a) Youth with red bandana
In Hill Street Blues, we have Latino youths that might be a source for Vasquez.
In the first few minutes of episode one, at the police station we see a seated unnamd young Latino man taunting the girls behind the window, and he wears a red bandana.
b) Reoccurring characters
However two reoccurring male characters in the TV both small in height may have contributed to Vasquez.
We have Gang warlord, Jesus Martinez and also of a younger members, Hector Ruiz who were reoccuring characters in the TV series.
Perhaps in different ways both influenced the creation of the character although Vasquez would be a woman instead.
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| Trinidad Silva as Jesus Martinez |
b.i) Jesus Martinez
Jesus Martinez we find is introduced as the warlord of the Diablos youth gang, and is played by the actor and comedian Trinidad Silva
This cocky character surrounded by his posse would be found working with with police captain Furillo as he's very perceptive
Like the rest of the members of the different gangs around dominating different parts of the area, he is only interested what he gets out of it
He would come to serve time in jail after he uses a government grant to play the futures market, lose all the money, and tries to recoup his losses by stealing the police payroll.
Later he renounces his gang colors after his marriage, enrolls in law school (using forged documents).
So, despite Martinez's long
list of violent crimes, Furillo develops a thinly concealed respect for
his big ideas and his clever readings of people.
- Jesus Martinez (Trinidad Silva, 1981–87) Introduced as the warlord of the Diablos youth gang, Martinez often works with Furillo if he can gain an advantage for himself. Serves time in jail after he uses a government grant to play the futures market, loses all the money, and tries to recoup his losses by stealing the police payroll. He renounces his gang colors after his marriage, enrolls in law school (using forged documents). Despite Martinez's long list of violent crimes, Furillo develops a thinly concealed respect for his big ideas and his clever readings of people. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hill_Street_Blues_characters)
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| Panchito Gomez as Hector Ruiz |
b.ii) Hector Ruiz
Here also have Hector Ruiz, played by actor Panchito Gomez from 1981 to 85.
A junior Puerto Rican member of the Diablos youth gang, aged fifteen, who is obviously iis living a confused hopeless life but under it all there's a possibility that he means well.
Unfortunately on three separate occasions he takes hostages in an attempt to better his position in the gang.
b.ii.1) Hold up one
On the first instance, he holds up an off-licence, but as soon as Lt Howard's E.A.T. team come in with heavy weapons, he and his accomplice end up in the first instance having to be rescued by Captain Furillo as he covers Hector and his accomplice to protect them from the guns and the exploding glass everywhere.
b.ii.2) Hold up two
In the second, holding people up in a the cold room of a supermarket, in place of an actual victim he only shoots a hanging animal carcass. He later gives up and is escorted out.
The characters Captain Frank Furillo and Joyce Davenport both look at him as a someone who needs help to be saved from a life of crime.
But he would have to to spend six months in a juvenile correction hall before he could be released
b.ii.3) Hold up three
Two years later, on the third instance, Ruiz takes mayoral candidate Benjamin Fisk hostage in retaliation for not being named head of the Diablos gang (while Jesus Martinez is in jail), Ruiz is shot and killed by an E.A.T. sharpshooter.
- He is junior member of the Diablos youth gang, Ruiz on three separate occasions takes hostages in an attempt to better his position. Frank and Joyce frequently intercede in hopes of saving him from a life of crime. Unfortunately, when Ruiz takes mayoral candidate Benjamin Fisk hostage in retaliation for not being named head of the Diablos (while Jesus Martinez was in jail), Ruiz is shot and killed by an EAT sharpshooter. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hill_Street_Blues_characters)
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| Betty Thomas as Lucille "Lucy" Bates |
c) Officer (later Sergeant) Lucille "Lucy" Bates
Officer, later Sergeant Lucille "Lucy" Bates (Betty Thomas, 1981–87)
For much of the series, Bates is the sole female officer as a main character in the stories.
She is played by an actress who is six foot one tall and slightly androgenous looking.
In episode 4, the other members of the police make jokes about her being masculine
Sergeant Esterhaus tells his police officers to stop looking like blue gorillas, to get their uniforms pressed, their faces shaved clean and side hair trimmed accordingly
One of the police officers says to Lucy "Sorry Lucy, side hair got to go"
Everyone laughs, and she responds "sugar off, Twinks"..
She is concerned about how she comes across as she is six foot one in height
Lieutenant Hunter takes her into the men's urinal for a secret talk as he offers her a place in the Emergency Action Team, because she is a tight end size with the hands of a wide receiver the body weight to handle and M16, smart eyes and good abutments, and she had the guts to make it
She is not impressed
She is told by Sergeant Esterhaus that she has a certain muscularity in that vicinity , which doesn't make her any happier, but he mentioned it as a compliment and that there was a certain six or seven days he had between two relationships when he would have liked to have asked her out for a date, which makes her feel happier
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| Jenette Goldstein as Vazquez |
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