Cedric Daniels

Living…with his wife Marla, with whom he shares an immaculately furnished home in Baltimore. They are something of a power couple: Daniels has a law degree and looks to climb the ranks of the Baltimore Police Department, while Marla harbors political ambitions of her own.

Profession… police officer. When we first meet Daniels he is but a modest lieutenant directing the investigation of drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. With his commitment to quality policework and low tolerance for BS, Daniels is a man of principle. At one point he blows up at Police Commissioner Burrell: “I’ll swallow a lie when I have to. I've swallowed a few big ones lately. But the stat games? That lie? It's what ruined this department. Pretending to do policework while one generation trains the next how not to do the job.”

Interests… he doesn’t seem to have many aside from working crushing hours.Still, Daniels is astonishingly jacked; he must be squeezing in a workout at some point.

Relationship Status… married, but rockily. Daniels’s marriage to Marla eventually deteriorates, perhaps in part because of his failure to make better rank. Their separation is amicable, and Daniels plays the role of dutiful husband during Marla’s run for a spot on City Council. He accompanies her to political functions, kisses her on the cheek after her speeches, and keeps his new relationship with Assistant State’s Attorney Rhonda Pearlman under wraps.

Challenge… getting ahead despite the fact that office politics isn’t his game. Daniels has two forces working against him in his quest to make rank: his mysterious history of corruption, and his defiance of Commissioner Burrell and Deputy Commissioner Rawls during the Barksdale investigation. Though his insubordination during that case damaged his career aspirations, it at least gained him the respect of his subordinates.

Personality… smart, serious, solemn and upstanding. His laugh is not a jolly laugh; he makes no sound, and offers but a wry smile and a quiver. He hates schmoozing and prefers to let his body of work speak for itself. He believes in loyalty and hard work above all. Whether that will be enough to ascend to the fiercely political upper echelon of the Baltimore Police Department remains to be seen.