| Ben Sherman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Basic Facts | |
| Age | 22 (Season 1) 23 (Season 2) 24 (Season 3) |
| Occupation | LAPD Police Officer |
| Rank | Phase Two Probationary |
| Division | Hollywood Division (Season 1-3 ) Alvarado Division (end of Season 3- ) |
| Home | Westside |
| Relationships | |
| Lovers | Jenna (high school) Daisy Milliard (during season 1) Brooke Riley (during season 5) Elena (during season 5) |
| Family | Ben Sherman, Sr. (Father) Linda Sherman (Mother) Olivia Sherman (Half-sister) Chloe Sherman (Half-Sister) |
| Background | |
| Education | Harvard-Westlake (after a semester transferred to public school because his father stopped paying the tuition) |
| Portrayed By | |
| Ben Mckenzie | |
Officer Ben Sherman is a young rookie officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Biography
Ben Sherman was born and raised in the wealthy neighborhood of Bellagio & Stone Canyon, Los Angeles, by his parents Ben Sherman Sr. and Linda Sherman. Living in a very privileged lifestyle, Ben's world suddenly turned upside down when, at the age of ten, his parents split because of the unsavory drug-dealing people Ben's father dealt with. One night, Ben responded to a commotion in the house and found his mother apparently being raped by one of those men. He tried to intervene and got his teeth knocked out as the man fought him off and left. Later on, it's revealed that Linda tried to 'pay off' her former husband's debts by providing sexual favors to the dealer. After the attack the father of one of Ben's school friends took them both to the Beverly Hills Gun Club and taught them how to shoot. Despite the misunderstanding of what had transpired, the incident left a deep psychological effect on the young Ben Sherman, resulting in his hatred towards his father, his protectiveness of women, and his desire to be a cop.
Family
After Ben's father left him and his mother, his father then remarried and fathered two half-sisters, Olivia Sherman and Chloe Sherman. Despite the fact that he hates his father, he has no disdain towards his half sisters whom he cares very deeply for.
LAPD Career
Ben started out at the Police Officer I level, which is the probationary period of any officer. Serving as John Cooper's 'boot' throughout the first three seasons in the Hollywood Division in West Bureau. Ben's first day on the job landed him his first shooting as well, where the young officer shot and killed a suspect who had opened fire on a fellow officer, Dewey. Cooper predicted that day that Ben will 'continue to be a superior police officer', although the training officer's drug habits served as a bad role model for his trainee, who he was often at odds with.
At the end of Season Three Ben finally confronts Cooper about his drug addiction as their partnership draws to a close. Cooper is given an ultimatum; turn himself into rehab or have Ben report him to the watch commander. Cooper reluctantly agrees and thanks Ben for his help. Ben is then promoted to the Police Officer 2 level and subsequently partnered with Sammy Bryant, who voluntarily returned to patrol duty after years of being a Gang and Narcotics Division detective. Cooper and Ben share a scene in the following season, but both are unable to put aside their past troubles together. Ironically, Ben gets into a feud with Sammy as well when he accuses his partner of planting evidence (Ben searched the suspect and found no illegal substances, but later discovered some in their patrol car when the suspect was booked into prison). Only after did Ben find out that the drugs were a leftover from the previous shift, but despite his honest repentance, the two were never quite the same after that as Sammy felt betrayed. Later on the two are assaulted by a pimp named Ronnie, who Ben beat up after discovering the criminal had both his lover and daugther turning tricks for money. The assasination attempt leaves Sammy in the hospital and Ben out looking for revenge. Ben buys a ticket for the daughter to go back to her hometown and tracks down Ronnie, despite his partner's pleas to think rationally and not cross the line between cop and criminal. Ben corners Ronnie in an alley and manipulates the suspect into drawing his firearm. Ben kills Ronnie with a single shot in the chest.
As Sammy recovers, there is a noticable change in his perception of Ben, whose personal issues and sense of street justice have left their partnership deteriorated.
Personality
Ben Sherman sees the world in a more realistic attitude, compared to his spoiled childhood friends and relatives who live in a complete fantasy world. Like all young beginning police officers Ben Sherman is ambitious, intelligent, has a strong work ethic and is driven with the desire to help save the world.
Beginning in Season 4, Ben has become admittedly more cynical toward his law enforcement career. Though he still tends to carry out his daily proceedings "by the book" and has a proclivity to confront other officers not following procedure, he has displayed behavior that suggests the job is beginning to wear on his patience with and outlook on society. Ostensibly, this was shown in the episode Underwater, when he strikes a rowdy, teenage girl with a closed fist after she makes repeated verbal harassments toward him and subsequently spits in his face. He also becomes restless with his inability to 'make a difference', which he states as the reason he wanted to become a cop, and it culminates in Ben manipulating an abusive pimp into giving him the chance to make an in-policy shooting at the end of the season. This leaves a rift in Ben's partnership with Sammy, who feels he failed his younger counterpart.
