3 reasons why Chicago PD needs more Kevin Atwater

1. Being a person of color on the police force

Chicago PD has tackled a lot of heavy, relevant storylines over the past five seasons—but one issue the show could go further with is racism. While racism has been mentioned during past seasons, Kevin Atwater’s presence could take the issue a lot further in Chicago PD season 6.

Atwater is a member of the police force who also happens to be a person of color, but that’s something that has never completely been explored within the show. Chicago PD season 6 has the opportunity to look at the concerns in the United States regarding police violence towards people of color, and address that issue through Atwater. How would he react to an accusation of racism by the police, since he’s both a cop and an African-American?

By giving Atwater more screen time in a storyline like that, not only would Chicago PD be relating to current events, but it would also give an interesting perspective on the topic. Atwater can tell that story brilliantly, and really he’s the only person who could tell that story—not simply because of his race, but because of all the main characters, he’s the one who’s most community-minded and thinking about the big picture.

Chicago PD said it wanted to be more topical in season 5, but then got sidetracked by having the whole season be about Denny Woods wanting revenge on Hank Voight. If the series really wants to be more relevant, there’s no excuse not to give Kevin Atwater more to do—he’s perfect to talk about one of the most hot-button issues in America.

Would you like to see more of LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater in Chicago PD season 6? Let us know in the comments.

Chicago PD returns to NBC on Sept. 26.