Rhonda Pearlman

Living… in a modest bachelorette pad in Baltimore, not that she spends much time there. Rhonda practically lives at the office, where she prosecutes bad guys on behalf of the city government.

Profession… Assistant State’s Attorney in the narcotics division. Pearlman works closely with the Major Crimes Unit of the Baltimore Police Department, serving as their legal liaison and advisor during their investigations of Avon Barksdale’s drug syndicate, stevedore Frank Sobotka’s alleged drug-smuggling operation, state senator Clay Davis for corruption, and Marlo Stanfield’s drug syndicate.

Interests… aside from professional women’s fashion (she has an endless supply of power suits), Rhonda spends her time brushing up on the finer details of surveillance law.

Relationship Status… single, sort of. Pearlman had an extended on-and-off affair with her colleague, detective Jimmy McNulty. The affair continued after McNulty’s messy divorce, though the mixture of business and pleasure continually underwhelmed her. “Let me understand,” she scolds him, “You're married, and a date is a room at the Best Western with the blinds closed. Now you're single, and a date is you coming over unannounced to learn the legal requisites for a pager intercept." 

Challenge… bringing down the kingpins. Despite her best efforts, Avon Barksdale is given a reduced sentence and soon thereafter granted parole against her recommendation. After a string of failures to achieve justice she gets increasingly cavalier in her methods, looking for loopholes in the law to make it easier to get the bad guys behind bars.

Personality… ambitious, tough and intelligent. Though Pearlman’s strong moral compass bolsters her meticulous understanding of surveillance law, her ambitions and drive occasionally cause her to pursue unsavory prosecution tactics. In general, she is upbeat and spunky. She attracts a lot of attention in the male-dominated sphere of her work, and she is able to ply her feminine charm to her professional advantage.