Chicago PD season 8, episode 12 recap: Due Process

This week’s Chicago PD proved to be a very timely Hank Voight-centric episode.

Wednesday’s episode “Due Process” Voight (Jason Beghe) and the Intelligence Unit found themselves racing against the clock to catch a serial rapist before he could harm another victim. The trying case left Voight struggling not to fall back into some of his older tendencies as the team worked the complicated case.

Here’s what happened in the latest Chicago PD episode for each of your favorite characters.

More from Chicago PD

• Every cast member leaving a Dick Wolf show in 2024
• Chicago PD boss reveals why Elias Koteas left the show
• Tracy Spiridakos returns to Instagram after Chicago PD exit
• 3 Chicago PD stories we want to see (and 2 we don’t)
• Which Chicago PD star has the most followers on Instagram?

Chicago PD season 8 episode 12 recap

Chicago PD kicks off with Voight participating in a press conference being held by Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller (recurring guest star Nicole Ari Parker) where she talks about “transparency” and “rule of law.” While she’s questioned about accountability, the show gives us a close-up of Voight’s expressionless face, which feels like a hint. He’s seen driving around after as her speech continues in voice-over about solving crimes “the right way, the legal way.”

Voight responds to a call where Ben Larson has been shot by his rideshare driver who’s also kidnapped his wife Jessica. Ben can only give a description of the car – a black Ford Fusion – before the ambulance arrives. The rest of Intelligence arrives and swings into action, finding the license plate from that, and identifying the driver as Jonathan Eakin. With help from the rideshare service Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) find the Fusion but only Jonathan is inside… and he claims his riders never arrived.

So wait, who’s the gunshot victim then? And where’s his wife?

The next morning Halstead confirms Jonathan’s story while Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) uses security camera footage to confirm that Ben and Jessica got into the wrong car. It’s not a black Ford but a black Honda, and it was stolen before being recovered – if you can call “being intentionally set on fire” recovered. Upton gets a call with a possible location, and takes Halstead and Voight with her to the empty, creepy warehouse (is there any other kind on Chicago PD?) where Upton finds Jessica’s body. She was assaulted and then strangled.

Watch One Chicago on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) quickly identifies the perpetrator as Caleb Hoff, a convicted murderer and rapist whose conviction was overturned due to “unlawful use of force.” He was released three weeks ago and sued the city of Chicago. Ben identifies Hoff at the hospital, confirming Ruzek’s suspicion, and gets understandably upset when Voight admits the man has done this before. “To hell with the law,” he says. “My wife is dead, Sergeant, because you let a monster go free! How could you?”

Chicago PD fans can see where this is going.

Intelligence begins searching for Hoff while Miller turns up to grill Voight on the situation. She tells him to talk to her the officer who was fired over Hoff’s overturned conviction and to do it off the record. Hank takes Upton to the woman’s house where she’s not surprised that Hoff is allegedly back to his old tricks. With the information she gives them, our heroes narrow down their search, with Upton adding “Justice and the law don’t always work in perfect harmony.”

The show has Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) break the news that Hoff has another victim and another burned-out car. The midpoint of this Chicago PD episode is Voight standing over another body.

Miller arrives on the scene and reiterates that she wants to publicly identify Caleb Hoff. Voight advises her not to because it would expose her to public scrutiny for Hoff’s release and also make him more likely to flee. Miller tells him to “just do your job” and make an arrest before there’s a third murder. While Intelligence watches her next press conference, Halstead tracks Hoff to a Mexican restaurant before the second murder with another man.

He and Upton disagree on the whole situation. “You’re saying you condone police misconduct?” he asks his ex-girlfriend, who replies, “Of course not.” However, she also adds that the prosecutor on Hoff’s original case could have “looked the other way.”

Looking for a lead, Voight visits the arresting officer again to tell her that they’re now sure who their suspect is. She admits that she was afraid of something like this which was why she stepped over the line; he reassures her that she has nothing to apologize for because she was trying to keep the city safe. The ex-cop identifies Hoff’s accomplice as Kenny Rose, a drug dealer who grew up with him in the same foster home.

But Chicago PD has now given the team a way to get to Hoff through Kenny. He naturally takes off running but is tackled by Halstead and claims he has no idea who Hoff is. When Voight gives him two choices, he chooses “the other way” with aplomb. He asks for a lawyer, too, and Voight nearly throttles him before telling Ruzek to arrest him for meth possession. Then he goes and takes his anger out on a windshield, which draws the ire of a bystander whom he yells at to go away.

Still seething later on, Voight gets a call from the team and gives them another name from the old file: Victor Salvano. The name is connected to an out-of-business company that would make a perfect place for Hoff to hide, and he sends Intelligence there. Chicago PD gives us plenty of ominous music as Voight is the first person to arrive. While he tells Jay that he’ll wait until the team gets there, is he actually going to?

Not when he hears something breaking inside. Voight finds that the ex-cop has turned up, determined to arrest Hoff this time, and gunshots ring out forcing everyone’s hand. A gun battle between the two ends when Hoff runs out of bullets. He puts his hands up and the gun down, then tries to jump off the railing and falls instead. Voight dares him to reach for the gun but Hoff doesn’t… however, the ex-cop would be happy to kill Hoff herself.

Voight knocks her gun aside just as she pulls the trigger and tells her to go home while Intelligence arrives. Hoff is arrested on two new murder charges. Halstead asks if there’s anything he needs to know; Voight says they’re good and then briefs Miller on how Hoff awkwardly fell off a second-floor walkway. You can practically hear the air quotes. Miller informs Voight that Hoff is telling his attorneys the ex-cop was there; she asks if that’s true. Voight says “the truth is not your friend right now” and that she should move on.

That night Voight pays the ex-cop another visit where they share a drink over the case. She tells him that she dedicated her whole life to Chicago and being a cop, but “they took that away from me” and that she feels the politicians and the press picked Hoff over her. Voight replies that they don’t think the way cops do and leaves a shell casing behind – from the shot that went off.

“We think alike,” she tells him, and he replies, “I think we do.” So what is Chicago PD telling fans with those words?

For the latest Chicago PD season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.