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| Is LaRoyce Hawkins Leaving Chicago PD After 13 Seasons? Kevin Atwater’s Future Explained. |
Kevin Atwater’s future in Chicago PD is hanging in the balance as the Intelligence Unit faces the possibility of losing one of its most dependable officers. After 13 seasons of putting Chicago first, Kevin, played by LaRoyce Hawkins, has a compelling reason to consider a fresh start in Florida: Tasha, their newborn baby and the prospect of finally building a family away from the demands of police work.
With the season 14 premiere bringing his personal dilemma into sharper focus, the question is no longer simply whether Atwater can keep doing his job. It is whether he still wants his entire life to revolve around it. His potential departure also raises a bigger question for the NBC drama: how does the Intelligence Unit move forward without one of its longest-serving members?
The seeds of Atwater’s possible exit were planted in the previous season, when his relationship with Tasha took a significant turn. Her pregnancy offered him something he had rarely allowed himself to prioritise: a future that did not involve chasing suspects, answering urgent calls or putting himself in danger for the sake of another case.
When Tasha asked him to join her in Florida, however, the decision was hardly straightforward. Moving would mean leaving behind his career, his colleagues and the city that had shaped much of his adult life. Apparently, even finding happiness comes with an inconvenient amount of paperwork when you are a police officer on a long-running television series.
By the time Chicago PD season 14 begins, Atwater has been wrestling with the choice for months. His reunion with Tasha has given him a glimpse of the life he could have outside the Intelligence Unit, but walking away from everything he knows is another matter.
His professional identity has been built around years of difficult investigations and personal sacrifices, making the prospect of starting again both exciting and daunting. Then comes the news that Tasha has given birth in Florida, bringing the decision into sharper focus. Suddenly, this is not merely about whether Atwater wants a relationship. There is a child involved, and he has to consider what sort of father he wants to be.
Atwater has always been a dedicated officer, but his commitment to the job has come at a personal cost. While other members of the team have struggled with complicated relationships and family responsibilities, he has often appeared more comfortable dealing with other people's problems than addressing his own.
His connection with Tasha challenges that familiar pattern. For once, he has an opportunity to build something meaningful without having to put it aside whenever work calls. Choosing Florida would not erase his years of service, nor would it necessarily mean abandoning his colleagues forever. It would simply mean acknowledging that Kevin Atwater's life can be about more than policing Chicago.
That possibility carries significant consequences for Hank Voight and the rest of the Intelligence Unit. Atwater has been a steady presence within the team, bringing investigative instincts, determination and a perspective shaped by his experiences on the streets.
Losing him would leave a noticeable gap, particularly for colleagues who have relied on his judgement through countless cases. The unit has survived changes before, of course, but that does not make every departure easier to swallow. Voight might be accustomed to adapting when circumstances change, yet replacing an experienced officer is not quite as simple as clearing a desk and handing someone else the keys.
The second episode of season 14, titled 'Don't Blink', is expected to bring Atwater's decision into focus. The episode centres on his internal conflict, giving the character an opportunity to confront the choice that has been building since the previous season.
According to the information provided, Hawkins is set to exit the series with this episode, marking the end of his regular run after 13 seasons and more than 250 episodes. That makes the instalment an important moment for both the actor and the character, particularly if the story gives Atwater the chance to leave on his own terms rather than being abruptly written out.
For viewers wondering whether LaRoyce Hawkins is leaving Chicago PD permanently, there is an important distinction between leaving the regular cast and never appearing again. The One Chicago franchise has a history of bringing familiar characters back when a storyline makes room for them.
Atwater moving to Florida could therefore leave the door open for a future guest appearance, whether the Intelligence Unit's work takes someone south or an unexpected case brings him back into contact with his former colleagues. For now, however, a return remains a possibility rather than a confirmed plan. Fans should resist treating every open door in a television drama as a secret promise, tempting as that might be.
The reason behind Hawkins' reported departure has also prompted speculation among viewers, including suggestions that production costs may have played a part. However, without an official explanation, those claims should remain unconfirmed. What is clear from the storyline is that Atwater's potential exit has been connected to a major personal development rather than an arbitrary twist.
Hawkins has spent years helping shape the character into one of the show's most recognisable figures, and a move towards family life gives that journey a degree of emotional resolution. Whether the decision was influenced by factors beyond the story is a separate question that has not been definitively answered.
There is also a wider reason why Atwater's possible departure matters. Long-running police dramas can become so focused on the next investigation that their characters risk feeling permanently trapped in the same cycle. A difficult case arrives, the team gets involved, personal lives suffer and everyone returns to work when the credits roll.
Atwater choosing a different future would challenge that formula. It would suggest that years of service can lead somewhere other than another shift, another confrontation and another conversation with Voight about doing whatever it takes. That is a meaningful development for a character who has spent so much time putting duty ahead of himself.
From my perspective, Atwater deserves the chance to leave Chicago PD on a genuinely hopeful note. His loyalty has never been in doubt, so keeping him in the Intelligence Unit simply because the show needs another familiar face would feel like a missed opportunity. A move to Florida gives him something different to fight for, and, for once, the stakes involve being present for his family rather than getting through another dangerous shift.
There is a certain irony in watching a detective who can handle complicated investigations struggle with the straightforward question of where he wants to live, but that is precisely what makes the story relatable. Life rarely provides a neat solution, even when the person making the decision is exceptionally good at finding answers. Still, I would prefer the series to leave room for Hawkins to return rather than close the book completely. A future appearance could give fans a welcome reunion without undoing the progress Atwater has made.
So, is Kevin Atwater leaving the Intelligence Unit in Chicago PD season 14? The available information points to Hawkins exiting the regular cast in episode two, with Atwater's decision to pursue a life with Tasha and their baby in Florida forming the centre of his storyline.
Whether he will return in a future episode remains uncertain, and there is no confirmed indication that this is the final time audiences will see him. For now, his next chapter appears to be taking him away from Chicago, leaving Voight and the team to adjust to life without one of their most familiar colleagues. But what do you think: should Atwater choose his family and start over in Florida, or would you rather see him remain with the Intelligence Unit? And would you still watch Chicago PD without him?