Henry "Hank" Voight is the chief of the Chicago Police Department's Intelligence Unit in the procedural drama Chicago P.D. He was first introduced as a supporting character in Chicago Fire before moving on to become the main character in Chicago P.D. Voight has appeared in every episode of the series.
Portrayed by actor Jason Beghe, Voight is often depicted as a tough cop who'll do whatever it takes to get justice. He often shuns department policies or rules and trusts his own judgment. Due to his tendency to break laws, he has been subjected to a couple of Internal Affairs Division investigations. Here are a couple of other things fans didn't know about him.
His Badge Number
By looking closely at Voight's badge, one can notice that his number is 32419. This has been consistent since the start of the series. In Chicago, the shape and color of the badge reflect the rank of the officer. Most badges from those of patrol officers and those of the captain are silver in color.
However, the badges of commanding officers have gold-colored stars with sharper points than those of patrol officers. The same can be seen on Hank Voight's badge. The officer's rank in the department can always be seen written in an arc just above the center element of the badge.
His Radio Code
Voight uses the radio code "5021 Adam" whenever he needs to communicate with other officers or to call for backup. In most of the episodes, he has shortened the code to 5021.
All the intelligence officers in the department have "5021" as the start of their code followed by a word in the Police Phonetic Alphabet. For example, Olinsky's code is "5021 Charlie," Rojas' code is "5021 Frank" while Atwater's code is "5021 David." The number 21 refers to the 21st District which the officers belong to.
His Service Weapon
The Commanding Officer has the 9mm SIG-Sauer P229R pistol as his service weapon. This type of pistol is often used by law enforcement and various military organizations worldwide. Voight's gun initially had a two-tone finish at the end but he was later seen with an all-black one.
However, in the second season, he briefly switched weapons and began using a 9mm SIG-Sauer P226R. The latter must have proved to be less reliable as he eventually switched back to the former.
He Never Wields A Gun With Both Hands
Unlike most officers who prefer to hold their pistols with both hands, Hank only holds his with one. No matter how tense the situation is, he prefers to be casual in the manner in which he aims his firearm.
Jason Beghe was once asked about this and he gave an explanation saying that it was all due to a little bit of laziness on his part rather than preference. When he realized how cool it was, he continued to hold it that way. It sure does make him look a lot more badass than other cops
Police Vehicles
Throughout the series' run, Voight has used five different police vehicles. He started with a first-generation Dodge Durango. The car was crushed into and damaged in Season 2's first episode titled "Call It Macaroni" where Hank was being investigated for the death of Tech and Surveillance expert Sheldon Jin.
Voight has also driven a Cadillac Escalade and a Ford Police Interceptor Utility. Other cars he has used are a Ford Explorer Sport, and a third-generation Dodge Durango SRT.
The Position He Never Took
In Season3's twenty-third episode titled "Start Digging", Hank was offered a promotion to Lieutenant by Commander. The new Chicago Police Superintendent wanted to reorganize the department and get veteran officers like Hank Voight off the chaotic and dangerous Chicago streets.
However, Hank's son was assaulted and ended up dead before he could consider the offer. He then went on a revenge vision where he found the murderer, shot him, and buried him. Hank would later turn down the position of Lieutenant, stating that he was much more comfortable as a Sergeant.
Links To Law And Order: SVU
Voight is on good terms with the Commanding Officer of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit Olivia Benson in Law And Order: SVU. During the few crossovers between the two shows, the two have had plenty of chemistry. Fans even gave them names such as Voightson, Venson, Bright, and Benoight.
There were suggestions that the two were even dating. However, this turned out not to be true. It was later revealed that Olivia was dating her former nemesis and the Internal Affairs Bureau Officer Ed Tucker. Quite disappointing. Voightson would have definitely been a good couple.
Number Of Work Partners
Hank Voight has worked with five partners, namely: Detective Jimmy Shi of the Chicago PD Gang Unit. Shi was portrayed by legendary action star Mark Dacascos. Voight has also partnered with Detective Denny Woods (a former Lieutenant) and Detective Alvin Olinsky of the Chicago PD Gang & Intelligence Unit.
He has also worked with Detective Antonio Dawson of the Chicago PD Intelligence Unit and Officer Adam Ruzek who is also of the Chicago PD Intelligence Unit. Voight has done assignments with other police officers too but briefly.
He Has Only Appeared Once In Chicago Med
Hank Voight has appeared a number of times as a supporting character in most shows in the Chicago franchise. His first appearance was even in Chicago Fire. However, the tough cop hasn't been used much in Chicago Med.
Voight's only appearance in the show came in Season 5's fourth episode titled "Infection Part 2." The episode dealt with a city-wide epidemic involving a strange strain of bacteria. Chicago Fire‘s Chief Wallace Boden also made an appearance in the same episode as everyone tried to tackle the epidemic.
His Closest Family Members Are All Dead
Voight's father Richard was a police officer too. It was Richard who inspired Voight to also take up law enforcement as a career. Unfortunately, Richard was killed in the line of duty when Voight was just eight.
As an adult, Vought got married to Camille. At one point, they were expecting twins, a boy, and a girl, but their daughter was still-born. They were thus left with their son Justin Voight. Sadly, Camille died of cancer complications while Justin was killed in the Season 3 finale.