Baldwin Jones

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Henry Simmons as Baldwin Jones in NYPD Blue
Henry Simmons as Baldwin Jones in NYPD Blue

Baldwin Jones was a character on the long running police drama NYPD Blue. He was played by Henry Simmons.

Joining in the middle of season 7 from the Bias Squad after the departure of James Martinez, Jones was paired up with one of the squad's longest- serving detectives, Greg Medavoy. This proved to be an enduring partnership, even though the pair were an odd couple, Baldwin a physically imposing man compared to the older and slighter Medavoy. Although Baldwin was often annoyed at Greg's oblivious or irrelevant comments, and they had a few occasions where Baldwin was so sick of Greg that he threatened to end their working relationship, they remained partners from Baldwin's entry into the squad until Medavoy's retirement and generally got along with and respected each other. After Medavoy retired, Jones was teamed up with John Clark, Jr. because Andy Sipowicz had earned a promotion to Sergeant.

Jones had two major relationships in the series, the first a romantic one with ADA Valerie Heywood. Heywood actually became pregnant, only to lose the baby. Heywood left the series at the end of season 11 with the relationship left in the air but Baldwin subsequently seemed to start a romance with a child advocate, though this story was never developed and mostly served to confirm that Baldwin and ADA Haywood were no longer dating. His other relationship was with a young boy called Michael whom Baldwin looked out for due to his violent, murderous father Craig. When the father was arrested for murdering Michael's mother (though he was later acquitted of the charge), Baldwin fostered Michael becoming more of a father figure than Craig, who ended up being killed by either a married woman he was having an affair with her or her angry, devastated husband. Baldwin ended the series as a relatively veteran detective in the very youthful 15th Precinct.