Trudy Joplin

This article is about the character from the television series. For the movie rendition, see Trudy Joplin (Film).

Trudy Joplin
Affiliation	Metro-Dade Detective, OCB, Vice Division
Born	1960
Played By	Olivia Brown

Detective Gertrude "Big Booty" Trudy Joplin (born 1960) is an officer with the Metro-Dade Police Department, working undercover in the Organized Crime Bureau, Vice Division. She is the partner of Detective Gina Calabrese.

Trudy, along with her partner Gina, were the "lures" for prostitution johns in the Miami streets. Trudy is also a strong-willed policeman who takes her job seriously, and follows cases she is involved in to the end, regardless of the cost.

She was played in the television series by Olivia Brown.

Biography

Life before Vice

Not much is known of Trudy before her Vice career, she used to date a singer named David Jones, and the relationship became serious before they broke up over her police career.

Joining Vice

Trudy joined the Metro-Dade police, then worked up to the Detective position in the Organized Crime Bureau-Vice Division.

Career in Vice

Trudy (and Gina) started out as a prostitution lure, wearing exotic and revealing clothing to attract johns. Gina & Trudy also mingled among the real prostitutes, gaining "street cred" which allowed them to gain valuable

"Big Booty" Trudy

information on ongoing investigations. They helped crack The Home Invaders case by talking to two prostitutes, one of which was beaten up by a suspect. Trudy put her life on the line by playing Ricardo Tubbs' "wife" in an attempt to stop the smuggler leak case. When events unnerve Trudy, she turns to male companionship to help her through it, as she did when she shot her first suspect, after which she "couldn't be alone" and called up her old love David Jones, and they seriously considered rekindling their relationship when Trudy was forced to bust a friend of Jones due to his drug activity, and Jones angrily broke up with her for good, saying she "has no soul" because she is a cop. She eventually became an information gatherer for the team, using her street contacts, computer and investigation skills, and even her "experience with the telephone book" to obtain vital info for ongoing investigations. Trudy rarely did undercover work (other than her prostitute role), on one occasion she did go under to try and locate the person responsible for the Asian call girl killings, having to resort to S&M and undergoing foot torture techniques to maintain her cover. She had a sign on her desk using her nickname, "Big Booty Trudy".

Personal Life

Trudy is single. After she and Jones broke up, she never had another serious relationship.

Vehicles

Trudy usually rode with Gina (or occasionally Crockett/Tubbs), and did not appear to own or operate a car of her own. In a short clip in the episode "Free Verse", Trudy drives a 1985 Toyota MR2, along with Shadow in the Dark, Trudy drives a Honda Prelude.

Weapons

Gina and Trudy both carried Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolvers chambered in .38 Special as their sidearms, and were rarely seen to use anything else (although both have been seen using Mossberg 500 shotguns on occasion).

Trivia

• In the pilot "Brother's Keeper", Olivia Brown was not listed among the show's starring cast during the opening credits, but as a guest star after the opening sequence. This was changed starting with the second episode, "Heart of Darkness" (and also in the syndicated two-part version of "Brother's Keeper").