Character Relationship Map: Chicago P.D.

Characters

• Hank Voight (played by Jason Beghe) — protagonist

  Sergeant of the Intelligence Unit, portrayed by Jason Beghe.

• Kim Burgess (played by Marina Squerciati) — protagonist

  Officer in the cast, portrayed by Marina Squerciati.

• Adam Ruzek (played by Patrick John Flueger) — supporting

  Officer in the cast, portrayed by Patrick Flueger.

• Hailey Upton (played by Tracy Spiridakos) — supporting
• Kevin Atwater (played by LaRoyce Hawkins) — supporting

  Officer portrayed by LaRoyce Hawkins. He was the only Chicago-area actor originally cast in May, and his character was introduced in the penultimate episodes of Chicago Fire's first season.

• Antonio Dawson (played by Jon Seda) — supporting

  Intelligence Unit Detective, portrayed by Jon Seda.

• Vanessa Rojas (played by Lisseth Chavez) — supporting
• Jay Halstead (played by Jesse Lee Soffer) — supporting
• Kiana Cook (played by Toya Turner) — supporting
• Nadia Decotis (played by Stella Maeve) — supporting
• Sean Roman (played by Brian Geraghty) — supporting
• Trudy Platt (played by Amy Morton) — supporting
• Erin Lindsay (played by Sophia Bush) — supporting

  Detective in the cast, portrayed by Sophia Bush.

• Alvin Olinsky (played by Elias Koteas) — supporting
• Officer Dante Torres (played by Benjamin Levy Aguilar) — supporting
• Denny Woods (played by Mykelti Williamson) — minor
• ASA Nina Chapman (played by Sara Bues) — minor
• Makayla Burgess (played by Ramona Edith Williams) — cameo
• Ray Price (played by Wendell Pierce) — cameo
• DC Charlie Reid (played by Shawn Hatosy) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kim Burgess → Makayla Burgess (Adoptive mother and daughter) — Burgess becomes Makayla's adoptive mother and makes her safety and care a defining personal commitment.

  "Burgess bonds with Makayla after finding her as the sole survivor of a family murder, later adopts her, and fights for custody after Makayla is abduc...

• Kim Burgess → Adam Ruzek (On-and-off partners) — Their long-running romance is repeatedly tested by career demands, loss, and family responsibilities.

  "They become engaged, break up, and later resume a romantic relationship. Burgess has Ruzek's child, loses the baby, adopts Makayla, and relies on Ruz...

• Jay Halstead → Hailey Upton (Romantic partners and spouses) — A professional partnership becomes a marriage, strained by secrecy, moral conflict, and Halstead's departure.

  "Halstead is partnered with Upton in Season 5; their relationship develops in Season 8, they secretly marry in Season 9, and Halstead leaves in Season...

• Officer Dante Torres → Hank Voight (Sergeant and detective) — Voight becomes a consequential leader and protector in Torres's development, while also relying on him in difficult investigations.

  "Voight keeps Torres in Intelligence after learning the truth about his past in Season 10. In Season 11, Torres returns from leave and goes undercover...

• Adam Ruzek → Alvin Olinsky (Recruiter and protégé) — Olinsky introduces Ruzek to Intelligence and guides his early development.

  "Olinsky recruits Ruzek from the Police Academy in Season 1 and later puts him on patrol with Burgess because he believes Ruzek has not fully apprecia...

• Hank Voight → Hailey Upton (Sergeant and detective) — Voight mentors and commands Upton, but his boundary-crossing conduct becomes a defining source of conflict.

  "Upton joins Intelligence in Season 4. In Season 9, Voight's rogue interrogation and disposal of Roy Walton's body create a serious conflict with Upto...

• Officer Dante Torres → Jay Halstead (Recruiter and new officer) — Halstead brings Torres into the unit's orbit and serves as his early professional guide.

  "In Season 9, Halstead recruits Torres from the police academy and works with him on an investigation while becoming concerned about his past."

• Jay Halstead → Hank Voight (Detective and sergeant) — Their relationship combines command, teamwork, and recurring conflict over how far police work should go.

  "Halstead works in Voight's Intelligence Unit. He challenges Voight's choices in cases, and in Season 9 confronts him after learning of his involvemen...

• Hank Voight → Adam Ruzek (Sergeant and detective) — Voight's authority and expectations shape Ruzek's development in Intelligence.

  "Olinsky recruits Ruzek for Intelligence in Season 1. Voight later works with him during the Woods investigation, and in Season 6 challenges Ruzek for...

• Hank Voight → Kim Burgess (Sergeant and detective) — Voight recruits Burgess into Intelligence and becomes a consequential leader in her professional development.

  "Voight offers Burgess a position in Intelligence in Season 4. She investigates with the unit thereafter, and he is among the team members who support...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Hank Voight → DC Charlie Reid (Command adversaries) — Reid's actions dismantle Voight's unit, making their conflict a major institutional threat.

  "In Season 12, Reid's investigation leads to Torres's arrest, Burgess's dismissal, and the disbanding of Intelligence. In Season 13, Voight works to g...

• Erin Lindsay → Nadia Decotis (Supporter and recovering informant) — Lindsay supports Nadia's recovery, and Nadia's murder becomes a lasting emotional wound for her.

  "Lindsay helps Nadia get sober in Season 1. Nadia later prepares for a polygraph with Platt's help and is murdered by Gregory Yates, a loss that deepl...

• Hank Voight → Denny Woods (Professional adversaries) — Woods uses investigations and leverage against Voight, turning their professional history into a sustained power struggle.

  "Woods pressures Ruzek to find damaging information on Voight, targets Olinsky, and tries to take Voight down. Their conflict culminates in Season 5 a...

• Hank Voight → Alvin Olinsky (Trusted colleagues) — Their trust and shared history make Olinsky one of Voight's closest allies in the unit.

  "Olinsky serves in Voight's Intelligence Unit and works with him on investigations and morally difficult cases. Voight tries to exonerate Olinsky afte...

• Hank Voight → Erin Lindsay (Mentor and protégé) — Voight's protective mentorship is central to Lindsay's early career and personal life.

  "In Season 1, Lindsay's past includes her relationship with Voight. Voight later protects her from the Yates case, and in Season 4 he brokers an FBI d...

Story Analysis

The series follows Intelligence through violent investigations, personal losses, ethical disputes, and institutional upheaval. Its continuing story is shaped by changing partnerships and the struggle to preserve the unit.

Plot Progression

1. Season 1: Building the Unit — Voight's Intelligence Unit investigates violent crimes while new members join its work. Pulpo's kidnapping and the attack that wounds Dawson make the cases personal.
2. Season 2: Pressure and Loss — The unit faces internal scrutiny, dangerous investigations, and growing personal strain. Lindsay's crisis and the murder of Commander Perry leave the team shaken.
3. Season 3: Personal Reckonings — The team investigates cases that reach into members' private lives and pasts. Nadia's murder and Justin's death create lasting grief for Lindsay and Voight.
4. Season 4: Departures and Grief — Burgess joins Intelligence as the team faces personal loss and escalating scrutiny. Olinsky's daughter dies, and Lindsay's career crisis ends with her departure.
5. Season 5: The Woods Feud — Woods targets Voight and Olinsky while the unit pursues complex cases. Olinsky's arrest and death devastate the team.
6. Season 6: Loyalty and Consequences — The unit deals with Olinsky's death and new conflicts over police conduct. Dawson's addiction and Ruzek's decision to take the blame strain the team.
7. Season 7: Loss and Recovery — Burgess faces pregnancy loss while Voight's unit investigates dangerous cases. Atwater confronts racism within the department, and the team continues to change.
8. Season 8: Makayla and Reform — Burgess adopts Makayla as the unit works amid debate over police reform. Burgess's abduction puts the team under intense pressure.
9. Season 9: Trust Under Strain — The fallout from Roy Walton's death strains Voight, Upton, and Halstead. Burgess and Ruzek fight for Makayla and face the trauma of her abduction.
10. Season 10: The Unit Changes — Halstead leaves Chicago, and Torres joins Intelligence. The team investigates Sean O'Neal while its members face family troubles and personal trauma.
11. Season 11: Voight in Danger — The unit adjusts to changing personnel and investigates a serial-killer cop. Voight's kidnapping becomes the season's central emergency, and Upton leaves.
12. Season 12: Intelligence Disbanded — The team investigates threats involving corruption and criminal networks while Reid moves against Intelligence. His actions result in the unit's disbandment.
13. Season 13: Rebuilding and Reckoning — Voight works to restore Intelligence with Eva Imani as the unit investigates violent cases and confronts difficult personal histories. The season also brings renewed scrutiny of Voight's past decision...