Det. Frank Pembleton
Det. Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) is the independant member of the Homicide Unit. He refused to have a partner until Det. Tim Bayliss joined the squad. He is married to Mary Pembleton, but had marriage problems, and is father to two children. According to Frank, he joined the Homicide Unit in the late 80's. He has been the primary on many of the big cases and redballs, including the ambush and shooting of Det. Stanly Bolander, Det. Kay Howard, and Det. Beau Felton, the Halriegel police shooting, and the Judge Gerald Gibbons stabbing. Frank had a stroke in '97, which caused him to be absent from the Unit for awhile. Frank is well know for his clearance rate, and is considered as one of the true experts of the murder police. He was almost murdered by an "unhappy fan" of his, Victor Helms who Frank put away for allegedly killing a family by installing an inoperable heater in their house. Pembelton quit once, but was later persuaded to come back, and then a second time, after Bayliss took a bullet for him, which this time, was for good. According to "Homicide: The Movie", he became a college teacher after leaving the department. When Lt. Giardello was shot while running for mayor in Homicide: the Movie, Frank returned to use his expertise as a detective, and apprehended the shooter.