NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ellis Carver

Sergeant Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American sergeant in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit. Originally from East Baltimore, it can be assumed Carver went to Dunbar High School through the shirts he is sometimes seen wearing. He is a dedicated but sometimes wayward officer and an unfailingly loyal partner to Thomas "Herc" Hauk. He enjoys the adrenaline rush of physical policing and is not above cutting ethical corners to get ahead. Image File history File links The_Wire_Carver. ... The Target is the first (pilot) episode of the first season of the HBO original series, The Wire. ... David Simon is the author of Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets which described his life traveling with members of the Baltimore, Maryland Police Department. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ... The Wire is an American police procedural television series set and produced in the mid-Atlantic city of Baltimore, Maryland. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The Baltimore Police Department, or BPD, provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16 1845. ... Dunbar High School is a Washington, D.C. public school, and was the first high school for black children. ...

Biography

Season one

Carver was a narcotics detective under Major Foerster in season one; he joined the Barksdale detail along with his friends from narcotics, detectives Shakima "Kima" Greggs and Thomas "Herc" Hauk. His shift lieutenant from narcotics Cedric Daniels was assigned to command the detail. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... Cedric Daniels is a fictional Police Lieutenant for the Baltimore Police Department played by Lance Reddick on the HBO drama The Wire. ...

Herc and Carver typically worked as a pair. They were intimidated by Greggs' ability and annoyed at her superior attitude towards them. They got into trouble early on in the investigation when they drunkenly raided the Barksdale organizations tower operation and nearly incited a riot. They easily convinced the erratic Det. "Prez" Pryzbylewski to accompany them and he worsened the situation by hitting a teenaged drug dealer. Daniels was exasperated with his detectives lack of forethought but defended their actions to his superiors anyway. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

The narcotics detectives took part in raids on the Barksdale's low rise projects. When one of the young dealers, Bodie Broadus, punched detective Patrick Mahone, Carver, Herc and Greggs were unrelenting in punishing him with a beating. Carver and Herc later received the task of travelling to Bodie's juvenile dentention centre to try to convince him to become an informant; Carver was optimistic about their chances. Finding that he had absconded they raided his home finding only his grandmother. Preston Bodie Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor J.D. Williams. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

Herc later spotted Bodie in the low rise projects while on surveillance and arrested him along with Carver. Finding that he remained defiant the detectives gave him another beating. Later, waiting to hand him over they softened towards him and the three shared a game of pool. Bodie was released from juvenile detention following the intervention of the Barksdale crew's lawyer. Unaware of this Carver and Herc angrily picked him up the next time they saw him, finding that he was a free adolescent once more they gave him a lift instead of bringing him in.

When they intercepted the Barksdale crew's profits for a day by tailing Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice, Herc considered keeping some of the money, but it was Carver who realised the wiretap might leave them exposed to the bosses. Some of the money went missing by accident, which led Carver to doubt Herc until it turned up. This also got both of them on the wrong side of Lt. Daniels. Otherwise, Carver and Herc were invaluable in providing much needed but tedious surveillance work for the detail. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

Carver took his sergeant's exam and passed while in the detail, however his score was not high enough to get a position. Herc was in line for the role ahead of Carver. While on a retraining week Carver was approached by Dep. Commissioner Burrell to act as an insider in the unit, he was rewarded by being bumped up the queue for a sergeant promotion ahead of Herc. When his promotion came through Daniels realized his treachery. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

Season two

When the detail was disbanded Carver was moved to the South Eastern district where he worked as a traffic sergeant under Major Valchek. His dissatisfaction with the post was apparent when Valchek assigned him to ticket dock workers vehicles and he openly discussed his problems with his commander with Frank Sobotka. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

Daniels brought Carver back into his detail when investigating Frank Sobotka. He told Carver that because he had caught him in his betrayal before he thought he was the least likely person to try something similar again. Daniels only condition was that Carver would not be treated like a seargent in the detail as he felt that Carver had not earned his promotion and would report to Detectives. Carver was again parnered with Herc and the two investigated drug dealing around the docks area. They fabricated a confidential informant, actually using a listening device and took payments meant for the informant to cover the cost. However, they did establish a link between Nick Sobotka and drug trade near the docks. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

They were again relied upon to do the leg work for the detail and were instrumental in placing satellite tracking devices on vehicles involved in the dock smuggling ring. Their low status in the detail was brought home when they were asked to install an air conditioner in the home of a judge who was approving the detail's wiretaps. After being left out in the rain waiting for Nick Sobotka to return home, despite having already turned himself in, Herc convinced Carver they would never be respected in Daniels' unit.^[1]

Season three

Carver returned to narcotics with Herc and worked in the Western District under Major Colvin. Carver again began to act as a sergeant, running the district's Drugs Enforcement Unit and commanding a squad of dedicated narcotics police including Det. Herc and officers Dozerman, Lloyd "Truck" Garris and Anthony Colicchio. He failed to learn one lesson from his work with Greggs - a police officer is only as good as their informants - as he failed to secure any for his unit and had none to present to Major Colvin. Officer Dozerman was shot and injured while under Carver's command in a failed buy bust sting operation. The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ...

Carver was responsible for policing Colvin's unsanctioned free drug trade zone, nicknamed "Hamsterdam". He was distressed by the consequences of the new zone - putting young hoppers out of work. Carver's solution was to tax the drug dealers for unemployed hoppers to ensure they found work. At the same time however, Carver took a personal mission to have the children in "Hamsterdam" better themselves out of work. With Dennis "Cutty" Wise, a former drug dealer in Avon Barksdale's crew, he helped organize the young hoppers into boxing and basketball programs that were becoming successful until the "Hamsterdam" project was shut down. After this Carver and Wise held a mutual respect for each other having worked together with these children.^[2]^[3] The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. ... Avon Barksdale played by Wood Harris is an HBO character on the HBO drama The Wire. ...

Critical response and analysis

Salon described Carver and Herc as providing needed comic relief to the show and acting as a bickering couple.^[1]

References

Categories: Police of The Wire | Fictional detectives | Fictional African-Americans 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ...