Chicago PD: The Best & Worst Things To Happen to Main Characters

No one is perfect, and neither are their lives. For the members of the Intelligence Unit on Chicago PD, that proves true with each passing episode. These officers put it all on the line but the price for some of them has been death, family breakups, ruined relationships, and more.

As great as the storylines have been as far as criminals are concerned, the essence of the show still resides with the cops that viewers find themselves cheering for. Each person on this list has faced their good and bad times. No one has been immune to the pain that comes from protecting a city as tough as Chicago.

10 Hank Voight

Best (The Intelligence Unit)

What type of cop would Voight be if it wasn’t for the Intelligence Unit? Voight has always been a loose cannon but giving him control over a team of elite officers may have saved his life in more ways than one. As much as everyone in the Unit needed some type of guidance, Voight may have needed it the most.

Worst (Losing His Son)

Voight has not always made the best choices throughout his career and for that, karma has a way of sneaking up on people. But losing his son should not have been on this list. Hank has always had a dark persona but losing Justin brought out a darkness that fans understood but still weren’t ready to see.

9 Adam Ruzek

Best (Being Suspended)

It was a bad time for Adam Ruzek but he did it for a good reason. He decided to go against the orders of Voight and covered for Antonio. It was a noble gesture but it almost cost Ruzek his badge. Normally, Ruzek has shown he can be all about himself but he showed with this action that he was a team player even after going against Voight earlier.

Worst (Betraying Voight)

Losing his unborn baby with Burgess could be up here but Ruzek has not shown any real pain towards that. What he did against his leader Voight, caused him more pain than what happened to his unborn baby. Ruzek almost lost his job and life by agreeing to place a trap for Voight. By far, his lowest moment on Chicago PD.

8 Kim Burgess

Best (Becoming a Cop)

Burgess was once a flight attended but as fans can now see, Burgess is built to not only be a cop but play a pivotal role in the Intelligence Unit as well. There is no way fans can envision Kim giving safety guidelines in case of an emergency after seeing her go full steam as a member of Hank Voight’s Unit.

Worst (Ruzek & Losing The Baby)

Ruzek has been nothing but bad news for Kim. They were set to be married until Ruzek proved that he wasn’t man enough to carry the title of husband. They broke up and Adam still dated within the Intelligence Unit. And for the icing on the cake, Kim lost their child while in the line of duty.

7 Erin Lindsay

Best (Hank Voight)

When it comes to Erin Lindsay, Hank has always held a special place for her in his heart. Without his guidance in her early years, Lindsay could have gone down a dark path thanks to her mother. But Voight stepped in and changed her direction.

Worst (Addiction)

No matter what Lindsay’s triggers were, when she went down that rabbit hole, it was almost impossible to pull her back out. She almost lost her job, friends, and relationship. Lindsay let the death of Nadia get a firm hold of her and break her down to the core.

6 Jay Halstead

Best (Voight)

The relationship between Voight and Halstead is a rocky one. It has its moments where it could all go wrong but it has those times where viewers can see a strange father and son connection. Halstead is his own man, however, he does look to Voight for guidance without ever saying that’s what he’s seeking.

Worst (His Father)

Despite the death of his father, Jay was not able to make amends with his feelings on the man he thought turned his back on him. In a crossover with Chicago Fire, Jay’s dad was badly injured saving his friend’s life in a fire. At that time, the father and son were not on speaking terms.

5 Kevin Atwater

Best (His Siblings)

After the death of his parents, Kevin Atwater became the official guardian of his younger siblings. By doing so, he knew the risk that would be involved and the sacrifices that must be made. When his brother Jordan got into some trouble, Atwater had to make the tough call to ship his siblings out of town for their own safety.

Worst (Speaking The Truth)

Atwater is a great cop. However, fans often wonder if he truly fits with the Intelligence Unit. Atwater almost lost his life and job by taking the high ground and telling the truth about a cop who bent the law in his favor. Instead of protecting the cop, Atwater protected the badge and that had terrible consequences.

4 Alvin Olinsky

Best (The Intelligence Unit)

For some cops, their jobs are their lives while others use it just for a paycheck. Alvin Olinsky was in it for the long haul and he loved every minute of it. With his marriage in shambles, Olinsky needed an outlet, and what he was doing with the Intelligence Unit fit his lifestyle perfectly.

Worst (Losing His Daughter)

While his relationship with his ex-wife was on shaky ground, his bond with his daughter was strong. Her death shook Olinsky to his core and from that moment on, he just lost all reason for anything. With nothing more to lose, Olinsky took more risk out in the field with the last one resulting in his death.

3 Hailey Upton

Best (Defiance)

Hailey Upton entered Chicago PD as a straight shooter much like Atwater. Fans were waiting for the moment where she switched gears and in Season 7, she did just that. For her, the case was a bit personal, and she has was thrown out the door. Fans felt more connected with her because of her actions.

Worst (Her Father)

In Season 7, fans get a small glimpse into the backstory of Hailey. Viewers would learn that her father was sick and that she has no real intentions of going to see him in the hospital. The trauma she suffered growing up made her persona hard but it also has stunted her growth. She holds on to the pain and hasn’t been able to deal with the trauma.

2 Trudy Platt

Best (Marrying Mouch)

Since the beginning, Trudy Platt has been known as the wise-craking, non-smiling desk Sergeant on Chicago PD. While her work persona has basically stayed the same, Platt has softened a bit thanks to Mouch. While her storyline has not changed much, Platt does deserve more camera time.

Worst (Losing & Learning About Her Dad)

Right before Trudy was set to marry Mouch, she learned the shocking truth about her father and his extracurricular activities. While that was a hard truth to swallow, there was more to come that would rock her world. As close as she was with her father, his bad deeds were forgiven but his death was a hard pill for the tough Trudy to swallow.

1 Antonio Dawson

Best (Family)

Antonio has always been close with his family as viewers have seen with his presence on Chicago Fire. But on Chicago PD, the focus was more on his wife and kids in the beginning. His marriage ended but Antonio did the best he could with his kids. Even with them in harm’s way, the love he displayed for his children was a reflection of the man he was at that time.

Worst (Addiction)

Antonio began Chicago PD as the top fan favorite after his stints on Chicago Fire. But fans would soon learn that everything about Anthony was not roses and peaches. He developed an addiction to painkillers that cost him more than he was willing to let go of.

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