Kim Burgess Promotion Exposes Years of Chicago Police Failures

Notice! Spoilers ahead for Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 6, ‘Pawns.’Chicago Police Season 12, Episode 6 finally promotes Kim Burgess, but at the same time highlights her years of failure. Hank Voight’s Intelligence has undergone a series of massive changes in recent years. After Jay Halstead’s disappointment Chicago Police After season 10 left, his ex-partner and ex-wife, Hailey Upton, followed the following year. Although One Chicago is used to constant cast changes, Voight’s loss of its two most senior members had a major impact on Intelligence operations.. If there’s any silver lining to these departures, however, it’s Burgess finally managing to rise through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department.

For months, doubts about who would replace Upton plagued Chicago Police season 12. At first, Intelligence introduced and then killed Emily Martell, who was supposed to be the newest member of the team. Put Chicago Police season 12, episode 6, ‘Pawn’ Burgess is already in the final stage of the process of becoming a detectiveas she undertakes her first fieldwork, fulfilling her future responsibilities. Ultimately, she secures the role, which is great news for her and Voight’s team. In the process, however, Kim’s promotion emphasizes all of the show’s narrative failures in recent years.

Chicago police have never established how a detective’s work is different from that of a police officer

All members of the intelligence unit operated in a similar way

A big part of Burgess’ final step in promotion on ‘Pawns’ is learning how to change his approach to a case, from officer to detective. At Deputy Chief Reid’s personal request, Detective Suarez accompanies her on what could be considered the practical side of the exam. They respond to an incident, where Burgess was tasked with giving the orders. However, after years as a police officer, she still needs to make a conscious effort to focus on her new job as a detective – something Suarez often reminds her of.

This includes handling evidence and relegating duties to subordinates. All these changes make sense, but in Chicago Policethey don’t matter because the show never spent time establishing the differences in responsibilities between a police officer and a detective. In addition to being different positions in the organizationChicago Police did not explicitly establish their roles. In Intelligence, Voight is the leader, which means he calls the shots. The rest of the team can come up with viable ideas, and occasionally some of them defy orders. That said, ultimately he always has the last word.

While Voight has a clear right-hand man, which includes Alvin Olinsky, Antonio Dawson, Jay Halstead, and Hailey Upton throughout the season of One Chicago, everyone else functions the same way when responding to a crime scene. Because of this, it’s hard to really care about Suarez’s instructions to Burgess in Chicago Police season 12, episode 6. For viewers, as long as the suspect is caught and the case is solved, there is very little to no investment in these protocols because they have never mattered in the show’s 12 seasons on the air.

Chicago police have stagnated their officers for years

There were no promotions in intelligence until Burgess’

Aside from the specific changes that accompany Burgess’s promotion, that fact alone highlights perhaps the biggest problem with Chicago Policestorytelling in the last decade. When Suarez asks how long the intelligence officer has been on the job, she says 13 years. When the procedural debuted in 2014, she and Kevin Atwater were already patrolmen under the command of Trudy Platt. Burgess was actually the last person to be called up as a uniformed officer untill Kiana Cook was promoted in Chicago Police season 12.

Being called up to be part of Intelligence due to being on patrol gave the program a variety of stories to tell in its early years. It also made it easier to invest in characters like Burgess and Atwater because they are both locals. Unfortunately, this is a lost cause now. What makes it worse is that the One Chicago series has stagnated its managers for years, even though they are all capable of moving up. If it weren’t for Upton’s departure from Chicago Police season 11 finale, Burgess’ promotion may not have happened.

They’ve been waiting for a promotion longer than Burgess

Of the veteran members of Voight’s Intelligence, Burgess was the last to be promoted to officer in Chicago Police. Despite this, it’s hard to argue that she isn’t the most worthy detective of the group. For starters, while Adam Ruzek and Atwater are great at their jobs, neither of them are capable of calling out Voight when he’s on edge like Burgess does. This is an essential part of the Intelligence deputy’s role and it’s something that Dawson, Halstead and Upton did well.

While Burgess’ promotion is fully justified, it raises questions about when Chicago Police will see Atwater and Ruzek rise through the ranks of the department. Both have been very supportive of their teammates’ recent success in their role at Intelligence, but it’s hard to ignore that they’ve been stuck in the same position longer than Burgess. At the very least, Chicago Police needs to promote Ruzek or Atwater in the near future so that Intelligence has a more balanced dynamic, especially since Torres and Cook are also officers.

How Burgess’ New Detective Role Impacts Intelligence in Chicago PD Season 12

The pressure on Burgess could impact her upcoming wedding

As mentioned earlier, Chicago Police did a poor job of establishing the difference between an officer and a detective beyond their rank. Unless the show insists on this as Burgess settles into the role, it’s highly unlikely this will have an impact on how things are done in Intelligence. As long as As Voight remains their leader, their operation will remain the same – something that even Suarez points out to Burgess at the end of the case.

It is curious, however, whether there will be some changes to the smaller dynamics within the team. Although Ruzek and Atwater have expressed their support for Burgess, his promotion would give him the power to hand out mandates they would have to follow. Chicago Police can use this to create friction in the group in the name of drama. Meanwhile, outside of work, Burgess’s new expanded role in Intelligence could have a knock-on impact on his upcoming marriage, something that has been a long time coming.