Characters / S.W.A.T. (2017)

Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division

SWAT 20-Squad

Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson

Played by: Shemar Moore

Rank: Sergeant II

Call Sign: 20-David, 27-David (5x03 to 5x06)

---

• The Ace:
  • Hondo, no doubt. He's a stellar cop with a distinguished career, a S.W.A.T. sergeant who's promoted to team leader who apparently excels at any field of police work he undertakes and never does anything half way.
  • Hondo humbly admits in "Hunted" he has the drive to be the best he can possibly be because of discrimination he dealt with being a black cop that he had to exceed expectations so he could move up the LAPD ladder.
• Action Hero: He qualifies as he's a SWAT officer, has been a cop since at least 1999 and is promoted to 20-David team leader. He also previously served in the Marines Corps.
• A Hero to His Hometown: One of Hondo's largest motivations to become a Police Officer and ultimately a SWAT officer stems from a desire to serve his hometown of South Los Angeles, as well as to try to ease the simmering racial tensions between the community and the LAPD. Because of these efforts, he's greatly respected by many members of the community.
• "Angry Black Man" Stereotype: Though he generally refrains from responding, Hondo admits that the racial profiling and discrimination he's experienced being a black cop make him justifiably angry in spite of his venture to bridge the gap between the LAPD and the community. In Season 2, after an incident with a cop who pulled him over for "driving while being black", Hondo plays this trope straight after shattering a motel lamp in his anger.
• Badges and Dog Tags: Served in the Marines before joining LAPD.
• Band of Brothers: Hondo and Deacon. Although they don't always see eye to eye, the two sergeants share a strong brother-like bond and always have each other's backs in the end.
• Baritone of Strength: Hondo is a tall, muscular man who's a highly skilled police officer with a deep voice to match these attributes.
• Big Brother Instinct: Hondo to his younger half-sister Brianna. In "Day Off", when she's spiked with a rape drug by a suspected serial rapist, Hondo goes all out to find her would-be attacker, going so far as threatening the perp right in his face without solid evidence of rape.
• Borrowed Catchphrase:
  • Inherits the "Fill the gaps, stay liquid" rallying cry from Buck following Buck’s dismissal and Hondo’s promotion to 20-David.
  • In "Hunted", while being hunted by Deacon's former commanding officer-turned-radical, Deacon reveals to Hondo his frustration over being passed over for team leader after Buck's termination by questioning his integrity as team leader. Hondo responds by explaining he didn't come to be a leader easily, as the adversities he'd faced through his life, from coming from a broken home to rising through the ranks of the LAPD as an African American police officer instilled those skills and values in him. After a moment of clarity, Deacon apologizes, acknowledging Hondo is a great leader, that he makes the team better and he's proud to serve alongside him. Side by side, and with the rest of the team's help they take down Hawkins and his men. Later, Hondo apologizes to Deacon for not talking with him about how he was feeling about being passed over for leader, especially after years of Buck training him for the position.
• Category Traitor: He’s constantly accused of being one. He’s accused of betraying the black community because he’s a cop, and he’s accused of being a traitor to cops for calling out systemic racism in the LAPD.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome:
  • All the time. Hondo goes above and beyond to put everyone else's safety and well-being before his own whether it's a member of his team, misguided suspects or a victim, and has multiple Big Damn Heroes moments. Deacon calls him out on this, and Hondo responds that he's had to hold things up on his own shoulders since he was a teen, after his father left him, his mom and sister, that he had to grow up to help pay the bills.
  • When the riots in '92 started, he was hesitant to ignore the chaos and hide with his father. At one point, Hondo intervened to save a guy from being beaten.
• Conflicting Loyalties: A black cop who was born and raised on the Southside of greater Los Angeles, Hondo is often torn between his ties to the community and his allegiance to his brothers in blue.
• Disappeared Dad: He was close to his father, Daniel Harrelson Sr., who walked out on Hondo, his mother and sister when he was 14 leaving Hondo particularly scarred feeling he meant nothing in the eyes of his dad.
• Experienced Protagonist: Served in the USMC before joined the LAPD. He was deployed to Somalia in the 1990s and in Japan by way of Okinawa. Hondo joined the LAPD afterwards and previously served in patrol as a uniformed officer.
• A Father to His Men: He is immensely close and protective of his team and fellow officers. He admits his fears for the team when Chris is doused with poison gas in "Source Gas".
• The Fettered: After dealing with a cop who pulled him over for "Driving While being Black", Hondo admits he has to fight the urge to pound idiots like that into the dirt because all it would do was confirm in their minds that being a black man meant he was just a thug.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: In Season 2, "Never Again" up against a heavily armored suspect with a machine gun, Hondo 'skips' a bullet, deliberately firing the round so it would ricochet off a steel manhole to get the bullet underneath the suspect's armor.
• Jack of All Stats: Hondo never does anything half way, whether it's a SWAT call, surveillance or detective work or negotiating with a suspect who's in a corner.
• Karmic Jackpot: He threatened to quit if Hicks was wrongly blamed for Erika Rogers’s death, knowing that a black sergeant resigning over the handling of the killing of a black officer by a white supremacist group, would be too embarrassing to the LAPD. Hicks later repays Hondo by making him 20-David again, knowing that this would cause the brass to turn their anger on him instead of Hondo.
• The Lancer: In the beginning at the start of the series' pilot, being the most assertive and action-oriented of the team before his promotion.
• The Leader: Promoted to the position of leader of his SWAT team in the pilot.
• Mr. Fanservice: He has a Shirtless Scene now and then and, again is portrayed by Shemar Moore.
• Not Afraid to Die: Hondo isn't against putting his life on the line to protect those in danger.
  • In "Radical", Hondo and his team respond to a situation at a local college where a distraught student strapped with an explosive vest is threatening a group of students. Hondo decides to enter the classroom to try to negotiate with the suspect without a bomb suit, thus putting himself in considerable danger.
  • In "S.O.S.", while attempting to take back control of a cruise ship which has been hijacked by drug smugglers, Hondo finds himself in a difficult situation when once the smugglers catch wind of his presence on the ship, they demand he surrender to them or they'll start executing crew members. Although it contradicts his training as a SWAT officer, Hondo surrenders to protect the crew, ultimately offering himself up as a hostage.
  • In "Kangaroo", Hondo races through City Hall as explosives are detonated within the building in order to rescue an injured Captain Cortez.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten:
  • In "Cuchillo", he comes swooping in on a helicopter and shoots the perp from the air. His teammates find this to be so ridiculous, and the subsequent publicity so egregious, that they decide to skip their tradition of awarding someone the "Jackass of the Month" trophy and give Hondo a "Jackass of the Year" plaque.
  • In "Hunted", Deacon uses this as an example of Hondo's ego, saying he doesn't have to be the one "taking a sniper shot out of a helicopter" to cement his status as team leader. Hondo responds by saying he could only get to where he is by being better than everyone else because he was seen as "just the black dude".
  • In the second season episode "Inheritance", Hondo is visibly embarrassed when some Arizona cops he's training start squeeing about the incident.
• Official Couple: With Nichelle.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Pretty much everyone resolves to calling him Hondo.
• Papa Wolf: He has a godson, Calvin, who gets kidnapped in "K-Town" by a heroin smuggling ring, and after getting him back safely, Hondo goes all out to take down the head of the ring, a dirty mogul developers, even against his superiors' orders.
• Parental Substitute: In Season 2, after failing to find the son of his incarcerated friend Leroy, Darryl, a proper foster home, Hondo becomes his foster father and takes Darryl in.
• Race Lift: Like in the 2003 movie, Hondo is now black.
• Real Men Cook: Hondo is noted to be an exceptional cook.
• Secret Relationship: With Captain Cortez at the start of the series; whilst the relationship isn’t an issue initially, Hondo’s promotion to Sergeant makes Jessica his immediate superior and creates a conflict of interest which could land them in hot water if their affair is discovered. The relationship ultimately comes to an end after Police Commissioner Plank learns about the relationship and forces them to choose between their careers and their relationship.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: During Season 4, Hondo becomes so disilllusioned with the LAPD after their response to the discovery of some racist cops is to try and brush the incident under the rug, that he goes to the press and tells them everything.
• Semper Fi: Served in the Marines and was deployed to Somalia in the 90s before joining L.A.P.D.
• Token Minority: He's the only Black member of his team. One of the early conflicts on the show is Hondo being chosen as team leader over Deacon in a blatant attempt to cool down racial tension after the team's previously leader accidentally shot a Black teenager. This gets called out by pretty much everyone in the first episode, including Hondo.
• Upbringing Makes the Hero: Hondo's leadership skills and drive to serve and protect the community stems largely from his experiences growing up as an African American in South Los Angeles, whether it be learning how to not be swayed by the temptation of drugs and gangs, or learning how to find his footing as a man after his father abandoned the family when he was a teenager.
• Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: Hondo is promoted to SWAT leader by Commander Hicks simply to quell the optics of the previous leader Sgt. Buck Spivey's accidentally shooting an unarmed black teenager. Hondo derides the move by telling Cortez, "(Hicks) doesn't want my ideas. He wants a mascot."
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Receives one from Street following the death of his mother, as Street points out that despite Hondo’s insistence that SWAT is a family, he still ghosted the rest of 20-Squad in the wake of his suspension, and you don’t get to pick and choose when to show up for family.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Played for Laughs in episode 2, when SWAT arrests an escaped animal trafficker with a python draped over his shoulders.
  Hondo: "Luca ... get that thing off of him."
  Luca: "What? Why me?"
  Hondo: "I don't mess with snakes. Go!"
• You Are a Credit to Your Race: Hondo reveals in "Hunted" that he had to be better than anyone else in order to get basic recognition, owing to the fact that he is black.
• You Are in Command Now: He's promoted to 20-David team leader of his SWAT team in the pilot following previous leader Buck's termination.

David "Deacon" Kay

Played by: Jay Harrington

Rank: Sergeant II

Call Sign: 30-David

---

• Action Dad: Is a police sergeant II in SWAT with three kids as of the start of the series, with a fourth born in Season 2. In "Immunity" he doesn't hesitate to jump into action to protect his kids when his family is targeted by a cartel.
• Act of True Love: Deacon's unyielding desire to protect those in danger is only matched by his love for his wife Annie.
  • In "Contamination", while Annie is recovering from surgery after suffering a stroke, Deacon gives her a letter he had written for her and had been keeping in case he was killed in the line of duty, which is something all of the SWAT officers have stored in their lockers (except Street). He has her wait until she gets home to read it, and later on she returns the gesture by leaving him a similarly-formatted letter.
  • In "Hoax" and "Cry Foul", Deacon offers to take a leave of absence from work to allow Annie to go back to law school to finish her degree. Both times she turns him down.
• All-Loving Hero: In "Guacaine", Deacon's son Matthew gets suspended for punching another student who accused Deacon of being a killer. Upon learning this, Deacon relies on his faith to instill some words of wisdom on his son.
  Deacon: "Just because somebody said something that you don't agree with, it doesn't give you the right to hurt them. I spent the day chasing four very cruel, violent men. They caused a lot of suffering. Now, did a part of me want them to suffer in return? Sure. A little bit. But the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds us we got to love everybody, even our enemies. And I know that's going to be hard sometimes, but there's always going to be someone that says or does something stupid or hateful. But a good person, they don't respond with violence. You can't let other people's words dictate your own actions, Matty."
• Badass Driver: In "Pride", Deacon stops an assailant from driving a stolen dump truck into a crowd of pedestrians by sideswiping it with his own vehicle.
• Band of Brothers: Deacon and Hondo
  • In "Hunted", Deacon finally admits he's still resentful over being passed over for team leader, but almost immediately admits he regrets feeling this way because he knows Hondo has done a great job as team leader. Hondo responds by acknowledging that he should have talked to Deacon about his feelings on the matter earlier.
• Berserk Button: He takes cases where kids are harmed and their parents are worried sick personally.
  Deacon: "You just want to keep your kids safe. But you can't. Not every second. It's the dirty secret of parenthood." (Walks away)
  Luca: "This stuff really winds him up."
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When he volunteers to lead a prison prayer group, one of the inmates was someone he had arrested years earlier. Deacon doesn't recognize him because he was just one of countless arrest warrants Deacon had executed in his career.
• Combat Medic: In "Under Fire", Deacon stepped in to help a firefighter who was shot by a sniper, and was able to render aid which ultimately saved the man's life.
• Contagious Heroism:
  • In "Miracle", Deacon relies on his Catholic faith to earn the trust of a young woman named Reya who has gotten mixed up with a cartel and is able to convince her to help the team take them down.
  Deacon: Just because you have good intentions does not mean you get rewarded. It's when you do good without the reward, that's when you find grace.
  • In "Shaky Town", in the aftermath of an earthquake, Deacon finds himself trapped with a Haitian widower who became involved in child trafficking out of desperation to support his own children. By relating and connecting with him as a father, Deacon is ultimately able to convince the man to turn over evidence and testify against other traffickers to get the ring shut down.
• Declaration of Protection: Deacon is an extremely protective person and is often more than willing to protect anyone in danger, particularly those close to him.
  • In "Miracle", Deacon vows to protect a young woman he convinced to go undercover to assist SWAT in taking down a cartel boss.
  Reya: If I say yes... you'll protect me?
  Deacon: With my life.
  • Deacon made a promise to keep the dangers of his career as far away from Annie and his children as possible. In "Immunity", when his home is attacked with his family present, he immediately sees this as a failure he needs to correct.
  Deacon: I'm supposed to be the one in danger, not them.
• Determinator: Throughout Season 2 as Deacon's finances continued to deteriorate, he continuously found himself to be too proud to ask his team for help, instead pushing himself so hard he came close to self-destruction before he finally reached out to them for help.
• Due to the Dead: His eldest daughter, Lila, is named after a student who was a victim of a high school shooting that the team responded to back in 2013, shortly before her birth.
• Experienced Protagonist: He's been with LAPD for years, and is a ten-year SWAT vet.
• Family Man: He has a stable home life with his wife Annie, an aspiring lawyer and their three young children, Matthew, Lila and Samuel. In Season 2 Annie gives birth to their fourth child named Victoria. He regularly has to balance his time with them and the job.
• Family of Choice: Both Deacon and Annie consider everyone at SWAT as well as their families to be part of their own family.
• A Father to His Men: Frequently assumes the role of father-like mentor to his younger teammates during their times of need of advice or support in advancing their skills, as seen in his relationship with Chris as he regularly advises her on how to advance her training and even helps her reform the SWAT entrance physical to correct a bias against female applicants.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Revealed to have shades of this towards Hondo. After Buck was kicked off S.W.A.T. for accidentally killing a black teenager, Hondo was made leader of 20 Squad despite Deacon having seniority. Deacon is angry that Hondo was made leader of the team and not him despite being the senior officer for what was ultimately a publicity stunt. Luckily, he eventually gets over this.
• Happily Married: He's the only member of his team who is married in a healthy, committed relationship. Although Annie sometimes struggles with the demands and risks associated with Deacon's job, she supports him in his work and prides herself as a seasoned SWAT wife.
• Hero Does Public Service: In "Crusade", while attempting to enroll his daughter in a prestigious private school, Deacon volunteers to become the school's LAPD liaison officer after noticing the school's security measures are severely lacking.
• Humble Hero:
  • Though he was next in line for command of the team after Buck was terminated, and did feel burned over being passed over for team leader, he respects and follows Hondo's lead without question.
  • In "Kangaroo", when awarded the LAPD Police Star for bravery in service, he states he doesn't deserve it and humbly shares the credit with his wife and teammates in his acceptance speech.
• Manly Facial Hair: Even salt and pepper.
• Moment of Weakness: In "Stigma", Deacon reveals to Dr. Hughes that in the depths of his troubles the year before he briefly contemplated suicide.
  Deacon: I hit a low point last year. There were money problems and family problems. And I was working.. I was working my tail off. I was exhausted all the time. And, uh... I just felt like I was failing everyone around me. Like I was failing myself. One day, I looked at my gun. I saw a way out. I just thought it would be easier, it'd be better for everyone around me, somehow.
• Nerves of Steel: He is often able to maintain a clear mind and act decisively under pressure, both as a leader and follower, largely due to his stoic nature.
• Not Afraid to Die: He's not against risking his life to protect his family, his team or the public, albeit he's decisive about when and how he takes these risks.
  • In "Pride", he stops an assailant in a speeding dump truck from plowing into a crowd of people by sideswiping it with his own vehicle, causing both vehicles to crash and injuring his back. He was later awarded the LAPD Police Star for his bravery.
  • In "Gunpowder Treason", he puts himself in harm's way by stepping in to diffuse a bomb strapped to a teenage boy on a subway after the bomb maker told him how to diffuse it.
  • In "Next of Kin", in the wake of the death of a new recruit, Annie tries to convince Deacon to retire from SWAT out of concerns for his safety. However after realizing the team still needs him, he explains to her his decision to stay.
  Deacon: You're my family, but so are they, and I think God put me here so I can help them.
  • In "Survival", he and Chris are being hunted by a cartel targeting Deacon's client, at which point Deacon admits he's uneasy about facing the Cartel. However, he states his concerns are not for himself, but rather over how his death would impact Annie and his children. Despite this, he puts his worries aside and confronts the cartel, fending them off until help arrives.
• Number Two: Becomes this for the team after Hondo is promoted to be leader. Was this to Buck beforehand.
• Omniglot: The season 2 premiere shows he's fluent in French.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Most people refer to him as Deacon or Deac.
• Papa Wolf: In "Immunity", Deacon personally confronts and subdues the drug lord who ordered the hit on his family.
• Passed-Over Promotion: He had seniority and was actually next in line for command, but Hondo was promoted instead over political optics with the African-American populace in LA.
• Race Lift: Deacon was previously portrayed by African-American actors Rod Perry and LL Cool J. In this adaptation, he's played by the Caucasian Jay Harrington.
• Real Men Love Jesus:
  • Deacon's a loving family man and very skilled SWAT officer who's also a Christian. He derives a great deal of his strengths from his Catholic faith, and he hates anyone who tries to justify bad things by using Christianity as a basis.
  • In "Miracle", Hondo notices a suspect in interrogation wearing a bracelet depicting a Catholic saint, after which he nods to Deacon to make an effort to connect with the young woman based on their shared faith, which he succeeds in.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm, quiet Blue to Hondo's passionate Red.
• Religious Bruiser: While Hondo and the others found their way to SWAT through various life experiences, Deacon's calling to law enforcement and SWAT stems from his Catholic faith, from which he draws strength and conviction.
• The Stoic:
  • He's the strong and silent type, well trained in self discipline and keeping his emotions in check, but still allowing himself to relate to people on an emotional level when he needs to. He does however struggle when it comes to talking about his own feelings.
  • In "Stigma", Deacon opens up to a counselor about how people often come to him with their problems, but he rarely discusses his own problems with anyone other than Annie and God.
  Deacon: Growing up Catholic, you, uh... you learn to roll with the punches.
• Talking Down the Suicidal: In "Stigma", Deacon reaches out to aid the team's former leader Buck, who has fallen into such a state of despair that he is contemplating suicide. Deacon uses his experience with his own struggles to connect with Buck and prevent him from hurting himself.
• Team Dad: Deacon is the one member of the team who has been able to find a balance between a personal life and being a member of SWAT. As such, whilst Hondo is unquestionably the leader of 20-Squad, Deacon is the one that the 3 younger members of the squad look to for advice in their personal relationships.
• Team Spirit: Deacon is known for always putting the team first and himself last.
• Think Nothing of It: An exceedingly humble man, Deacon frequently shrugs off any praise for his heroics.
• Token Religious Teammate: He's the only member of the team who is shown to be religious.
• Undying Loyalty: His loyalty to his team, particularly Hondo, is made evident frequently throughout the series. At the end of Season 4 when Hondo is demoted as team leader, Deacon is offered the position. To everyone's surprise he turns it down out of respect for Hondo, not wanting to assume the role without at least talking with Hondo first.
• You Are in Command Now: Being that he holds the same rank as Hondo, Deacon is the de-facto leader of 20-Squad whenever Hondo is absent.

Dominique Luca

Played by: Kenny Johnson

Rank: Officer III+1

Call Sign: 23-David

---

• Actor-Shared Background: Kenny Johnson is dyslexic.
• Adaptation Name Change: Subverted; whilst Luca retains the same name as in the original series, the spelling has changed from "Dominic" to "Dominique".
• Age Lift: He's played by Kenny Johnson when the show started, in contrast to the original show by Mark Shera when he was casted in his 20s.
• Big Eater: All his teammates note this about him, known for emptying fridges and searching online for chicken wagons in "Patrol".
• Boisterous Bruiser: He's the most hyperactive and fun-loving member of the team.
• The Bro Code: Luca invokes the "SWAT Code", claiming that teammates have to have each other's backs no matter what, to find a place to crash after yet another girlfriend kicks him out.
• Cool Uncle: Called this to Deacon's children.
• Designated Driver: He's the one who drives the team out to calls in their armored truck 'Black Betty' as well as any SWAT car or SUV. In "The Tiffany Experience", when a civilian claims to have been hit by Black Betty and Luca's driving privileges are revoked due to the civilian dating the mayor's daughter. Luca claims to have had a perfect driving record and can't remember the last time he was in a vehicle he wasn't driving.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Serves as instructor at the SWAT training academy, and has a reputation as a particularly harsh evaluator. This is particularly pronounced when Street attempts to get back onto the team during the second season, with Luca looking for any excuse to dock Street.
• Following in Relative's Footsteps: Luca is a third generation officer with the LAPD, following his father and paternal grandfather.
• Friends Are Chosen, Family Aren't: Luca was on the outs with his grandfather when the old man died, and reveals to Hondo why: he was furious at his grandfather's racist attitude in believing a black officer had no business being in charge of a SWAT team and had tried getting Luca transferred to Mumford's team when Hondo was given command. Luca also admits not telling this to his father because of the fear that he'll agree with the sentiment.
• Game-Breaking Injury: Suffers a hip injury between Seasons 2 and 3, and spends most of the season struggling to get back to the field. He later has to retire after being shot by an armed robber, resulting in a permanent disability after "Escape".
• Hates Being Alone: The team figures out Luca doesn't want to live alone when they try to put an end to his endlessly crashing at theirs and his girlfriends' places by finding him an apartment somewhere, so they give him a roommate - Duke.
• The Heart: Described as such for 20-Squad by Street.
• It's Personal: When Luca realises a serial killer the team thought was dead years earlier (see That One Case below) is still alive, he becomes determined to see the guy caught or dead for good this time.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": In episode, Luca reassures a young school girl who's visiting SWAT that reading is hard, revealing to her mother that like him she's dyslexic. He mentioned in "Trigger Creep" that it was due to this that he gets into fight while in school when his classmates make fun of him.
• Married to the Job: Luca says that SWAT will always be his first love and that girlfriends take second priority. This has led to the spectacular dissolution of relationships on a semi-regular basis and his having to crash at teammates' homes.
• Put on a Bus:
  • As of Season 4, Luca is located in Germany when COVID came around, training with (likely) SEK forces as part of cross training programs. He comes back halfway through.
  • He comes back halfway in Season 7's "Escape" after he finishes cross-training with Metropolitan Police Service's Specialist Firearms Command, but got critically wounded when attempting to stop a robbery in progress. However, while he does recover in "Last Call", Luca retires from the LAPD when he learns that his wound was a Game-Breaking Injury.
• Omniglot: He can speak English and Korean, due to his assignment throughout Koreatown after he was assigned into uniformed detail.
• Real-Life Relative: Kenny Johnson's daughter Angelica plays Kelly in S1:E18 "Patrol" and S2:E22 "Trigger Creep."
• Retcon: It’s mentioned in Season 1 that Luca is in his first year serving as an evaluator at the SWAT Academy; in Season 2, Street mentions that he’s heard how harsh an evaluator Luca is from Chris and Tan recounting their past experiences from training under him in the academy.
• That One Case: Episode 14 of Season 1 reveals Luca's one was a Serial Killer who murdered eight young men and women two years earlier (the press nicknamed the perp 'The Vanity Killer' because most of his victims were young actors/actresses hoping to make it in Hollywood). Luca feels guilty because he was only able to save one of the killer's last two victims when they raided his hideout (the man had rigged his lair to blow and tried to kill the team and Luca was forced to evacuate before he could cut the young man free), and keeps in touch with the woman he was able to save.
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: Luca has worn out his welcome at each one of his teammates' homes, being a messy and inconsiderate house guest, emptying fridges and pantries, and keeping children up all night playing video games. He's so bad, in fact, that Hondo considers foisting him on Street as being suitable punishment for a mistake that would have otherwise gotten the rookie fired.
• Shipper on Deck: Luca noticed Street's infatuation with Chris and is secretly rooting for the relationship to come to fruition. The relationship itself comes into fruition in the Season 5 episode "Zodiac".
• Three Successful Generations: Luca's father served in LAPD SWAT before Luca himself, and his grandfather before him.
• Undying Loyalty: To SWAT.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Unlike the rest of the team, Luca is unable to see Street’s side of the matter after he’s kicked off SWAT at the end of the first season; subsequently, Luca is a particularly harsh evaluator when it comes to his former teammate & continues to be frosty to him once he’s back on the team, until Hondo pulls him to one side and talks to him about it.
• Written-In Absence:
  • Luca is absent for a handful of episodes in the first half of the third season, with the explanation that he’s away at a medical clinic as he rehabs the hip injury he struggles with over the course of the season.
  • Luca misses the majority of the first half of the fourth season with the explanation that he’s in Germany consulting as part of an international task force dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, with his only appearances occurring via video calls to the rest of the team.
• You Are in Command Now: Defied as of Season 5 - Luca outright turns down a promotion to Cortez’s former position as he isn’t ready to give up field work.

Christina "Chris" Alonso

Played by: Lina Esco

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 24-David (1x01 to 5x22)

---

• Action Girl: A badass female officer on Hondo's SWAT team.
• Adaptation Name Change: She's based on Chris Sanchez from the 2003 movie.
• Adaptational Sexuality: She's openly bi, whereas her template Chris Sanchez's sexual preference appeared to lean to men (she was lightly shipped with Jim Street and was a single mom).
• Boyish Short Hair: She has hers short, and she's The Lad-ette.
• But Now I Must Go: Leaves the LAPD to run a shelter for undocumented women.
• Butch Bisexual: Chris is a rare example. She's a tough, tomboyish ladette who's the only woman on a SWAT team, with short hair and fairly masculine clothing while off duty. She can be pretty blunt and will put up a hard exterior, but at heart is a very kind woman. In Season 2 she gets into a polyamorous relationship with a man and woman. She'd mentioned her bisexuality prior to it too. It's also later revealed she's involved with LGBT+ self-defense, and she has many friends in the community.
• The Confidant: She becomes this for Street.
• Dark and Troubled Past:
  • Chris reveals to a young female victim who's afraid to disclose to the police that she was once assaulted, then taken and held hostage for hours by a group of guys when she was fifteen on a walk, since they mistook her as being from a rival gang. She later reveals they'd also raped her for a long time, but Chris had never reported the fact, only telling her family years later.
  • Later she reveals her mom was killed in a car accident when Chris was 13. While that's bad enough, she had to listen while at the police station as two callous cops joked about it and pitied the cleanup crew. They could barely look at her after realizing Chris was her daughter and had to tell her the news. Since then, she's been committed to always being honest and respectful toward victims' families. It's implied this is why she volunteers as the bearer of bad news so often, to ensure they get good treatment from a police officer in these cases.
• Fair Cop: She's a very pretty police officer.
• Friendly Sniper: Chris is a friendly and caring woman (albeit she often puts up a tough exterior) who serves as the sniper of the unit.
• Heartbroken Badass: Chris is distraught when her friend and housemate Erika, who is only the second woman to get into SWAT, gets killed on duty. She expresses this by not only tears, but drinking heavily, having one night stands and getting into a fight in a bar.
• Heroes Love Dogs: Chris is a former canine trainer for the canine platoon. She mentions in the pilot she's waiting for a replacement. Also, Street points out she loves German Shepherds on her social media. She's shown to have loved her former canine partner (a German Shepherd). When he has to be euthanized as he's dying of cancer, Chris is devastated.
• The Lad-ette: It's shown by her quite masculine fashion sense alongside being a female cop working in a male-dominated environment who's more than capable of keeping up with her male coworkers.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten:
  • Due to being the lone female officer in SWAT, Chris knows she doesn't often get the same benefit of the doubt when the going gets tough as a male officer would, hence her determination and dedication to the job to prove to the higher ups she's just as capable a SWAT officer as the others.
  • In "Patrol", during a manhunt the suspect gets the jump on Chris, overpowers and beats her up then gets away. It bites her hard when rival SWAT leader Mumford makes comments that her "bite isn't as good as her bark" as Mumford was open to progression and diversity by planning on offering her a spot on his team when they're partnered together.
• One of the Boys: Chris is The Lad-ette and The Squadette, who largely is shown fitting in perfectly with her male friends/colleagues on the team. Although she does have women as friends, they either rarely show up or are killed off.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: She's rarely called Christina, and mostly introduces herself as Chris.
• Platonic Life-Partners: She and Street become tight after he puts an end to his hitting on her and she later provides him with a listening ear. This later becomes subverted when they agree to a romantic relationship during the final two episodes of Season 5.
• Polyamory: In Season 2, Chris meets a girl named Kira who actually has a fiance named Ty, and they both propose that Chris be their equal "third" in their relationship. She accepts, but the relationship disintegrates in Season 3 when it turns out Chris and Kira are more into each other. However, Kira doesn't want to end things with Ty, and they sadly part ways.
• Put on a Bus: Leaves SWAT in 5x22 to run a safe house for immigrant women fleeing bad situations.
• Rape as Backstory: Chris eventually reveals that when she'd been kidnapped by gangbangers as a girl, they raped her. She didn't report this or tell her family for a long time.
• Relationship Upgrade: Has one with Street during the Season 5 episodes "Zodiac" and "Farewell".
• Smurfette Principle: Chris is the only woman on 20-Squad, and a minor plot point is there being only one female field agent in the in-universe stated "boys club" of SWAT. She's keen to change that but expresses worry that female trainees will get passed over because the higher ups think that they've "done their good deed" by promoting her. It eventually changes over the course of the series.
• The Squadette: At the start of the series, Chris is the first woman to have made SWAT. Justified Trope as the LAPD has had a 4:1 ratio of male officers to female officers as of 2013.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Upon her being approached about being the third in Ty and Kira’s relationship, they reassure Chris that she’d be an equal part of the relationship; with Chris ultimately deciding to go along with it due to her attraction to Kira. Subsequently, Chris becomes closer to Kira than Ty over the course of the relationship, and despite Kira claiming that she feels the same way, it becomes clear that the relationship isn’t as equal as Ty and Kira like to claim as they will always choose each other over the third.
• Tomboyish Name: Chris. In keeping with her tomboy, Action Girl role she goes by this rather than Christina most of the time.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: During season 4, as she competes with Street and Tan for a prestigious TLI^note Tactical Leadership Institute position, she's hostile and aggressive, with Street even raising the issue with her. It seems to be a result of anxiety over fearing that if she loses, it will hurt women's status in SWAT and or the police force overall. Chris mellows in time again.
• Twofer Token Minority: Chris is the only woman on the team and a bisexual Latina as well. She's had to deal with discrimination being a woman in SWAT since not a lot of female LAPD officers are serving in the unit. Chris is well-aware that some people think her presence is pandering and that some higher ups think that they don't need to promote any other women to field work because of her.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Street. Whilst he has been open about his attraction (and as of the fourth season, his feelings) towards Chris, she has rebuffed him whenever he has approached her about the subject; on Alonso’s side, she has displayed signs of jealousy over Street’s relationship with Molly Hicks, and has led him on by kissing him only to later claim that it meant nothing to her. Later in Season 5, Chris also expressed jealously after seeing Street befriend a stewardess who was held hostage in the episode Incoming. After being confronted by Luca in the episode "Zodiac", Chris finally enters a relationship with Street at the episode's ending before making it public at the end of the season finale "Farewell".

Victor Tan

Played by: David Lim

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 25-David

---

• Action Hero: Tan is a III officer for the LAPD and on Hondo's team.
• Altar the Speed: After being forced to delay their wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tan and Bonnie ultimately decide to just bite the bullet and just get married at city hall in the Season 4 finale.
• Ascended Extra: At the start of the series, Tan was just the sixth member of 20-Squad & had no personality to speak of. As the first season progressed, he was fleshed out as a character before being Promoted to Opening Titles.
• Dark and Troubled Past: When Tan was 10, a cousin of his died and Tan was told it was a car crash. Eventually he looked into it when he got older, discovering his cousin actually OD'd. He later reveals that his dad also had paranoid schizophrenia, with Tan having to talk him out of hurting himself during an episode.
• Designated Driver: Assumes this role whilst Luca is restricted from field duty in the third season.
• Disappeared Dad: His father is deceased.
• Happily Married: He and Bonnie were happily married until halfway through Season 6 where he learns that Bonnie has been having an affair and he ends up filing for divorce.
• Hero of Another Story: His position as anti-Vice officer prior to joining SWAT.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Starts out annoyed by Street's Leeroy Jenkins tendencies in the beginning like the others, though they quickly strike up a strong friendship.
• It's Personal: In season 2 episode, "Rocket Fuel", when a designer brand of PCP known as Rocket Fuel is put on the market, Tan goes all out, calling in favors to find the supplier and individually takes down the perp. He reveals to Hondo a cousin of his OD'd on the drug when Tan was 10.
• Omniglot: In both English and Cantonese.
• Original Generation: Of the main 6 person team, Victor is the only character to be wholly created for the show rather than be based on a character from the original series or the 2003 movie.
• Out of Focus: For the first half of Season 1; he starts to receive a larger spotlight going forward once the show returns following the mid-season break.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: Officially added to the main cast of the show and the opening titles as of the sixth episode of the first season.
• The Smart Guy: Capable of achieving good enough grades in school that M.I.T was an option, and frequently shown to be the team member using the more advanced field equipment.
• Token Minority: The only Asian-American member of the team.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy:
  • Due to the Chinese culture holding a low opinion of police work, Victor’s family don’t hold much respect for his choosing to enter the police academy rather than attend M.I.T.
  • Until the third season, Victor manages to keep his family from meeting his girlfriend Bonnie, due to his belief that his mother has always favored his brother Jacob, from his medical career to his wife.

Jim Street

Played by: Alex Russell

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 26-David

---

• Abusive Parents: His father was an abusive alcoholic who terrorized Street and his mom Karen, who is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who uses and manipulates him for her own ends.
• Action Hero: He's a A+ cop given a place with Hondo's SWAT team. Before that with Long Beach, he's got a list of busts a mile long.
• All for Nothing: Street is somewhat angry in Season 5 when he learns that his mother has fatally overdosed mere months after he risked his life to give her a liver transplant.
• All Love Is Unrequited: His feelings towards Chris as of the fourth season.
• The Atoner: After he finally takes off the blinders about his mother's true character and works his butt off to get back on SWAT, he tries to make amends by volunteering for all the crap assignments. "Pride" shows him finally telling Hondo about his mother gone missing. "Kangaroo" eventually shows his maturity, by having his mother get a treatment for her drug addiction in a state custody, even if it means by sending her back to prison.
• Broken Pedestal: He steadfastedly believes his mother isn't as bad as she seems, that after she gets out of prison he tries to help her adjust, even losing his SWAT spot over her until in Season 2 "Saving Face" he finally realizes any loyalty of his is wasted on her after finding drugs in their house and the piece of work she is, calls her out on everything she put him through and moves out, cutting all ties with her.
• Casanova Wannabe: Freely admits that he’s not interested in a serious relationship when he first joins the team; grows out of it by the start of the third season, with Street noting that he’s looking for something more serious than a weekend hook-up in the opening episode.
• Character Development: Probably the most pronounced example in the series.
  • Street starts off as an impulsive hot shot and thrill-seeker, bordering on Death Seeker and is noted in his record to have a number of disciplinary charges and a tendency for not playing well with others. As the series progresses and Street becomes more ingrained with the team, he gradually grows into the team/family mindset demanded of SWAT.
  • Throughout the first season, Street repeatedly puts his mother ahead of his duties in SWAT, lying to Hondo about it until he’s caught out one time to many, resulting in his demotion back to patrol. Once he sees through his mother’s lies, Street apologized to Hondo & works to get back onto SWAT; additionally, he immediately goes to Hondo whenever issues arise in his life that may compromise his duties - this growth is ultimately the biggest hint that Street hasn’t actually quit SWAT in 3x11.
  • When Street’s love life is first discussed, it’s made clear that he’s somewhat of a Casanova Wannabe only interested in weekend long hook-ups; by the start of the third season, he starts looking for something more long term and ultimately enters into a relationship with Molly Hicks, with Street noting that they’ve moved in together as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic early in the fourth season. Even after he realises his feelings for Alonso and ends things with Molly, he doesn't start dating again until he's actively trying to move on from those feelings.
• Chekhov's Skill: Thanks to Street befriending Whip during his time undercover at carjacking ring, his carhacking skill is proven to be useful when the team tries to apprehend the home invasion crew who is trying to getaway with a car.
• Commuting on a Bus: Absent for the opening episodes of Season 7, with the explanation that he's helping with Long Beach's SWAT unit, before returning in 7x05 and 7x06 for his official departure from the show.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: To teach Street a lesson, Hondo decides to have the rookie house Luca until Luca can find a place of his own.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He and his mom were terrorized by his alcoholic father, until she made him an accessory to his own father's murder, and she went to prison afterward when he was 12. Right after that, he was passed around the foster system.
• Drives Like Crazy: In his opening scene, he's rocketing down the street on his motorcycle, blowing traffic lights picking himself up a patrol car until he loses them when he arrives at the precinct.
• Fair Cop: A SWAT officer and rather dashing.
• Foster Kid: Part of his Dark and Troubled Past.
• Friend to All Children: He's surprisingly good with kids.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners:
  • With Victor Tan, with Street even being a Shipper on Deck for Victor and Bonnie.
  • Develops this relationship with Luca after he spends months crashing on Street’s couch.
• Hot-Blooded: Impulsive, reckless with a disregard for the rules and is easily provoked when insulted, though he eventually shapes up after working with S.W.A.T. But from time to time, he charges it if someone tries to push his buttons.
• Humiliation Conga: "Homecoming" begins with Street being shot down by Alonso because she doesn't date other cops. Then he's convinced by Tan to ask out the videographer who was showing obvious interest when talking to Street and Alonso, only for her to reveal she's gay. Then Alonso shows up to take her on a date, much to Street's confusion, until Alonso clarifies she's bisexual. And then he finds out Tan knew the entire time.
• The Lancer: Serves as such to Hondo for the majority of the series.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Starts out as this, as he charges head first into action without thinking about the consequences. In the pilot, he runs full out towards a sniper's nest with no cover and out of place with the team. Hondo and the others chew him out for this.
• Momma's Boy: Blindly loyal devoted towards his mom Karen mainly out of misplaced guilt for having her sent to prison for her using him as an accessory to murder his abusive father when he was a kid, and her clearly using his job for her own ends, so much so he tries to diffuse situations whenever she causes trouble for him, living with her and even helping her get a job. He finally loses all respect for her after discovering she's using and buying narcotics off the streets.
• New Meat: Jim Street is a brand new addition to the LAPD SWAT and immediately a thorn in Hondo's side.
• Platonic Life-Partners: He becomes this with Chris, after he stops hitting on her. Eventually gets subverted when she agrees to a romantic relationship during the last two episodes of Season 5.
• Put on a Bus: Leaves 20-Squad in 7x06 to take command of a SWAT unit based out of Long Beach.
• Sixth Ranger: Whilst it happens in the Pilot, Street functions in this role for 20-Squad as he joins the team as a favor to outgoing team leader Buck Spivey, with several episodes in the first season focusing on Street becoming a part of the cohesive unit that the rest of his team work as.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • In the season 1 finale, Street gets kicked off SWAT by Hondo after he goes AWOL to help his mother who calls for his help, and he lies about why. This is after Street showed up to work late after helping her out with getting a job.
  • Season 2 also centers on him participating in SWAT selection in an official capacity in his attempt to get back on the team, as whilst he was in uniform as a member of SWAT for nine months, he was only there because Buck Spivey pulled some strings to make it happen.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Portrayed by Alex Russell.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • In Season One, Street is often on the receiving end of this because of his impulsiveness and tendency to rush right into situations.
  • Street’s continued loyalty to his mother ultimately leads to his dismissal from SWAT after he repeatedly neglects his duties to help her & lies to Hondo about his actions. This is further compounded by his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions.

Zoe Powell

Played by: Anna Enger Ritch

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 28-David (6x01 onward)

---

• Action Girl: Female and a new recruit to SWAT Academy in Season 5.
• Cowboy Cop: She repeatedly ignores protocol, specifically with risking herself by going off on her own during their operations. Hondo and Street both rebuke her for this, warning that if she keeps it up she'll be kicked off 20-Squad. Powell later explains she does this due to her former partner back when she'd been with the LA Sheriff's Department ending up paralyzed when he'd followed protocal rescuing a civilian, who died. They both are sympathetic, but see this as a coping mechanism to not feel bad like she did again which endangers herself.
• Fair Cop: She's an attractive young woman who's a new SWAT recruit.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Powell's Establishing Character Moment is her ignoring the orders of a superior officer and heading further into a structurally unsound building following an explosion because she heard someone crying for help.
• Missing Mom: It turns out she's one to her son, though not by choice. She gave birth to him at 15, with her parents making her give him up for adoption. Powell's regretted this ever since, and hoped he'd make contact with her when he turned 18, but it hasn't happened yet. Street tells her to not give up hope on this happening.
• New Meat: She graduates from SWAT Academy in Season 5 and gets formally assigned to 20-Squad by the start of Season 6.
• Replacement Goldfish: Joins 20-Squad following Alonso's early retirement from the LAPD, but Hicks assures Powell that she wasn't chosen for SWAT to replace Chris.
• Sixth Ranger: She joins 20-Squad in Season 6, and has to find her footing on a team that has been working together for over half a decade.
• The Smurfette Principle: 20-Squad's sole female officer once Chris departs.
• The Squadette: She fills the vacancy on 20-Squad following Chris’ retirement.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Zoe replaces Chris, who like her is a woman of color, with a similar appearance (black hair, olive skin), and slim athletic build. They differ more in personality though, as Zoe is a Cowboy Cop whereas Chris stuck with protocol. She's revealed to also be a Latina, as Chris was.
• Teen Pregnancy: In 6x19, Powell confides to Street that she gave birth to a boy when she was 15, but her parents made her give him up for adoption, or they would kick her out. She signed the papers and never forgave herself or her parents for it. She admits this is the reason for her trust issues.
• Twofer Token Minority: She's a Latina, the second female officer on the squad.
• You Remind Me of X: When Street asks Deacon and Luca about Powell's progress in SWAT Academy, he notes that their complaints about her attitude are the same as the complaints they used to have about him. Subsequently, Hondo tasks Street with bringing Powell into the fold in the same manner he once was.

SWAT 50-Squad

Jack Mumford

Played by: Peter Onorati

Rank: Sergeant II (Retired as of Season 2)

Call Sign: 50-David (1x01 to 2x20)

---

• Advertised Extra: A series regular in the first season, albeit the one with the least screen time & focus.
• Big Damn Hero: In one episode Hondo's team had to contain a prison riot while Mumford's team was dealing with a bank robbery. When Hondo's team was pinned down, Mumford's team arrived just in time to save them.
• The Bus Came Back: Episode 4x11 "Positive Thinking" sees Mumford return to SWAT after a new lead in a 15 year old cold case emerges; by the end of the episode, he’s officially back training at the SWAT Academy in a volunteer basis.
• But Now I Must Go: In Season 2 "Jack" after he's feeling his age, and knowing his wife Vicki would be relieved that he'd no longer out risking his life, he hands in his notice to Hicks and Cortez and retires in "Invisible".
• Day in the Limelight:
  • Season 2 episodes "Day Off" and "Jack" heavily feature Mumford, with the two episodes ultimately being used to set-up Mumford retiring from SWAT, which ultimately happens in "Invisible".
  • "Positive Thinking" sees Mumford return to SWAT after a new lead arises in a 15 year old cold case - the murder of his goddaughter. Much like "Stigma" focused on Buck’s difficulties adjusting to life after being dismissed from SWAT, the episode shows Mumford as having difficulties adjusting to civilian life after his retirement.
• Decomposite Character: He bears a stronger resemblance to the 1975 series' version of Hondo than this series' version.
• Demoted to Extra: Series regular in the first season, dropped to a recurring role in the second season with Mumford only appearing in a handful of episodes across the season before retiring from SWAT towards the end of the season.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: He's an instructor for the SWAT Training academy.
• Experienced Protagonist: He's a SWAT veteran with the members of Hondo's team joking when he'll ever retire.
• Feeling Their Age: In "Day Off" after another day at SWAT, he's reclining on a bench in the locker room winded and exhausted, and one of his legs is supported in a brace after jumping through a roof. In "Jack", he announces he's retiring from SWAT after taking a round to his helmet and admitting that no matter how hard he tries he can't keep up with his fellow officers any more.
• Hero of Another Story:
  • Has his own team with their own adventures, usually off-camera.
  • At the end of his final shift in "Invisible" in the second season, a young woman recounts how Mumford saved her after she was snatched off a playground as a child.
• Hidden Depths: His new wife says he is a talented singer to the surprise of Hondo's team. Mumford points out to them how much they really know about him.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Competitive, tough and sometimes the mocking rival to Hondo and his team, known keeping score of each team's busts trying to outdo each other. He gets along well with them all nonetheless.
• The Leader: Of his own SWAT team.
• Noble Bigot with a Badge: He's a good cop dedicated to serving and protecting everyone, but in the pilot when he thinks the residents of a black neighborhood are targeting cops, his instinct is to make the neighborhood hurt. He's also very resistant to Cortez's progressive reform initiatives, but is disgusted when she receives threats over it from within the department.
• Retired Badass: Towards the end of Season Two, he realized it was time for him to go.
• The Rival: He and his team enjoy a competitive but friendly rivalry with Hondo's.
• Serial Romeo: Has been married (and divorced) three times by the start of the series, and decides to get married for a fourth time after knowing his bride to be for a month.

Donovan Rocker

Played by: Lou Ferrigno Jr.

Rank: Sergeant II

Call Sign: 50-David (2x20, "Jack" onwards)

---

• Drill Sergeant Nasty: He's an instructor for the SWAT training academy, alongside Luca and Mumford.
• Fair Cop: Played by Lou Ferrigno Jr., Rocker defintely fits the bill.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Mumford.
• Hero of Another Story: As a member of 50-Squad alongside Mumford, Rocker has his own adventures separate to Hondo’s team; further reinforced when he takes over as the leader of 50-Squad following Mumford’s retirement.
• Hidden Depths: Is a skilled artist, as seen when his retirement gift to Mumford is a stylised painting of the SWAT eagle.
• Hollywood Tone-Deaf: If the others are to be believed, Rocker is terrible at singing.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Competitive and sometimes mocking towards Hondo's team but never out of malicious intent, getting along well and working with them several times.
• Number Two: He serves as SIC to Mumford on their SWAT team.
• Rank Up: After Mumford retires, Rocker makes Sergeant II and takes over command of their team as 50-David.
• The Rival: Joins Mumford in their friendly rivalry with Hondo's team.
• You Are in Command Now: As of "Invisible", Rocker is now in command of the newly-retired Mumford's team.

Erika Rogers

Played by: Lyndie Greenwood

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 58-David

---

• Ascended Extra: Appeared twice in the first season, then reappeared in the fourth season in a more fleshed out capacity.
• Black Dude Dies First: She's a black woman, while so far the only member of SWAT to die.
• Halfbreed Discrimination: Erika mentions she's biracial with black and white parents, noting how the Imperial Dukes (a white supremacist group) would hate her for that, along with their having an interracial relationship. Sadly, they end up killing her (though it was during a shootout, not specifically due to her ancestry).
• We Hardly Knew Ye: She's only around for four episodes^note With an additional two in Season One before being killed off in Season 4.

Alexis Cabrera

Played By: Brigitte Kali Canales

Rank: Officer III

Call Sign: 54-David

---

• Action Girl: Female and a new recruit to S.W.A.T. Academy in Season 5.
• The Smurfette Principle: After Chris leaves, throughout season 6 she and Powell are never seen working together or even appearing in the same episode, finally being on screen together in season 7.

Other SWAT Officers

Nora Fowler

Played by: Norma Kuhling

Rank: Officer

---

• Action Mom: "Reckoning" mentions that she has a kid.
• Do-Anything Soldier: She isn't actually a member of any single squad, but jumps between each squad as the mission dictates.
• Experienced Protagonist: She mentions in her debut episode that she was an Army medic and an EMT for LAFD before joining the LAPD on a temporary basis. She also states that she finished first in mountain rescue and deep water.
• Fair Cop: The newest addition to the team and a looker herself.
• The Heart: Hicks mentions to her that it was her talk with Luca that she encouraged him to take command of the situation even when Hicks wasn't around to resolve the crisis in "Lockdown".
• The Medic: She serves as the team's tactical emergency medical support (TEMS) officer, handling wounded victims in the field.
• My Greatest Failure: Back in Afghanistan, Nora blames herself that her half-brother Neil died because she froze on the spot when she heard he was wounded. Nora warns Luca that he needs to help Hondo in "Lockdown" since he's the most experienced SWAT officer called in or else civilians are going to get killed.
• Non-Action Guy: Downplayed and justified. Her job is to be the medic of the team, and as such she doesn't get involved in the action. However, she's a decent enough shot to defend herself in the heat of the moment.
• Replacement Goldfish: She's seen by Hondo as such since the unit has just lost Erika after she died from her gunshot wound. Hicks points out that if the unit had already included a SWAT operator with medic skills, then Erika may not have died.
• Took a Level in Badass: Fowler was initially recruited as part of an experimental initiative in which SWAT would bring a trained medic with them on missions; come Season 5, and Fowler’s going through SWAT Academy to become a full-fledged member of SWAT.

Luke Durham

Played by: Adam Aalderks

Rank: Officer III

---

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Presents himself as a likeable and pleasant police officer, bonding with Deacon over their experiences as fathers as Deacon puts him through S.W.A.T. Academy; it’s only when he makes S.W.A.T. that he begins to let his true feelings known - but he’s still self-aware enough to only do so behind closed doors.
• Dirty Cop: Winds up outing himself as a racist to Deacon, mistakenly believing that Deacon shares his opinions on the matter.
• Never My Fault: Blames Deacon for his suspension due to Deacon’s role in exposing him as being racist.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Graduates from S.W.A.T. Academy and is fired from the LAPD within a matter of months.

Rodrigo Sanchez

Played by: David DeSantos

Rank: Sergeant II

Call Sign: 20-David (5x03 to 5x06)

---

• Affably Evil: He is on a mission to get Hondo out of the LAPD in exchange for a promotion. He’s nothing but friendly, polite, and generous with compliments the whole time.
• Ambition is Evil: Luca mentions that Sanchez is extremely ambitious, and suspect he's been promised a big career boost in exchange for pressuring Hondo to quit S.W.A.T. "Crisis Actor" reveals that it's a big promotion and a transfer to the California Highway Patrol.
• Bothering by the Book: One of his tactics to get Hondo to quit is to give him the least desirable assignments.
• The Bus Came Back: Episode 6x07 "Sequel" sees 20-Squad responding with an attempted attack on actress working for the studio where Sanchez is now head of security.
• Category Traitor: How Hondo sees him.
  Hondo: You're a brown man coming after a black man for calling out racist cops. That don’t make no kind of sense!
• Dirty Cop: He's willing to bully Hondo out of SWAT as payback from the Police Commission for him exposing their failures to deal with racism in the LAPD in exchange for a boost to his career. With that being said, Sanchez is otherwise never shown to live up to the trope when it comes to upholding his duties.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He tries to convince Hondo to seek a better paying job in the private sector because the brass would never allow him to be a team leader again and he would spend the rest of his career taking orders from younger officers and getting the worst assignments. This fails because unlike Sanchez, Hondo doesn’t care about rank or glory. Hondo only seeks to be of service.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Rodrigo's presence in the LAPD SWAT is not well received, especially by Hondo, Deacon, Luca and Hicks as they suspected (and confirmed by the man himself) that he's there just to pressure Hondo to permanently quit.
• Miles Gloriosus: Downplayed since he is a SWAT officer with a long list of genuine heroics to his credit. However, his favorite story to tell people is about the time he saved the mayor’s life by spotting an envelope containing anthrax. It was actually the mayor’s secretary who spotted the suspicious envelope.
• Punch-Clock Villain: He’s willing to drive Hondo out of the LAPD in exchange for a promotion. But he makes it clear it’s not personal, and doesn’t take it personally at all that this earns him the team’s ire.
• Rules Lawyer: His plan for getting rid of Hondo is to punish him for every perceived minor infraction until it adds up to grounds for firing him.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Between Hondo’s stubborn refusal to quit, Luca finding out he’s been falsely taking credit for saving the mayor’s life, and Deacon securing him a high-paying high-profile job in the private sector, Sanchez decides his best move is to retire from the LAPD and head for greener pastures.
• Shame If Something Happened: Luca and Deacon twist his arm into leaving S.W.A.T. after indicating they have evidence he took someone else's credit for preventing an assassination attempt on the mayor, which if released to the press, combined with his failure to drive Hondo out of S.W.A.T., would put an end to Sanchez's career ambitions permenantly.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Gets one of these from Hondo after the latter makes it clear he's not going to be bullied out of S.W.A.T. by Sanchez.
  Hondo: Tell me, Sanchez, whatever deal you've made with the Police Commission, what do you think they're gonna say in six months when I'm still here?
• Token Minority: As a Latino, Sanchez is the second man of color to command 20-Squad, taking over after Hondo's demotion. This is likely not a coincidence, as otherwise it would look bad if a Caucasian replaced Hondo as 20-David and then forced him out of SWAT - especially if the press found out that this was motivated by Hondo exposing racist officers within the LAPD.
• Villainy-Free Villain: This is actually what makes him so dangerous. He can openly admit that he is on a mission to get rid of Hondo, but because he actually is good at his job and does it by the book, there is nothing anyone can do to make him stop.

SWAT Command

Jessica Cortez

Played by: Stephanie Sigman

Rank: Captain

---

• Action Girl: A police captain for the LAPD S.W.A.T. division. She generally acts as the team leaders' commanding officer, she's not afraid to get her hands dirty shown in "Seizures" and "Gasoline Drum".
• Action Girlfriend: Hondo's. They agree to a mutual break-up after they're caught by Commissioner Plank.
• The Captain: Commanding officer of the LAPD Special Operations Bureau and immediate superior to the SWAT teams leaders.
• Mission Control: Generally acts as this whenever the SWAT teams are out in the field.
• Put on a Bus: At the end of the second season, Cortez takes a leave from SWAT to work undercover with the FBI; the third season premiere reveals that the move has been made permanent.
• Statuesque Stunner: Portrayed by Stephanie Sigman who's 5'9.
• Twofer Token Minority: Cortez lampshades the fact she's an immigrant Latina—so a Threefer Token Minority—as having been a problem getting promoted within the LAPD and puts on her on very shaky ground if her secret relationship with Hondo is ever discovered.

Robert Hicks

Played by: Patrick St. Esprit

Rank: Commander

---

• Action Dad: He commands the LAPD Metro SWAT division and has a grown daughter Molly who works as an attorney, and a son John Paul, an LGBT+ rights activist and former drug addict.
• All There in the Manual: Info released by CBS mentions that he knows Deacon the longest and is a widower.
• Ascended Extra: Appears in a recurring capacity for season 1 before being promoted to main character for season 2.
• Badass Bureaucrat: Fills both types. He's still a cop and has to pull his gun while in the field, and he's also an expert in PR and navigating the politics of the job. Exemplified when, following budget and personnel cuts, SWAT has received public recognition and acclaim for rescuing the daughter of a tech billionaire.
  Hicks: You really think I'd exploit this situation in order to get money and people back? (big-ass grin) You know me too well.
• Benevolent Boss: Despite all his political maneuvering and publicity courting ways, Hicks does care about the cops serving under him, as when Deacon's wife Annie collapses he drops everything to take her to the hospital.
• The Captain: One of the leaders of the SOB.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Deacon.
• The Lost Lenore: His wife Barbara died three years before the start of the series.
• Made Out to Be a Jerkass: The early episodes had Hondo (and the audience) considering Hicks a politician covering for himself by firing Buck after his shooting of a kid. When Hondo calls him on it, however, Hicks fires back that he begged Buck to stay and it was Buck who demanded he be fired to stop the city from exploding in racial tensions. He says that whatever Hondo thinks of him, Hicks cares for this city and the cops first.
• Papa Wolf: Do not try to go and kill a witness in hospital whom Hicks has a thing for and where his daughter is visiting, as a heavily-armed hit team finds out.
• Parents as People: Hicks has a strained relationship with his estranged son, and it's said the two have never seen eye to eye. J.P. points out Hicks was a difficult father due to his strict, tough parenting. Hicks admits this to Jessica, because this was how his father raised him.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: For Season 2.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Didn’t want to fire Buck after the Raymond Harris shooting, but Buck forced him to prevent a political firestorm.
• The Scapegoat: In the aftermath of Erika Rogers being shot and killed during an anti-Imperial Dukes operation in "Next of Kin", Hicks is willing to be targeted by the LA Mayor for his resignation.
• Wants a Prize for Basic Decency:
  • Hicks only promotes Hondo to SWAT leader to quell the optics of the previous leader, Buck Spivey, shooting an unarmed black teenager. Hondo derides the move by saying Hicks "only wants a mascot" and eventually confronts Hicks, who tries to explain that he was backed into a corner and that firing Spivey was actually Spivey's idea
  • Similarly in "Contamination", when warning Cortez about the backlash she'll get from fellow cops over her police accountability proposals, she counters that proposing changes is why he promoted her to Captain in the first place.

Piper Lynch

Played by: Amy Farrington

Rank: Lieutenant Detective

---

• Aborted Arc: Whatever plans were for Lynch’s story arc, they were effectively abandoned after the COVID—19 pandemic cut production of the third season short and her role in the following season was drastically reduced.
• Commuting on a Bus: After spending the third season as a series regular, Lynch is reassigned from SWAT to a task force dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in the fourth season.
• Demoted to Extra: During the fourth season.

Supporting Characters

Buck Spivey

Buck Spivey

Played by Louis Ferreira

---

• The Alcoholic: Following his dismissal from SWAT.
• Broken Bird: Over the course of the first three seasons, Buck is shown trying to put his life back together following his dismissal from SWAT. However, it becomes apparent in "Stigma" that Buck has been hiding his feelings of depression.
• Day in the Limelight
  • "Ghosts" features a subplot focused on Buck’s depression since his dismissal and his attempts to move past accidentally shooting an unarmed teenager.
  • "School" features flashbacks to a school shooting that the team responded to during Buck’s tenure as 20-David.
  • "Stigma" focuses on Buck’s depression since leaving SWAT and the team’s desperate attempt to find him before killing himself.
• Driven to Suicide: "Stigma" focuses on Buck’s former team learning about his depression, and their subsequent attempts to track him down before he pulls the trigger.
• Hero of Another Story: Former member of LAPD SWAT who is fired from the force in the pilot episode. Episode 2x11 features flashbacks to a school shooting that the team responded to under Buck’s leadership.
• Honorary Uncle: To Deacon’s kids, even serving as godfather to Matthew and Lila.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Accidentally shooting an unarmed black teenager whilst pursuing a suspect.
• Parental Substitute: For Street; in his words, Buck is the closest thing he had to a father.

Annie Kay

Annie Kay

Played by: Bre Blair

---

• Amateur Sleuth: In "Albatross", "Donor" and "Cry Foul", Annie reverts to her training as a lawyer and takes up the task of freeing a wrongly convicted man Deacon met in a Bible class he holds at a nearby prison.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Everybody has a positive relationship with Annie, to the point Street reacts in surprise when Chris mentions an argument they had.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She often matches Deacon's generosity of spirit by reaching out to help those in need or are down on their luck.
• Happily Married: To Deacon. Although the stress of Deacon's career with SWAT does weigh heavily on her at times, her love for him always helps her cope with the stress and support his career.
• Noble Bigot: She scolds Chris over explaining her polyamory to Lila, Deacon and Annie’s young daughter. Whilst she initially explains that it’s because Lila will now ask awkward questions about the relationship, Annie ultimately admits that she probably wouldn’t have asked Chris to be Victoria’s godmother if she’d known about it. Otherwise, she's a very sweet woman, and appears to have made up with Chris later after her polyamorist relationship fails .
• Team Mom: In addition to being close with her husband’s squad, Annie also serves as a point of advice to their girlfriends when it comes to dealing with dating a member of SWAT.
• Wet Blanket Wife: In "Next of Kin", in the wake of the death of a member of Deacon's squad, she encourages him to consider retiring out of concern for his safety. However, when he decides to stay with squad believing it to be his purpose in life, Annie agrees to support his decision. She does however, adamantly insist he avoid bringing his job home with him, which he agrees with.
  Deacon: Right - “David” at home, “Deacon” at work.

Karen Street

Karen Street

Played by: Sherilyn Fenn

---

• Abusive Parents: Of the emotionally manipulative variety.
• Black Widow: Killed her husband after finally growing sick of his abuse of her and Jim.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: To her son, at least. Everyone else is less trusting of her.
• Bus Crash: Dies of a drug overdose in Season 5.
• Calling the Old Woman Out: After Street catches her for keeping cocaine in their apartment and her purse, he calls her out for her selfishness and toxicity, and everything she put him through. He finally moves out resulting his relationship with her becoming estranged.
• Crocodile Tears: Always has an excuse ready to keep her son on her side.
• Falling into Jail: She is sent back to prison after Street reports to her PO regarding her missing check-ins and being found under narcotics influence.
• Fatal Flaw: Unwillingness to take responsibility for her choices and her constant manipulations. Throughout Karen's life, she always refused to own up to her actions, no matter how badly they affected others, especially her son. She always blames others, especially Jim, for the misfortunes in her life; even her relationship with her son is built around her emotionally manipulating and shaming him. Jim eventually calls her out on this when he finds her drugs in his apartment, especially since he had nearly sacrificed his career for her, but she refuses to take responsibility and tries to shame him for getting angry at her. Eventually, her actions catch up with her, causing Jim to see her for the selfish, despicable woman she is and cut off contact with her. Sadly, she's incapable of realizing her faults, which further alienates her from her only family member.
• Functional Addict: At first, she managed to hide her habit from Street and he only learned by chance. After he turns against her and leaves, she disappears and is found weeks later in a drug den.
• Hate Sink: While being abused by her husband can elicit sympathy, it ultimately falls flat in the end. Karen is an emotionally manipulative and abusive mother towards Jim Street, blaming him for her choices and always putting herself ahead of others. She never takes responsibility for her actions, which all but alienates her from her son, though true to herself, she refuses to admit she's wrong and instead blames Jim for their strained relationship. Even after Jim donated an organ to her that could've cost him his career in S.W.A.T., she repays him by continuing to indulge in drugs and criminal behavior. When she dies of a drug overdose, only Jim Street truly mourns her.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: After manipulating Street for years Karen finally goes a step too far and he leaves her to her own devices. Weeks later, she's violated her parole, sent back to jail, and Street is the one who turned her in cutting all contact with her.
• Manipulative Bitch: Towards her son and he's the only one who doesn't see it. After her actions cost him S.W.A.T. and she still won't take responsibility, he finally cuts all ties with her.
• Never My Fault: Blames her son for her being in prison, despite her forcing him to be part of his own father’s murder. Even after that, Karen still continues to lie & make excuses whenever she’s faced with the consequences of her actions.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Karen killed her husband who had been abusive to her and her son.
• Ungrateful Bitch: Even after Street gets himself kicked off SWAT for putting her above his duties, Karen repays him by bringing drugs into his apartment.
• Your Days Are Numbered: She tries to contact Street in Season 4 and Molly Hicks learns after that she's in the hospital for liver failure. He refuses to go see her and we don't know what becomes of her though it was apparently very serious that Molly was concerned. By the season's seventeenth episode, Karen's health fails on her despite Street having donated a part of his liver to save her.

Carl Luca

Sergeant I Carl Luca

Played by: Michael O'Neill

---

• Hero of Another Story: As a former member of SWAT, he had his own adventures that happened off-screen in years gone by.
• It Runs in the Family: His father was a SWAT officer before him, and his son has followed the same career path.
• Retired Badass: A decorated member of the LAPD & SWAT in his day.

Daniel Harrelson

Daniel Harrelson Sr.

Played by: Obba Babatundé

---

• Deadpan Snarker: It's clear where his son gets it from.
• Disappeared Dad: Walked out on his family during Hondo's childhood.
• Put on a Bus: Lived with Hondo over the course of Seasons 3 to 5, before moving back in with Hondo's mother.
• Waving Signs Around: He was a fairly prominent activist during the Civil Rights movement and reprises that role with Black Lives Matter. It's later stated in "Keep the Faith" that he was in the Black Panther Party with a photo of him then in the Panther uniform), but left due to internal infighting that disgusted him as the Panthers started killing each other.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Hondo's father was less than impressed with his son cancelling his college application to join the Marines following the Rodney King riots in 1992.
  • Has some reservations about Hondo continuing to be a cop after the wake of George Floyd.

Darryl Henderson

Darryl Henderson

Played by: DeShae Frost

---

• Dead Guy Junior: Named after a childhood friend of his father & Hondo.
• Happily Adopted: He is later adopted by Hondo and as of season 3 premiere their living situation appears to be working.
• Put on a Bus: After a prolonged absence from the series, it’s revealed in Season 5 that Darryl had moved into his own place.
• Teen Pregnancy: He ends up moving back to Los Angeles, and falling back into the gang life that was the reason he left L.A. in the first place after getting his girlfriend pregnant.

Molly Hicks

Molly Hicks

Played by: Laura James

Commander Hicks' daughter who has moved back to Los Angles to work at a law firm that does pronounce-bono work for battered woman. She quickly takes a shine to Jim Street to her father's (initial) dismay and the feeling was mutual, the two starting to date in Season 3.

---

• Hello, Attorney!: She works as a lawyer, and quickly catches Jim Street’s eye due to her beauty.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Deconstructed in a Season 4 episode when Karen Street tries to contact him after falling ill, only to be horrified by his refusal to even speak with her. Not knowing all the facts, Molly only sees her as a victim of an abusive husband. Street initially refuses to talk about it which leads to them fighting until he finally decides to explain to her everything.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Whilst there is a mutual attraction between the two, it’s Molly who makes all of the first moves in her relationship with Street. However, despite their best efforts, Street ultimately breaks up with her, feeling he wasn't the right person for her.
• Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 5'11'', putting her at the same height as most of the male cast.

Terry Luca

Terry Luca

Played By: Ryan Hurst

The younger brother of 20-Squad’s Dominique Luca

---

• Big Little Brother: At 6 foot 5 inches tall, Terry is noticeably taller than his older brother, and stands as one of the tallest characters on the show.
• Intrepid Reporter: As of Season 3, Terry is an independent journalist who films crime scenes with the intent of selling the footage to larger news stations.

Los Angeles City Government

Police Commissioner Michael Plank

Michael Plank

Played By: Peter Facinelli

---

• My Greatest Failure: In "Armory", Plank was going to get married to a girl he met in university when she was killed by a stalker. He wasn't able to help her because the police investigating the incident assumed that it's just someone who has a crush on her and not a Yandere.
• Put on a Bus: Steps down from the Police Commission to run for State Governor at the end of the first season.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He's willing to give Cortez a chance to hear her proposal to reform the LAPD, even if not all the officers would be happy about it.

Criminals

The Emancipators

An armed anarchist group copying the tactics and actions of the Symbionese Liberation Army, the Emancipators wish to spark mass social change in Los Angeles by any means necessary.

---

• All for Nothing: What their efforts ultimately achieve, particularly their last ditch attempt to detonate a bomb in City Hall to kill as many politicians and police officials as possible. Hondo even lampshades it to their captive leader.
  Hondo: You did a whole lot of damage... to a building.
• Bomb Throwing Anarchist: What they truly are. They bomb targets along with kidnapping people to bring down what they deem a racist, corrupt capitalist system.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Like the SLA they emulate, the Emancipators have men and women in their ranks. They have equal Black and White members too, with a black man leading them.
• Hostage Situation: Their M.O. in all their appearances;
  • In Inheritance, they take the daughter of an Internet mogul and her boyfriend hostage for ransom, emulating the Patty Hearst abduction case.
  • In Encore, they take five low-level staff from major Los Angeles corporations hostage, demanding that the companies they work for pay as ransom the amount they owe in unpaid taxes.
  • In Kangaroo, they abduct several L.A. politicians they deem corrupt to livestream show trials and executions.
• Undying Loyalty: To the point they'd rather (and in one case, do) die rather than betray their leader.
• We Will Meet Again: A recurring element is their ringleader calling S.W.A.T. to congratulate them on foiling their efforts, but promising the Emancipators will return to try again.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Subverted- for all their high-minded rhetoric about making a fairer world, they're terrorists who are willing to harm innocent civilians in pursuit of their agenda.
• Wicked Cultured: Most of its members are college graduates, and they're surprisingly well informed about the tactics and activities of the SLA, including details that were never made public. In fact their leader was a brillian student who'd been radicalized while at college.

The Imperial Dukes

A paramilitary white supremacist group, the Imperial Dukes want to incite racial tensions to trigger a race war with Los Angeles as its centre.

---

• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To the previous recurring villains, the Emancipators. The Dukes are on the opposite extreme end of the ideological spectrum.
• Cop Killer: Among their victims is S.W.A.T. officer Erika Rogers, along with other cops.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: If you're not white, Christian and heterosexual, you're fair game to the Dukes.
• Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: They're a violent white supremacist, homophobic militia group hoping to start a race war who kill multiple cops.

Arthur Novak

Arthur Novak

Portrayed By: Timothy V. Murphy

An Irish businessman, property magnate and criminal kingpin who Hondo crosses paths with in Mexico. Initially treating Hondo as an amusing inconvenience, matters between the pair soon become very personal.

---

• Avenging the Villain: His son AJ was his right hand man, and after Hondo kills AJ, Arthur is determined to see him suffer.
  Arthur Novak: You killed my son, Daniel. This was how it was always going to end. I didn't come all this way not to avenge my boy.
• Buy Them Off:
  • Most of the cops in the region of Mexico where he lives are on his payroll.
  • When he and Hondo next cross paths, Novak mentions that after six months in a Mexican prison, one of his contacts smuggled a phone to Novak, allowing him to access his finances and bribe whatever Mexican officials he needed to in order to secure his early release from prison.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's quite fond of his son AJ, though he thinks the boy's too Hot-Blooded, and is heartbroken when he finds his son dead from a gunshot by Hondo.
• Fighting Irish: He's of Irish descent and not above using violence to get what he wants.
• Frame-Up: Frames Hondo for killing two LAPD officers.
• It's Personal: Hondo killing his son, wrecking his plans and getting him thrown in a Mexican prison have left Novak with an unrelenting desire to destroy Hondo.
• Know When to Fold Them: When finally cornered, Novak holds Hondo at gunpoint, threatening he can still kill the latter and satisfy his desire for revenge. Luca and Street then appear and make it clear they'll gun down Novak if he tries, and he grudgingly surrenders.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: Has his son murder a farm owner whose land Novak wanted to buy and pass off the death as a farming accident.
• Moral Myopia: Arthur Novak wants Hondo to pay for killing his son, completely ignoring the fact that AJ was about to murder an innocent woman (who Arthur was holding hostage as leverage against her mother).
• Oh, Crap!: His reaction when the previously corrupt Mexican police chief decides to do the right thing and arrest him.
• Persona Non Grata: As Hondo mentions, the Irish government have effectively banned him from ever returning home, and the authorities in Slovakia and Ukraine have outstanding warrants for his arrest.
  Hondo: From what I read, your home country of Ireland doesn't want to let you back in, and Ukrainian and Slovakian authorities would love to get their hands on you. I'm guessing that's why you ended up in Mexico. No extradition treaty.
• Villainous Glutton: He's first introduced to Hondo enjoying a lavish spread in his own private restaurant, as well as waxing lyrical to Hondo about the spices his chefs use in the cooking.
• White Hair, Black Heart: He's got receding white hair and is a truly nasty piece of work.

---