Officer Carter
Officer Carter is a puma and a ZPD officer at Precinct 1 in We Can Fix Pawbert. She dies heroically in the Precinct 1 bombing during Season 5, attempting to disarm the explosive device.
"She knew what it was. And she still tried to stop it." --- Officer Fangmeyer (S05E13)
Background
Carter serves as an officer at ZPD Precinct 1, working the loading dock alongside her partner Officer Marconi. She is described as quick to act under pressure, with instincts that drive her toward danger rather than away from it.
Series History
Season 5
S05E13 "Strike"
Carter is working the loading dock check-in point with Officer Marconi when a white delivery van arrives with a polar bear driver claiming to deliver rush office supplies. While Marconi reviews the paperwork, Carter assists with unloading boxes from an earlier delivery.
When Chief Bogo arrives at the loading dock and orders everyone to step back from the vehicle, Carter immediately recognizes the threat. Unlike Marconi, who freezes in confusion, Carter is already moving---not away from the danger, but toward it.
She sees the driver's eyes fixed on the van. She sees Bogo's expression. She runs straight at the vehicle while Bogo shoots the driver. Carter reaches the van's rear doors and yanks them open, discovering unmarked crates and a device with a blinking light that has just turned red.
Knowing she has only seconds, Carter calls in the threat over radio: "BOMB IN THE LOADING DOCK---" Then she puts her paws on the device, trying to find a wire, a switch, anything that might stop it.
The van detonates with Carter at the center of the explosion. She never let go.
Carter's warning over the radio gives other officers crucial seconds to take cover. Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, hearing her call, shout for everyone to get back. Her sacrifice saves lives even as it costs her own.
S05E15 "Cost of Entry"
Carter's cleared desk at Precinct 1---alongside Marconi's and Officer Beecher's---serves as a silent memorial. Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen pass the empty desks when they arrive at the precinct, the absence louder than any formal tribute.
Key Relationships
Officer Marconi
Carter's partner at the loading dock check-in. While Marconi froze during the attack, unable to process the sudden shift from routine to crisis, Carter moved without hesitation.
Chief Bogo
Carter responds instantly to Bogo's warning, reading his expression and the driver's behavior. Her quick comprehension and willingness to act align with Bogo's own protective instincts.
Key Quotes
| Quote | Context |
|---|---|
| "BOMB IN THE LOADING DOCK---" | Final radio transmission before detonation (S05E13) |
| "We've been getting a lot of those lately. Crisis logistics." | To Marconi about rush deliveries (S05E13) |
Legacy
Carter is remembered by her colleagues for her heroism:
FANGMEYER: Carter saw the van. Saw the Chief's face. She ran straight at it. Got the doors open, called it in, tried to disarm it.
Her sacrifice is invoked throughout the episode as the pack processes the cost of their fight against Mikhail Icener. Luther Pawthorne acknowledges the weight of her death: "They died because we won. Because we hurt him enough that he had to respond."
Trivia
- Carter is one of three officers killed in the Precinct 1 bombing, alongside Officer Marconi and Officer Beecher. All three are named after characters who died in Person of Interest.
- Carter's heroic death—running toward the bomb rather than away, trying to stop it even when she knows she can't—is a fitting tribute to her namesake Detective Joss Carter from Person of Interest, who also died heroically protecting others.
- Her radio warning gives other officers crucial seconds to take cover, likely saving additional lives.
- Carter's response—running toward the threat rather than away—contrasts directly with Marconi's paralysis, illustrating different responses to sudden crisis.
- Her death is cited multiple times as Nick and the pack struggle with the cost of their victories against Icener's network.