Len Hargrave

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Len Hargrave
Unknown creature.png
Species Halfling icon.png
Canine halfling
Gender Male
Born E7-645, Pentema 15
Died Alive (59 years old)
Dimensions 5'7", 200 lbs
Physical traits Dark skin
Gray hair (formerly black)
Brown eyes
Overweight build
Brown, black-spotted
dog ears and tail


Sheriff Len Hargrave is the current leader of the Maze Police.

Bio

Early years

A lifelong Citadel Lambeth native, Hargrave was born and raised in the Police town, described as a curious child who would spend his days listening to the stories and personal anecdotes of police officers whenever possible. Like many natives of Police towns, he grew up with a positive view of the Police faction, almost idolizing the job of detective and desiring nothing more than to be one.

At the age of 18, Hargrave formally joined the Maze Police. His good results turning basic training allowed him to join the Citadel Lambeth station staff, which he readily accepted. He is notable for having applied for Special Response Team training as soon as he was allowed to - and succeed. Hargrave proceeded to serve as an SRT officer for eight years, accumulating the interventions and arrests.

Career as an SRT officer

In 675, during an operation with his tactical team in the Central Zone UA which resulted in the capture of several Followers of Asica cultists, one of the arrested suspects attempted a suicide attack by unpinning a grenade, hoping for it to explode at one of the officers. Hargrave was struck by the blast, with three pieces of shrapnel managing to bypass his armor and hit him in the hip. Both men dropped on the floor; the cultist died on the spot, but Hargrave just barely managed to survive. Critically injured and bleeding very quickly, his tactical team managed to administer enough basic first aid to drag him to the Lambeth hospital. Investigation of the incident revealed that the suicide attack was conducted with a mini-grenade and that Hargrave was extremely fortunate to not have been struck by a more powerful weapon, as it would have been far more likely for him not to survive.

The wounded SRT officer remained at the Lambeth hospital for the better part of a month, during which he slowly recovered. He also learned, to his dismay, that the Lambeth at the time Police Chief had intended to give Hargrave a commendation and a promotion for his heroic efforts. Although the promotion to the rank of Sergeant was something Hargrave believed he would eventually learn, he expressed intense disappointment that his injuries and near-death situation were what prompted his superiors to "kick him upstairs".

Promotion to Sergeant

Following his recovery, Hargrave returned to work as a Police Sergeant, commanding a squad of police officers and, on occasion, a tactical team of his former SRT colleagues. Although he was known for his good fieldwork, putting his SRT experience to use and being described by his subordinates as a "simple and by-the-book" leader, Sergeant Hargrave felt little enthusiasm for his current situation. His time as a Sergeant lasted for what he described as "five, long, uneventful years".

In 680, Hargrave answered to a detective team's call for backup. Assisted by his squad and a tactical team, he led a successful operation on the Nanton - I-08 UA route, which resulted in the dismantling of a raider gang which had specialized in abductions and rapes. The operation was notable for its very minimal use of gunfire, and the successful capture and subsequent arrest of the entire gang with no deaths on either side. Both of the detectives on the case thanked him for the efficient job, promising him that they would make a good case for him to the Chief. The next week, Hargrave was offered a promotion to the rank of Detective, as a reward for the successful operation. This time, the former SRT officer readily accepted, feeling that he could finally get back into the sort of action he felt he was made for.

Promotion to Detective

As a Police Detective, Hargrave described his average workload as "six to ten cases a week, with the occasional, usually annual or biannual big operations". Detective Hargrave held this rank the longest in his career, for a total of 16 years. In total, Hargrave estimated that his work as a Detective led to the arrest of 150 to 200 suspects, as well as the dismantling of many small groups and raider gangs. Although he has no regrets about becoming a Detective, describing it as a childhood dream come true, he did express regret over how much the job had caused him to develop unhealthy habits, stating that his sleep schedule had become "non-existent" and that he often subsisted on nothing but coffee, donuts and - perhaps amusingly - hot-dogs.

His most famous work was his investigation of assaults and murders against independent escort rings, in the context of the Yatela Crime Syndicate's Operation Toss the Pineapple. These investigations led him across the world, but also and most importantly, in the Northeastern Zone, where he interviewed many youkai escorts hiding in the Youkai Nation, discovering that the Syndicate's influence reached even into the youkai territory's borders. Although he managed to arrest several Yatela enforcers involved in beatings and killings, the Detective could not get the names of their capos, nor could he gather enough evidence to bring down any of the Syndicate bosses. By 696, the Syndicate gained control of the redlight industry in the Mazes, and youkai prostitution groups were all but forced into stopping or hiding their activities.

In recognition of his tireless work and efforts, Detective Hargrave was designated by the former Citadel Lambeth Police Chief as his successor. Two years later, with the previous Chief retiring, Detective Hargrave became the new Lambeth Police Chief.

At the higher echelons of the Police

Hargrave described his tenure as a Police Chief as the "most boring and paperwork-laden part of his life", being largely stuck in an office; coordinating investigative teams, approving tactical team requests from his desk, and only hearing of new and ongoing cases and situations through the reports, briefings, and debriefings.

It was also, by far, the most short-lived, at only 2 years - shorter even than his time as a lowly Officer. The Sheriff at the time was growing old and incommunicative, and it was only a matter of time until someone would succeed to him. In 698, the previous Sheriff suddenly died of old age, found dead in his office at the age of 81. Suicide was quickly ruled out, and doctors concluded he went asleep on his office desk, and simply died there and then. He had not designated any successors or made any post-death plans; he hadn't even written a will or left any indications in the event of his death. With no directive to go on, Police procedure is usually to elect the most experienced of the current Police Chiefs as the new Sheriff - and so Chief Hargrave was selected to become the new Police Sheriff, at the age of 53.

Service history

  • E7-663 (age 18): Recruited; Citadel Lambeth station
  • E7-666 (age 21): Began advanced SRT training
  • E7-667 (age 22): SRT qualified
  • E7-675 (age 30): Promotion, Sergeant
  • E7-680 (age 35): Promotion, Detective
  • E7-696 (age 51): Promotion, Chief
  • E7-698 (age 53): Promotion, Sheriff


Personality

Sheriff Hargrave is, above all, a very calm and quiet man, often described by his peers as very methodical and by-the-book. He does not approve of deviating from proper procedures, and has a low opinion of loose cannons and what he calls "rogue" cops, describing such people as "action hero wannabes". Very few things seem to anger him, appearing virtually immune to jokes and stereotypes at his expense; as a canine halfling working for the Police, he once joked that when he retires, he'll publish a book featuring the "greatest and most colorful" insults he's received during his career.

As a young halfling man and aspiring police officer, Hargrave had a very stereotypical, almost naive sense of justice. According to him, it wasn't becoming a police officer, but rather going through SRT training and becoming an SRT officer that "beat the naive out of [him]". He does not believe that his career and the "many horrors" he's witnessed have damaged his sense of justice, but he does describe his outlook and worldviews as having changed a lot.

In his later years, particularly following his investigation of Operation Toss the Pineapple, he developed fondness and sympathy for youkai people, having made multiple public and many more private comments lamenting the lack of justice towards youkai, and the existence of anti-youkai and human purity groups. Since he became Sheriff, many have speculated that he may one day change the Police's youkai policy and allow youkai officers; however, it is also widely believed that Hargrave is abstaining from making official statements on the matter as long as the current tensions between the Maze Military and the Youkai Nation are ongoing.

Hargrave dislikes bars, but has a particular fondness for convenience stores, in particular those belonging to the Fusco's Bodega chain. Amusingly, his favorite snack is the hot-dog, and he considers himself a big fan of the Diamond Hot Dogs convenience store in Ellen Sector.


Equipment and skills

Clothing and armor

Human/Halfling clothing and armor:

  • Headgear: Cop hat
  • Top: Shirt with tie
  • Body armor: Armored trench coat
  • Bottom: Regular pants
  • Footwear: Regular shoes

Load-bearing equipment

Equipment and inventory

Equipped weapons:

Inventory:

Stats and skills

This character is a canine halfling. If a stat or skill is unlisted, assume the default for this character's species.

Skills: Species' natural skills + the following:

  • Combat skills: Expert (Semi-auto pistol, Semi-auto rifle, Semi-auto shotgun, Automatic rifle, DA revolver, SA revolver, Pump-action, One-handed club, Thrown weapons)
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