Is Kim Burgess leaving Chicago PD season 11? (SPOILERS)

Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) has seen easier days. The Chicago PD veteran has been through a series of traumatic events over the last two seasons, and they are finally starting to catch up with her.

The 200th episode, somewhat unexpectedly, is a tense exploration of the character and what the future holds for her. It positions her as the main focus, and allows the viewer to realize that all of the things she does has consequences. Are her days as a police officer coming to an end? Let’s investigate.

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The episode, titled “Trapped”, opens with Burgess at home with Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) and her daughter Makayla (Ramona Edith Williams). Everything is fine, until a car backfires outside, and Burgess mistakes it for a gunshot. She crumbles up in the corner of the living room, and a quick series of flashbacks show us that she’s thinking of her near-death experience at the top of season 9.

Things get even worse when Burgess and Ruzek stumble upon a shooting by chance. They follow the chaos onto the famed “L” subway, and Burgess tries to stop the bleeding of a victim who was shot while Ruzek chases the suspect. The gunfire triggers another bout of PTSD for Burgess, and she struggles to keep pressure on the victim’s wound while dealing with her own attack.

By the time Ruzek gets to her and calms her down, she discovers that the victim in question has bled out and died. Burgess is pretty visibly shaken throughout the rest of the episode as a result. Her and Ruzek are ultimately able to put the responsible parties behind bars, but the episode ends with Burgess visiting the therapist she tried out (and scoffed at) in the second scene.

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While Burgess finally acknowledges the trauma she’s been dealing, she does with a lingering fear of what it may do to her career. She tells her therapist that cops get pulled off the street for having what she’s likely suffering from, and she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she wasn’t a cop.

It isn’t until this point in the episode that we realize Burgess is dangling on the edge of no longer being a cop. It’s very possible that if she were suffer an anxiety attack or be stiffened by PTSD on the job, she could wind up jeopardizing the lives of her peers.

Fortunately, Burgess’ therapist assures her that they will find a way, together, to overcome this trauma. It’s a downbeat ending, especially for an episode as momentous as the 200th, but at least it points towards growth for the character. We feel good about Burgess remaining a cop in the IU.

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