Character biographies – courtesy of NBC.com
http://www.nbc.com/Jump/index.shtmlDetective Elliot Stabler
Stabler belongs to NYPD’s 16th Precinct, the Special Victims Unit. Stabler investigates sex crimes along with his partner, Olivia Benson. Elliot’s rage gets the best of him and often puts strain on his relationship with his partner and his family. His immense anger and violence toward sexual predators has almost cost him his job, especially when he admitted to a police psychologist that he fantasized about killing them. He’s separated from his wife and has three daughters and one son that he’s very close to. He often brings them up when investigating cases that deeply affect him. He’s scared himself for his lack of control. He has a deep and platonic bond with Olivia.
Detective Olivia Benson
Benson is a very dedicated detective in the Special Victims unit. Where her partner, Elliot, has problems with controlling his anger. Olivia has difficulty controlling her guilt. She often gets too close to her victims and takes on their pain. There have been times where Olivia’s compassion for her victims has clouded her judgment in her job, often being accused of being bias. Olivia’s dedication to her victims is from the fact she was the product of a rape herself. She never met her father, but often wonders if she gets her aggression from him. Her alcoholic and abusive mother died when she fell down some subway stairs and Olivia often feels the burden that she never made peace with her before her death. Olivia’s job often takes precedence over her personal life.
Detective John Munch
Munch joined the Special Victims Unit after retiring form the Baltimore Police Department. He is often paired with Fin on his undercover operations. The two don’t always see eye to eye, but work for the same goal, to put dangerous sexual predators behind bars. Often he is seen as a conspiracy theorist; his colleagues dismiss most of his theories. He fights inner demons stemming from his father’s suicide when he was younger. Never short on jokes, Munch often talks about his luck with women and his four foiled marriages.
Detective Fin Tutuola
Fin joined the Special Victims Unit in 2000 after leaving Narcotics. His relationships with fellow detectives started out rocky because he views everything in black and white. Fin also refuses to get emotions involved with his cases and it took well over a year to open up to his partner, Munch. Fin pays close attention to detail when investigating. He is very attentive to victims and suspects coming from poor areas of the city, being able to relate to them because he grew up with a similar background.
Dr. George Hung
Huang serves as both a FBI Agent and a psychiatrist for the Special Victims Unit. Huang joined the unit after becoming frustrated with trying to rehabilitate sex offenders and finding out that they didn’t want to participate with his therapy. There are times his opinions clash with the detectives, especially when he agrees with defendants’ diagnosis of mental illness. Huang also serves as an excellent source of communication for some of SVU’s youngest victims.
ADA Casey Novak
Novak joined the Special Victims Unit after ADA Cabot was transferred into the Witness Protection Program. Novak began her career prosecuting white-collar crimes and wasn’t sure she could handle the intensity of sex crimes. After DA Arthur Branch convinced her she was right for the job, she took it. It took her a long time for the 17th [sic] Precinct to warm up to her because they had missed fellow ADA Cabot, but eventually, she has gained respect for her work. Her relationships with the detectives began to grow on a professional and personal level.
Dr. Melinda Warner
Medical examiner Warner works with the Special Victims Unit in helping find scientific evidence to support the detectives’ theories with their cases. She is also occasionally asked to testify for the prosecution. She came to the 16th Precinct after serving two tours of duty in the first Iraq war. She is married and has one daughter in middle school.
ADA Alexandra Cabot (no longer on show)
Cabot was hired by the Special Victims Unit to oversee the prosecution of sexual predators brought in by them. At times, Cabot’s stubbornness and icy demeanor rubbed the 16th Precinct the wrong way. Her dedication to ethics often had her making tough decisions that went against her personal feelings. Cabot eventually left the SVU when she had to go into Witness Protection Program after receiving death threats while prosecuting a powerful drug lord.