Vincent "Vinny" Cruz was a Police Officer in the New York City Police Department. He served at the 12th Precinct. He was promoted posthumously to Detective 1st Grade after being killed in the line of duty. He was the second partner of Jameson Reagan. A consummate flirt, he never passed up an opportunity to make an impression and get a woman's phone number.
Biography
Vinny grew up in the Bitterman Housing Complex, occassionally babysitting a neighbor who nicknamed Cruz "Skinny Vinny." That same neighbor was later tricked into shooting Mayor Carter Poole by the Los Lordes gang.
Career
Cruz transferred to the 12th Precinct from the 35th Precinct. He was in the middle of telling a story of his sexual exploits when Jamie entered the locker room, which did not make a good first impression on Jamie.
In 2012, Officer Blake mistakenly shoots and kills a civilian. Cruz, along with other officers, felt Commissioner Francis Xavier Reagan didn't stand with the NYPD after the shooting. Jamie strongly opposed this viewpoint, by stating he didn't know of any other Commissioner who stood by the NYPD like Commissioner Reagan. Later, Commissioner Reagan prevented Officer Blake from committing suicide, and earned the respect of the officers who witnessed the event, including Vinny.[2]
A passionate individual, Cruz often acted on gut instinct. This led to a clash in the beginning of his partnership with Jamie, when he suspected a young boy of being involved with a gang under investigation for a drive-by shooting. Though the incident led to strife between Cruz and Reagan, it was fruitful when the boy proved to be linked to the murder weapon. After the incident, Reagan laid down some ground rules for Cruz. Cruz agreed to Reagan's rules without an argument. From that point, their partnership improved dramatically, although Reagan always begrudgingly went along with Cruz's schemes to impress women while they were on duty.
In 2013, violence escalates between the NYPD and Los Lordes. At one point during the conflict, Officers Cruz and Reagan make a fatal decision of pursuing a suspect into the Bitterman Housing Complex. When Cruz and Reagan pursue, the suspect disappears. Officer Reagan realizes they'll be ambushed and warns Officer Cruz. Officer Reagan is shot in the chest, and Officer Cruz is shot in the neck. Reagan's Kevlar vest protects him and he survives, but Cruz's neck wound causes his death shortly thereafter. After Cruz's death, he is posthumously promoted to Detective 1st Grade,[3] though most who knew him still call him Officer Cruz.
Medals
| Citation Bars |
|---|
 Meritorious Police Duty Breast Bar
 Excellent Police Duty Breast Bar |
Involved Shootings
Gallery
| To edit this gallery, go to Vincent Cruz/Gallery. To review image policies, go to Media Guidelines. |
Vincent Cruz/Gallery
Notes & Trivia
Shield Number: 29910
Appearances
| Season Three | ||||
| Episode 1: "Family Business" |
Episode 2: |
Episode 3: |
Episode 4: ""Scorched Earth"" |
Episode 5: "Risk and Reward" |
| Episode 6: "Greener Grass" |
Episode 7: "Nightmares" |
Episode 8: "Higher Education" |
Episode 9: "Secrets and Lies" |
Episode 10: |
| Episode 11: "Front Page News" |
Episode 12: |
Episode 13: |
Episode 14: "Men in Black" |
Episode 15: |
| Episode 16: |
Episode 17: |
Episode 18: "No Regrets" |
Episode 19: "Loss of Faith" |
Episode 20: |
| Episode 21: "Devil's Breath" |
Episode 22: "The Bitter End" |
Episode 23: | ||
References
- ↑ Season 3, Episode 18: "No Regrets"
- ↑ Season 3, Episode 1: "Family Business"
- ↑ Season 3, Episode 22: "The Bitter End"