151:
into an interrogation of a member of the
African Revival Movement and insists on speaking to the suspect privately. As soon as he leaves, the suspects invokes counsel indicating that he was coached by Gaffney. It is later revealed that the leader of the ARM, Burundi Robinson, is a former police officer who was Harris' partner, and that Harris wants him killed because his information about Harris' illegal activities would end his career. Giardello learns this information from Robinson before he can be killed, puts it in a letter to the mayor, and forces Harris's resignation. Though Gaffney, deprived of his benefactor, tries to lecture Giardello for ending Harris's career, he is shown to be much more cautious of tangling with Giardello after this incident.
183:(another less qualified commander who could have been promoted in accordance with the "fat Irish ass" theory, although he is much less obnoxious than Gaffney and was eventually written as a competent detective), who worked alongside Pembleton, dislikes him but respects his work. Since Gharty also despises Gaffney, he looks the other way as Pembleton and Bayliss work around him and solve the shooting (eventually murder) of Gee.
134:
evening
Homicide shift, Russert's previous job. By the end of the episode, he has been promoted to captain, once again over Giardello. His promotion surprises the unit, and upon his appointment, he issues thunderous orders about how Homicide was going to be run by the book under his command, citing among other things various small infractions of department rules that Giardello had chosen to overlook.
147:
the media. Not only was
Giardello clearly a much more experienced candidate, the promotion was something that he wanted. Harris chose Gaffney in particular to rub salt in the wound because he was a "fat Irish ass" similar to Giardello's first partner, a racist officer named Mickey Shea who had made Giardello ride in the back of the patrol car.
146:
throughout the department, and was willing to follow orders from above unquestioningly if it meant he could indulge his natural tendencies as a bully. The second reason was specifically to punish
Giardello, who was often shown leaking political departmental decisions that he morally disagreed with to
125:
When
Russert learns of Gaffney's failure to investigate a potentially important lead, she reassigns the murder to Pembleton; Gaffney's subsequent insulting remarks lead her to transfer him out of Homicide. The character is rarely seen again for the rest of the season, but his limited screen time does
137:
Gaffney's meteoric (and highly implausible) rise from a bad-tempered detective in a dead-end department to captain of the
Homicide Unit is explained somewhat in the Season 5 episode "Blood Wedding", in which it is revealed that Gaffney was chosen for promotion to captain over Lieutenant Giardello by
178:
After Gee was shot, Gaffney takes the side of a hotheaded younger detective over that of
Pembleton and Bayliss when the long-inactive and retired detectives stop the younger detective from abusing a witness during a pointless interrogation. Gaffney outright says that he can do what he wants because
117:
MacPherson is recast as homicide detective Roger
Gaffney in "Nearer My God to Thee", the opener of the show's third season, as one of the night shift detectives working under Lt. Megan Russert. Introduced as a rude, bigoted, incompetent bully who is universally disliked in the squadroom, he becomes
113:
In
Seasons 1 and 2 of the show, MacPherson made several cameo appearances as a uniformed police officer, the first in Season 1 when he finds an earring at a crime scene and offers it to Bayliss as possible evidence. The character wears a nametag that is not in focus enough to be readable, but seems
150:
Gaffney is subsequently shown fulfilling his role as Harris' lapdog commander, often showing little to no moral objection to interfering with the
Homicide Unit's investigations if ordered to do so for political reasons. This is best seen in the Season 5 episode "Narcissus", in which Gaffney barges
133:
over her mishandling of the apprehension of a sniper, who commits suicide, Russert is demoted three ranks to Detective ("Sniper: Part 1"), leaving the position once again open. In the subsequent Season 4 episode, "The Hat", Gaffney is suddenly shown both as a lieutenant and as commander of his old
114:
to bear a name longer than "Gaffney." His good working relationship with the detectives and the unlikelihood of a policeman rising from uniformed patrol to captain rank in less than four years indicates that the uniformed policeman is not intended to be the same character as Gaffney.
170:'s website. Gaffney came to Giardello requesting that Bayliss shut down the website which promoted bisexuality and Buddhism amongst other things or be subject to disciplinary action. This marked his last major appearance as an antagonist in the series.
154:
During this period, Gaffney also routinely (and anonymously) stole other people's lunches from the Homicide unit's breakroom fridge, until he was revealed to be the "Lunch Bandit" by J.H. Brodie, who caught him on tape in "The Documentary".
122:") after the fastidious Pembleton, who has to share a desk with him, complains about his failure to clean up after himself. The two nearly come to blows, only to be restrained by their fellow detectives and sharply upbraided by Russert.
29:
126:
establish that he holds a grudge against the Homicide unit in general, and against Russert in particular. By the time of the Season 3 episode "Nothing Personal," Gaffney has ended up in Missing Persons.
129:
Meanwhile, Russert is promoted to captain for political reasons, infuriating the much more experienced Lt. Al Giardello ("The Old and the Dead"). In Season 4, following a confrontation with
162:. In Seasons 6 and 7, he assumes a largely subsidiary role as unit commander and is no longer directly antagonistic toward Giardello. In Season 7, he attempts to bait Gee's son, FBI agent
726:
118:
the primary detective on the first of three murders for which both shifts are called in. In this episode, he provokes a fight with Pembleton (whom he provocatively refers to as "Boy" and "
550:
515:
276:
557:
599:
501:
620:
487:
721:
473:
543:
457:
627:
641:
480:
43:
536:
269:
606:
684:
564:
529:
613:
447:
442:
437:
432:
427:
422:
417:
262:
242:
508:
286:
102:
166:, into turning against his father. Gaffney was later shown to be upset over his son's discovery of Homicide detective
697:
634:
130:
522:
691:
139:
666:
494:
119:
234:
216:
571:
238:
230:
159:
143:
341:
158:
Gaffney appeared sporadically throughout the remainder of the series working under Colonel
311:
107:
76:
179:
power is arbitrary. Pembleton and Bayliss later ignore Gaffney. The new unit Lieutenant
466:
396:
356:
331:
316:
163:
715:
648:
592:
585:
391:
386:
381:
371:
346:
180:
376:
366:
361:
321:
201:
578:
336:
301:
222:
167:
66:
254:
401:
326:
306:
226:
28:
100:
is a fictional police officer of the Baltimore Police Department on
258:
142:, for two overlapping reasons. First, Gaffney was loyal to the
218:
Homicide: Life on the Street: The Unofficial Companion
48:"Nearer My God to Thee" (first identified as Gaffney)
676:
658:
456:
410:
294:
87:
82:
72:
62:
52:
38:
21:
727:Fictional Baltimore Police Department detectives
270:
8:
202:"The HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET Glossary"
277:
263:
255:
722:Homicide: Life on the Street characters
685:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
192:
18:
7:
14:
27:
1:
287:Homicide: Life on the Street
103:Homicide: Life on the Street
509:And the Rockets' Dead Glare
743:
635:Zen and the Art of Murder
131:Colonel George Barnfather
26:
628:Fallen Heroes (Pt. 1, 2)
607:Blood Ties (Pt. 1, 2, 3)
523:Night of the Dead Living
215:Kalat, David P. (1998).
33:Det./Capt. Roger Gaffney
22:Det./Capt. Roger Gaffney
551:A Many Splendored Thing
516:Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
83:In-universe information
692:Homicide: Second Shift
558:Nearer My God to Thee
138:Deputy Commissioner
667:Homicide: The Movie
600:For God and Country
502:A Dog and Pony Show
495:Three Men and Adena
106:. He was played by
57:Homicide: The Movie
16:Fictional character
572:Law & Disorder
488:A Shot in the Dark
709:
708:
474:Ghost of a Chance
231:Renaissance Books
160:George Barnfather
95:
94:
734:
342:Stanley Bolander
279:
272:
265:
256:
249:
248:
212:
206:
205:
197:
144:chain of command
46:" (unidentified)
39:First appearance
31:
19:
742:
741:
737:
736:
735:
733:
732:
731:
712:
711:
710:
705:
699:Law & Order
672:
659:Television film
654:
621:Finnegan's Wake
452:
406:
312:Frank Pembleton
290:
283:
253:
252:
245:
214:
213:
209:
199:
198:
194:
189:
176:
140:James C. Harris
108:Walt MacPherson
77:Walt MacPherson
53:Last appearance
47:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
740:
738:
730:
729:
724:
714:
713:
707:
706:
704:
703:
695:
688:
680:
678:
674:
673:
671:
670:
662:
660:
656:
655:
653:
652:
645:
638:
631:
624:
617:
610:
603:
596:
589:
582:
575:
568:
561:
554:
547:
544:Black and Blue
540:
533:
526:
519:
512:
505:
498:
491:
484:
477:
470:
467:Gone for Goode
462:
460:
454:
453:
451:
450:
445:
440:
435:
430:
425:
420:
414:
412:
408:
407:
405:
404:
399:
397:Mike Giardello
394:
389:
384:
379:
374:
369:
364:
359:
357:Mike Kellerman
354:
349:
344:
339:
334:
332:Steve Crosetti
329:
324:
319:
317:Meldrick Lewis
314:
309:
304:
298:
296:
292:
291:
284:
282:
281:
274:
267:
259:
251:
250:
243:
207:
191:
190:
188:
185:
175:
172:
164:Mike Giardello
93:
92:
89:
85:
84:
80:
79:
74:
70:
69:
64:
60:
59:
54:
50:
49:
40:
36:
35:
32:
24:
23:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
739:
728:
725:
723:
720:
719:
717:
702:
700:
696:
694:
693:
689:
687:
686:
682:
681:
679:
677:Related media
675:
669:
668:
664:
663:
661:
657:
650:
649:Lines of Fire
646:
643:
639:
636:
632:
629:
625:
622:
618:
615:
611:
608:
604:
601:
597:
594:
593:Fire (Part 2)
590:
587:
586:Fire (Part 1)
583:
580:
576:
573:
569:
566:
562:
559:
555:
552:
548:
545:
541:
538:
534:
531:
527:
524:
520:
517:
513:
510:
506:
503:
499:
496:
492:
489:
485:
482:
478:
475:
471:
468:
464:
463:
461:
459:
455:
449:
446:
444:
441:
439:
436:
434:
431:
429:
426:
424:
421:
419:
416:
415:
413:
409:
403:
400:
398:
395:
393:
392:Rene Sheppard
390:
388:
387:Terri Stivers
385:
383:
382:Laura Ballard
380:
378:
375:
373:
372:Stuart Gharty
370:
368:
365:
363:
360:
358:
355:
353:
352:Roger Gaffney
350:
348:
347:Megan Russert
345:
343:
340:
338:
335:
333:
330:
328:
325:
323:
320:
318:
315:
313:
310:
308:
305:
303:
300:
299:
297:
293:
289:
288:
280:
275:
273:
268:
266:
261:
260:
257:
246:
244:1-58063-021-9
240:
236:
232:
228:
224:
220:
219:
211:
208:
203:
196:
193:
186:
184:
182:
181:Stuart Gharty
173:
171:
169:
165:
161:
156:
152:
148:
145:
141:
135:
132:
127:
123:
121:
115:
111:
109:
105:
104:
99:
98:Roger Gaffney
90:
86:
81:
78:
75:
71:
68:
65:
61:
58:
55:
51:
45:
41:
37:
30:
25:
20:
698:
690:
683:
665:
642:Self Defense
481:Son of a Gun
377:Paul Falsone
367:J. H. Brodie
362:Julianna Cox
351:
322:Al Giardello
285:
217:
210:
195:
177:
157:
153:
149:
136:
128:
124:
116:
112:
101:
97:
96:
73:Portrayed by
56:
44:Son of a Gun
579:The Gas Man
537:See No Evil
337:Tim Bayliss
302:Beau Felton
223:Los Angeles
168:Tim Bayliss
67:Tom Fontana
716:Categories
402:Ed Danvers
327:Kay Howard
307:John Munch
295:Characters
233:. p.
227:California
187:References
63:Created by
701:franchise
200:J Bobby.
174:The Movie
565:End Game
458:Episodes
530:Bop Gun
411:Seasons
614:Subway
241:
88:Gender
120:Sambo
239:ISBN
91:Male
235:114
718::
237:.
229::
225:,
221:.
110:.
651:"
647:"
644:"
640:"
637:"
633:"
630:"
626:"
623:"
619:"
616:"
612:"
609:"
605:"
602:"
598:"
595:"
591:"
588:"
584:"
581:"
577:"
574:"
570:"
567:"
563:"
560:"
556:"
553:"
549:"
546:"
542:"
539:"
535:"
532:"
528:"
525:"
521:"
518:"
514:"
511:"
507:"
504:"
500:"
497:"
493:"
490:"
486:"
483:"
479:"
476:"
472:"
469:"
465:"
448:7
443:6
438:5
433:4
428:3
423:2
418:1
278:e
271:t
264:v
247:.
204:.
42:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
