigation she grows close to Lester and remains in a relationship with him throughout the rest of the series.

* SecretKeeper: Daniels will keep secrets to save loyal subordinates and loved ones. In the end he is given a choice to either juke the stats or address his allegedly corrupt past that he is being blackmailed with. He could have fought but he [[TakeAThirdOption quits the force]] instead because it's implied his wife was involved.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Think I locked him up once...Avon whatsisface..."'']]

One of {{Those Two Guys}} in Narcotics. Herc is probably the dumbest working detective on the show. To him, the job is all about the "rip and run" and banging heads on the corners (often literally). What little active detective work he does do often involves cutting corners (such as placing bugs and pulling a surveillance camera without proper authorization) or bumbling his way through ineffective interrogations. He's also not above stealing confiscated drug money.

* BoisterousBruiser

* FaceHeelTurn: After taking a job as an investigator with Levy.

* {{Badass}}: [=McNulty=] rarely gets into a fight, but he regularly and casually stares down dangerous criminals. When the [=SWATs=] are ready to perform a full out assault, he simply strolls into the Barksdale lair, like a walk in the park, arrests Avon nonchalantly and delivers a BadassBoast to Stringer: "Catch you later."

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In his quest against Marlo, [=McNulty=] becomes a prosecutable criminal by inventing a fake case, technically embezzling money and being indirectly responsible for the death of two vagrants. A [[WellIntentionedExtremist mild]] version of the trope in that he keeps his morals after all it's said and done in the Stanfield case, as illustrated by his last scenes.

* PhraseCatcher: His ''assholism'' is referenced by almost every character, often. He's also a magnet for "My office, now!"

** ReassignmentBackfire: Rawls puts him on the boat. Jimmy still finds a way to get back at Rawls and shove one major case up his jurisdiction, for the lulz.

* {{Badass}}: Not explicitly shown, but he's obviously a tough guy. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaysD0qByUo Behold]] his peaceful arrest of Avon inside the Barksdale compound, taking over a [=SWAT=] operation. He also has the stones to hold his ground against Senator Davis and Deputy Burrell and stand tall while he's a mere Lieutenant.

* [[HenpeckedHusband Henpecked Girlfriend]]: A consequence of being the masculine half of her relationship. Lampshaded by Herc.

* {{Badass}}: Natural police. Occasionally mounts up and shows his prowess during field operations, for instance when he punks Bird with a bottle, and is the only character able to dominate, blackmail and ''outcon'' Clay Davis.

* KickedUpstairs / TheDilbertPrinciple: Carcetti has to reward him with a promotion, so he makes sure it's one that strips Valchek of any real influence, Deputy Commissioner of Administration.

* PointyHairedBoss: Everyting about him screams that he's both incompetent and isolated from the reality the police face.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cruthfield3_4728.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Did he fuck you?"'']]

* BadLiar[=/=]BlatantLies: When several of the middle schoolers pay him back by covering him in yellow paint, (and Michael steals the ring he stole from Omar, who stole it from Marlo) Walker claims that he was jumped by an entire gang of Bloods who were delivering a declaration of war against the police. [=McNulty=] calls bullshit on the story.

** He may also be seen as a [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstruction]] of the trope. He has the traits, but he's smart enough to gather evidence through surveillance and isn't one for hotheaded violence.

** When Omar is [[LetOffByTheDetective let off by the detectives]], they own Cole a clearance that they never expect to pay.

* [[KilledOffScreen Died Off Screen]]: [=McNulty=] relates that Cole collapsed and died while exercising on the stairmaster.

* BaldOfAwesome: Has a short haircut when the story begins, he eventually shaves it all. It fits rather well with his rounded head and factions.

A veteran homicide detective

* AntagonistInMourning: He had no love lost for Omar, and was perfectly happy to put the man in jail for a crime that even Crutchfield admits Omar may not have committed, but when he gets assigned to investigate Omar's murder, he seems genuinely sad to see Omar dead.

-->'''Landsman: ''' The victim was ''prostate'' on the floor. That's a victim alright, that hurts [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QbqyArOTdI bad]].

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: A minor example, he has a shaved head in the pilot, barely noticeable under his cap. He sports a head full of hair in the rest of his appearances.

* FunctionalAddict: Implied, he's very grateful of Jimmy for providing a box of beers before a stakeout and later they discuss how to deal with hangovers. Bobby just throws up once or twice and goes to work.

* ByTheBookCop: Daniels always does the right thing the right way.