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Law & Order character
Lt. Anita Van Buren
Time on show	1993—present
Preceded by	Don Cragen
Succeeded by	Incumbent
First appearance	"Sweeps"
Portrayed by	S. Epatha Merkerson

Lt. Anita Van Buren is a fictional character on NBC's long running drama, Law & Order, portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson. She is the longest-running character (by number of appearances) on the show. Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers, portrayed by Leslie Hendrix, is the longest-running character based on start date, 1992 as opposed to 1993, but she appears in fewer episodes. Captain Don Cragen Captain Don Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek on the TV drama Law & Order from 1990 to 1993, and its spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999. ... Law & Order Season 4 cover art The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series fourth season (1993-1994). ... S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. ... This article is about the television network. ... This article is about the original television series. ... S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. ... Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers is a recurring character in the fictional universe of the crime drama franchise Law & Order. ... Leslie Hendrix is an American actress best known for playing the role of Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers on all four Law & Order series (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury). ...

Personal life

A graduate of John Jay College (as is Ron Carver from Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Van Buren is married to Donald, who owns a hardware store (L&O: Scoundrels"). They have two sons, Ric (who is diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of six in 1995) and Stefan. She spent five years as a cop and seven years in undercover narcotics (L&O: "Fame"). The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a criminal justice college in New York City which has nearly 11,000 students, including traditional, pre-career undergraduate students and those pursuing master’s degrees in several disciplines. ... ADA Ron Carver Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver is a fictional character on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance. ... Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ...

It is revealed that her favorite poet is Langston Hughes, and that she is left-handed (L&O: "Slave). In the episode "Over Here (2007)" She says her father was wounded in Wasu, Korea during the Korea War in 1952. He spent time at Tulsa VA Hospital in Oklahoma (L&O: "Over Here"). Her sister lives in Queens, N.Y. (L&O : "Whiplash") Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. ... The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

Character history

She joins the cast in the 1993 episode "Sweeps", replacing Capt. Don Cragen (played by Dann Florek). Throughout her run on the show, she has overseen the work of detectives such as Lennie Briscoe, Mike Logan, Rey Curtis, Ed Green, Joe Fontana, Nick Falco, Nina Cassady, and Cyrus Lupo. Unlike Cragen, Van Buren focuses on salvaging investigations when her detectives make mistakes, rather than focusing on their failures. Captain Don Cragen Captain Don Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek on the TV drama Law & Order from 1990 to 1993, and its spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999. ... Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950 in Flat Rock, Michigan) is an American actor and director. ... Leonard Lennie Briscoe was a fictional character on NBCs long running crime drama, Law & Order. ... Det. ... Curtis and Detective Lennie Briscoe, his partner from 1995 to 1999 Reynaldo Rey Curtis was a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order, played by Benjamin Bratt from 1995 to 1999. ... Edward Ed Green is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Jesse L. Martin. ... Detective Joe Fontana Joe Fontana is a fictional character portrayed by Dennis Farina on NBCs long running drama series Law & Order. ... Det. ... Det. ... Det. ...

Van Buren is known for her toughness, but she has often paid a price for it. She shoots and wounds a would-be mugger who attacks her at an ATM, and fatally injures the mugger's partner, who turns out to be a mentally retarded teenager. She is investigated, and absolved, by the Bureau of Internal Affairs (L&O: Compentence). In the 1997 episode "Burden", she nearly loses her job when she sues the NYPD for promoting a white woman with less seniority ahead of her. In the episode "Monster", the Chief of Detectives tells her she will have to resign to get her squad the resources it needs. A judge eventually dismisses her discrimination suit. Outdoor ATMs may be free-standing, like this kiosk, or built into the side of banks or other buildings An automatic teller machine, automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine is an electronic device that allows a banks customers to make cash withdrawals and check their account balances without... Half-wit redirects here. ... The internal affairs (United States terminology) division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force. ... Civil action redirects here. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Ethnocracy Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Gender equality Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action...

Van Buren learns that the case that led her to being promoted to lieutenant is tainted by a dishonest fingerprint examiner's report. No action is taken against her, but it continues to haunt her (L&O: "The Myth of Fingerprints").

Van Buren is angered in 2006 when she was forced to accept Nina Cassidy as the replacement for Det. Joe Fontana upon his retirement. Van Buren feels that Cassidy is too inexperienced to be a Homicide detective and that she is a risk to her partner. Van Buren says she had a "hand-picked" replacement for Fontana who is older and much more experienced than Cassidy. However, she eventually comes to tolerate (and perhaps accept) Cassidy as a member of her squad. However, this acceptance did not seem to last long and in the seventeenth season finale "The Family Hour," Van Buren berates the detective for her inability to keep her temper in check and suggests that Cassidy has no future at the 27th precinct.

Anita Van Buren has appeared in 326 episodes of Law & Order and so is the longest running regular character in any of the Law & Order franchises.

Work History