The Intelligence Unit has certainly evolved over the past decade.
Since Chicago PD Season 1, we’ve had our fair share of characters come and go, losing beloved characters in any myriad of ways.
As we head into Chicago PD Season 12, we can expect more changes regarding the Intelligence Unit as it continues to take new forms.
Chicago PD Cast Slowly Evolves
For the most part, the fortunate aspect of Chicago PD is that many of the original cast members still remain, even as we head into the twelfth season.
Of course, cast shifts due to budget restrictions have become common in many series, particularly those across the One Chicago franchise.
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From Chicago Med to Chicago Fire, we’ve seen an everchanging list of characters, and the cast rotates and takes new forms with new looks.
However, Chicago PD has a much smaller and tighter cast and fewer changeups than its sister series.
Over the years, we’ve lost the likes of Erin Lindsay and Antonio Dawson.
We’ve also lost Alvin Olinsky, though he made a shocking and welcome return to the series during Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 10.
Recently, the latest departures have been veteran character Jay Halstead as Jesse Lee Soffer, one of the original cast members who kicked things off for the series via appearances on Chicago Fire.
We also saw Hailey Upton depart the series during the season finale, which significantly reduced the Intelligence Unit and left a gaping hole that we aren’t sure will be filled.
So, who all is in for Chicago PD Season 12? Let’s break it down!
Hank Voight (Jason Beghe)
At the center of the series is Sergeant Hank Voight.
If ever there was a character within the series you couldn’t anticipate leaving, it would be him.
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He’s Chicago PD’s staple and primary lead, a sergeant in charge of a specialized unit of handpicked detectives (well, not anymore) and police officers investigating major crimes.
Voight is one of the most polarizing characters in the franchise and maybe on current television.
He tends to operate in the dark gray area, toeing the line between a maverick and a dirty cop, depending on who you ask.
For a while, during most recent seasons, particularly in the post-George Floyd era, it appeared that Voight walked a tighter line regarding policing.
Gone are the days of him violating rights, roughing up perpetrators, coloring outside the lines, or engaging in underhanded work to get the job done.
We saw a version of Voight hampered by oversight and compelled to play within the lines of a political game in a world where policing faced more scrutiny.
Interestingly, Chicago PD Season 11 saw Voight’s darker side come to the forefront again, particularly due to his determination to catch a sadistic serial killer.
After losing a young man, Noah, whom he took in and who reminded him of his own late son, Voight’s determination to take down the killer sparked bits of the Old Voight.
We even saw his animalistic side come out when fighting for his life and the life of his former second mentee and, as of the last season, pseudo-daughter, Hailey.
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By the end of the season, it felt as if the two sides of Voight had merged in an exciting manner that could prove promising for the character in the future.
Jason Beghe does an incredible job of capturing the complexities of this character.
His signature gravelly voice often adds to the intensity of his plethora of characters.
Still, it was a result of his pulling out tubes after being intubated after a near-fatal car accident that included a broken neck, back, and ribs and resulted in him being in a coma for three and a half weeks.
His resilience also extended to him being a vocal advocate against Scientology after leaving the church in 2007.
Beghe is also known for his friendship with star David Duchovny.
The two grew up together and attended the same school, making their friendship one of the more notable Hollywood friendships.
Beghe is obviously known for playing Hank Voight across five different Dick Wolf series, including Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Law & Order: Trial By Jury, and Chicago Med.
But he’s had an extensive history in the business, with over 100 acting credits to his name, including Thelma and Louise, Californication, Melrose Place, To Have & to Hold, and much more.
Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins)
Kevin Atwater was a patrol officer partnered with Kim Burgess in the early seasons.
He has since earned his place in the Intelligence Unit and has become an invaluable asset and, in many ways, the heart of the team.
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Levelheaded and one who often leads compassionately, Atwater consistently portrays his rendition of community policing.
He often walks between two worlds as an African-American man well aware of the impact policing has on his community and as a police officer who desires to make change and disrupt the system.
It has often led him to be in complicated positions and, at times, alienating ones compared to the other unit members.
But we’ve since witnessed Atfwater taking on more of a leadership role and truly evolving into an admirable and inspiring cop.
We’re still hoping that he’ll finally become a detective and may even climb the ranks to become Voight’s new “second.”
LaRoyce Hawkins is a phenomenal actor who brings such incredible depth and range to Atwater.
Hawkins is a bit of a Renaissance man — an actor of television, film, and stage, as well as a writer, musician, poet, and stand-up comedian.
He’s been nominated four times for his work on Chicago PD, three NAMIC Vision Awards, and once for the NAACP Image Awards.
He’s deeply humble and an activist who is passionate about community endeavors.
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He’s known for roles in South Side, Ballers, The Express, and more.
Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati)
Kim Burgess is one of the series’s most dynamic, badass, and resilient characters.
She started things off as a doe-eyed but tough patrol cop partnered with her best friend, Kevin Atwater.
And she eventually earned her stripes as an Intelligence Unit member, even if it meant proving herself to an old guard like Alvin Olinksy.
Kim Burgess is a tough cop who has undergone so much strife in her tenure but always persevered.
Falling many scrapes and bumps, beatings, assaults, a miscarriage, shootings, and PTSD, she’s come out on the other side, stronger and better than ever.
A devoted mom, passionate friend, partner, and cop, she’s truly evolved throughout the series and will hopefully continue to shine brightly in the upcoming season.
Marina Squerciati is a tour de force and an actress in television, film, and theater.
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She’s known for her roles in It’s Complicated, Gossip Girl, The Americans, and much more.
Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger)
Adam Ruzek is the legacy kid cop plucked right out of the academy and placed into Intelligence.
Part of the attraction to him was his familiarity with how police operated, thanks to his upbringing and being constantly surrounded by police.
He’s true blue and firmly believes in the brotherhood in blue, although he’s faced challenges along the way.
Loyal almost to a fault, Ruzek’s evolution has been one of the most compelling characters.
He’s since embarked on a journey of fatherhood and becoming a true family man alongside Kim Burgess.
And despite a frustratingly limited amount of screentime and presence during the previous season, we can only hope to see more of his growth and evolution in the season to come.
Patrick John Flueger is an esteemed actor in television and film known for a plethora of roles.
One of the most notable bits of trivia about the actor is that he was screen-tested to play Captain America in the Marvel feature film and was on the shortlist for the now-famous role that went to Chris Evans.
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Flueger is also known for his roles in The 4400, even making a cameo in the 2022 reboot of the series.
He’s also known for his role in Scoundrels and The Princess Diaries.
Trudy Platt (Amy Morton)
In many ways, Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt is the heart of Chicago PD.
She’s tough as nails but equally compassionate Den Mom.
She genuinely loves and cares about the Intelligence Unit and has a special bond with just about all the other characters.
She’s been a long-lasting series presence, spending the early years overseeing patrol officers.
Now, she’s often an assist for the Intelligence Unit on cases and can operate as their go-between.
Trudy is a no-nonsense force and fan favorite who is the highlight of many episodes.
Hopefully, we’ll see her take on a more prominent role in the upcoming season.
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Amy Morton is an esteemed actress in theater and television and a director.
She’s a prominent figure in the Chicago theater scene and has been a member of Steppenwolf Theater’s core group since 1997.
She’s been nominated for two Tonys and Drama Desk Awards and was nominated multiple times for the Joseph Jefferson Awards, taking home the win once.
In addition to her theater work, she’s known for her roles in The Bear, Blue Bloods, Rookie of the Year, The Dilemma, and much more.
Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar)
Dante Torres is the newest and most unique addition to the Intelligence Unit.
He has a complex past and has taken a rather unorthodox path toward becoming police.
Notoriously private and an enigma, each layer we peel back to this character reveals something new and more surprising to viewers and his colleagues.
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A former enforcer for a criminal gang, Torres did what he needed to do to survive a tough area and take care of his mother.
But those street smarts make him an asset to the unit and adept at going undercover for various missions.
He started as a mentee of Halstead but has since mostly worked under Atwater’s tutelage.
They share a similar struggle of balancing their identity as men of color and carrying a badge while helping their communities.
Sometimes, Torres is led astray, as was the case with the frustrating arc that saw him sleeping with the cartel wife of a man they were investigating, but overall, Torres is on the right path.
Benjamin Levy Aguilar is a talented Guatemalan actor with quite an eclectic background.
Incredibly athletic, he had his sights on becoming a professional soccer player before an injury disrupted his plans.
But he shifted his focus to Krav Maga, of which he’s a Black Belt, and other forms of martial arts.
He’s also adept at Tactical Shooting and Evasive Driving, which led to his work as security during the 2011 Guatemalan Presidential Election.
He then shifted to acting, with uncredited roles in films like Straight Outta Compton and series such as Glee.
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He won a Los Angeles Film Award for his role in Spirit and was nominated for the Feel the Reel International Film Festival for the same role.
He has also won an Imagen Award for his role as Dante Torres.
Aguilar is known for his roles in the Netflix hit The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window and the sudsy FOX series Filthy Rich.
Aguilar appeared in Chicago PD Season 7 in a guest starring role as Franco Chavero, and his strong impression then contributed to him landing a series regular role as Dante Torres.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.
Who are your favorite characters, and what do you hope to see from them in the upcoming season?
Hit the comments below!
You can stream Chicago PD on Peacock.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.