Ranking Characters Of The Wire: The Law

15. Jay Landsman

The squad supervisor and sergeant of the homicide squad under William Rawls, Jay Landsman often acted as mediator between his detectives and his often unpleased and unapproachable commanding officer.

Jay was a personable sergeant and got on with most of the detectives in his squad but he would often find a sick sense of humour in any of their misfortune, usually McNulty. Jay was essentially someone who would laugh at his detectives but he also knew when to get serious if the situation called for it.

An adept squad supervisor, the homicide squad's success at their clearance ratings are more easily attributed to the support of Jay than the leadership of Rawls. Jay is not often seen working cases himself, but when he is, he knows how to speak to suspects and shows an empathetic side to his work that not all the detectives on the force do. Regardless, he is more known for his practical jokes that he performs on the detectives under him.