Detective Jocelyn "Joss" Carter ist Polizistin der New Yorker Mordkommission. Nachdem sie John Reese alias "dem Mann im Anzug" begegnete, fing sie an nachzuforschen und setzte alles daran, ihn zu finden. Nachdem sie selbst eine Nummer wurde und Reese sie rettete, half sie ihm und Finch bei ihren "Missionen", auch wenn sie nicht weiß, woher sie ihre Informationen haben. Sie ist alleinerziehende Mutter eines Sohnes: Taylor.
Frühere Geschichte[]
2002-2004[]
Carter diente in der United States Army als Feldwebel, zuerst auf dem Luftstützpunkt in Bagram, Afghanistan, (vom 02. Februar 2002 bis 02. Februar 2003),danach wurde sie in den Irak versetzt, wo sie in Camp Liberty in Baghdad als "HUMINT" diente (vom 20. Januar 2003 bis 20. März 2004). Sie bekam im März 2004 ein Purple Heart verliehen.Sie diente in der "95 Ivy", welche Reese als militärische Vernehmungs-Einheit identifizierte, ebenfalls Special Agent Donnelly bemerkte, dass Carter ein militärischer Vernehmungs-Spezialist war.
2004 bestand Carter das Anwaltsexamen, beschloss dann aber doch bei der Polizei zu bleiben.
2005[]
Joss ist noch ein Neuling bei der Polizei und nach 2 Jahren Abwesenheit (wegen PTBS) kommt Cartes Ex-Mann Paul auf ein Mal zurück nach New York. Joss sagt ihm, er darf ihren Sohn nicht sehen, solange er sich keine Hilfe sucht.
Später kommt Paul trotzdem bei Joss vorbei um Taylor zu sehen und die beiden geraten in einen Streit. Joss lässt ihn nicht zu Taylor, vor Wut zerschmettert Paul eine Lampe und Carter greift nach ihrer Waffe. Sie verlangt von Paul, dass er verschwinden soll, was er auch für weitere 3 Jahre tut.
2008[]
Carter ist mittlerweile Detective und sieht plötzlich Paul draußen vor ihrem Revier stehen. Als sie zu ihm geht, zeigt er ihr Stolz seine Veteranen-ID-Karte uns erzählt, dass er jetzt Hilfe bekommt. Er gibt ihr seine Nummer, falls sie mal Hilfe braucht.
Staffel 1[]
2011[]
Following an attack on John Reese on the subway by Anton O'Mara and his gang, Carter questioned Reese and, following his refusal to cooperate or give information about his background, collected his fingerprints from the cup he drank from. After analyzing his prints, and discovering his prints were found in six different crime scenes, Carter returned for further questioning, only to discover Reese was released by his attorney.
The second arrest of Anton, along with his father in a shooting during a weapons deal, made Carter realize that they were defeated, yet again, by the same man. Later on, while arresting a corrupt police officer, he claimed to Carter that he and his accomplices were captured by a man in a suit. Unknown to Carter, Reese was mere feet away from her. (“Pilot”) A few days later, at a shooting crime scene, Carter was informed of the shooter being a man, which she assumed was "in a suit." (“Ghosts”)
Carter later began working with Lionel Fusco after Reese blackmailed their corrupt captain into transferring him into the 8th Precint Homicide Task Force. (“Cura Te Ipsum”)
Carter's main objective was to track down and apprehend Reese. Even though she was hunting him, he still saved her life when her number came up. She was grateful but still didn't understand his motives or M.O. (“Get Carter”) She later helped agent Mark Snow of the CIA (Reese's former boss) to track down Reese, but she didn't know that Snow wanted to kill Reese; she only thought he wanted to question him. After learning she was wrong, she helped a wounded Reese escape to safety. (“Number Crunch”)
2012[]
While following Reese and trying to avoid help from the CIA, Carter met with Harold Finch, who explained to her how they stop crimes before happening and directed her towards a man who was about to kill someone. She arrested the man, and Finch called her to inform her that that is what they do. (“Super”) Carter also formally met with Reese for the first time at a diner and helped him save their most recent number. (“Legacy”)
Carter began to work alongside Reese and Finch, even though she was unsatisfied with the lack of information they gave her, and she disapproved of their methods. Carter tried to sever ties with Reese after he was forced to cut a deal with Carl Elias to save an infant's life by giving up the address of a safe house of someone Elias was trying to kill and Carter was trying to protect. (“Baby Blue”) However, Carter's son was later taken hostage by Elias and Reese was the only one who could get him back. (“Flesh and Blood”) Carter got back on board with Reese and Finch and did whatever she could to help them.
Carter later worked alongside Agent Nicholas Donnelly and the FBI while they tried to track down Reese. She put the pieces together and realized that Reese was once involved with Jessica Arndt. She obtained Reese's military file and reviewed it; she later shredded the file, keeping only the picture of Jessica and Reese that she found in Jessica's belongings. (“Many Happy Returns”)
Carter was sidetracked by the FBI again just as she was leaving to go help Reese escape from a hotel that was being closed in on. She had to stay at the police headquarters watching as the FBI tried to catch Reese. HR was working simultaneously to find and kill the POI that Reese was trying to protect. Carter sent Reese a series of text messages, saving him from being captured or killed as he tried to find an escape route out of the hotel.
Later on, Carter confronted Fusco, thinking that he was helping HR kill Reese, only to be told that he was working for "the Man in the Suit". Carter realized that Fusco was working for Reese and Finch and began assisting him while he helped them. (“Firewall”)
Sometime in the early season 2 in Reese's flashback, he and Carter can be seen together stalking a person who was stealing from HR. They were talking about different things: Reese's and Carter's military past and their future. Reese says that people like him never change and they have no future. (“Terra Incognita”)
In the FBI search for the Man in the Suit, Donnelly offered Carter a temporary assignment to the FBI task force hoping that she would help to catch Reese. Carter accepted the offer but still continued to assist Finch and Reese. (“Shadow Box”)She and Finch worked together to get Reese out of jail with Carter destroying the records of Reese's fingerprints and switching out his DNA sample with another as a first step. (“2πR”) Carter was brought in to interrogate the four suspects and framed Wayne Packer but Donnelly caught Reese and Carter and prepared to take them to a safe house after having realized the two were working together. They were intercepted by Reese's former CIA handler Kara Stanton, who killed Donnelly and kidnapped Reese. (“Prisoner's Dilemma”) Carter reluctantly fled the scene and attempted to use her military knowledge to aid Reese in disarming his bomb vest. Reese convinced her to flee instead but Finch was able to disarm the bomb instead. Following the deaths of Stanton and Mark Snow, Carter was informed by SAIC Brian Moss that the FBI had identified Snow as "the Man in the Suit" and closed the investigation. Carter remained skeptical on whether it was truly over, however. (“Dead Reckoning”)
2013[]
After Donnelly's death, SAIC Brian Moss of the FBI looked over some files and found Donnelly's recommendation for Carter to join the FBI, and she took a polygraph test, which she passed. She was eventually turned down because of her relationship with Cal Beecher, who was under investigation by the NYPD's Internal Affairs. (“Booked Solid”)
After being rejected from the FBI because of Beecher, Carter began distancing herself from him and gets a call from Finch about a list of numbers which she investigates and finds fits a pattern. Carter begins to suspect an identity thief, particularly after Beecher points out in the security tape of one of the numbers the person switches the hand he uses to open and close doors. Carter eventually realizes that they are dealing with a serial killer who is taking over people's identities and killing them. Carter decides to go to Owen Island to help Reese and Finch, reluctantly taking along Beecher. Along the way, Carter confronts Beecher about his IAB investigations, but he tells her that as a narcotics detective it happens a lot. When Beecher starts to go too fast, Carter almost draws her gun on him due to her growing mistrust. Eventually, the two reach Owen Island with help from the Coast Guard where Carter finds Finch in time to save him by shooting the killer. Too later Finch realizes that the killer was wearing body armor, but Beecher kills him from behind before he can harm the two. The next morning, Carter admits she's still not sure of Beecher but she's glad he came along to help. (“Proteus”)
After Detective Bill Szymanski was framed by HR and later killed (“All In”), Carter grew increasingly suspicious of Beecher, as he got a false tip about dirty money in Szymanski's possession. She realized that Beecher was played by HR after Fusco recorded a conversation between Beecher and Elias, revealing this information. HR found out about Beecher's meeting and had him killed. Carter arrived too late and was devastated to find Beecher dead. (“Trojan Horse”)
Carter attends Beecher's funeral which is presided over by Alonzo Quinn. After returning to the precinct, Carter witnesses Fusco being taken into an interrogation room by IAB detective Joseph Soriano. Carter questions Fusco on what IAB wants with him and Fusco reminds her how in the past, he'd offered to tell her but she didn't want to listen. Though Carter continues to press, Fusco refuses to tell her. She then gets a call from Finch and questions how he failed to save Cal which Finch doesn't have an answer for. Rather than helping Finch, Carter demands he help her by giving her his forced pairing program.
Using a forced pairing of Soriano's phone, Carter listens in on his interrogation of Fusco where Soriano accuses Fusco of covering up the murders committed by Detective James Stills and his gang. After listening to a video of Louis Azarelloexplaining the gang's system, Carter visits him in prison and questions Azarello on why after a year, Azarello came forward with his story about Fusco. Azarello suggests that his group has a code and Fusco broke it. Carter asks Azarello about the disappearances of Stills and Ian Davidson and the murders of Szymanski and Beecher and if it's a comeback for HR, offering to get Azarello a deal. Azarello refuses to cooperate, but taps Stills' picture and suggests that "sometimes bodies have a way of showing up." Carter later tells Finch that her visit to Azarello didn't go well but she did find some useful information on one of the names he gave her, Brandon Boyd through a contact at the SEC and passes it on to him.
After giving the information to Finch, Carter continues to listen in on Soriano's interrogation of Fusco and hears him accuse Fusco of not just covering up for Stills' murders, but for being a murderer and dirty cop himself. Carter hears Soriano tell Fusco that he has stained carpet from the back of the car Fusco signed out the day Stills, disappeared, a call from Oyster Bay that night and four plots of disturbed ground where he suspects Fusco buried Stills' body and intends to search for it.
Carter meets with Fusco in the men's room at his request and he tells her that while he didn't kill Stills, he is still going to go down for it and deserves it due to all the other bad things he's done. Fusco tells Carter that he'd started covering up crimes, believing he was cleaning up the streets but murdered people and was a dirty cop. Fusco insists he's changed since he met Carter, Reese, and Finch and he isn't asking Carter to cover for him, just to understand. Carter is horrified by Fusco's confession and leaves, telling him she doesn't know who he is.
Carter later calls Reese who is helping Doctor Richard Nelson get revenge against the man who killed him and asks what Reese intends to do about Fusco. Reese points out that Carter is Fusco's partner and Carter admits that despite how upset she is by everything Fusco told her, he's still Fusco. Reese points out that her view of Fusco contradicts with her motto of "once a dirty cop, always a dirty cop" before hanging up, leaving Carter considering what to do. Ultimately, Carter borrows Bear and uses him to locate and dig up Stills' body. With no body and Elias getting Azarello to recant, Fusco is cleared. The next morning, Carter asks Fusco to look over a lead on Beecher's murder and leaves the precinct with Bear, covered in mud and exhausted. (“In Extremis”)
Carter gets called to the scene of a triple homicide, two of which are Elias' men and one of which is an innocent bystander. Raymond Terney questions Carter on her continuing investigation into Beecher's murder and offers his help. Spotting Reese nearby, Carter follows him into an alley where Reese offers his condolences about Beecher and offers his help. Carter tells him that she's sure HR had a hand in Beecher's murder and is determined to solve it. Carter tells Reese that this is the eighth homicide in two weeks and wonders why Reese didn't stop them as they were mainly premeditated. Reese admits that there's an issue they are trying to fix and Carter tells Reese that "the Russians are worse the Elias: more manpower, fewer rules."
Reese later alerts Carter to the attempt on Ernest Thornhill's life. After investigating Thornhill, Carter calls Reese and Finch and tells them that the driver of the car that was bombed is stable and no one at Thornhill Corporation has ever met Thornhill, including his secretary. Carter suggests that Thornhill is someone extremely paranoid and Reese and Finch thank her before hanging up. Carter later calls Reese and tells him that she learned that Thornhill ordered the car service to send a car to JFK and then drive to his office without a passenger online. Carter asks Reese to tell her what's going on, suggesting that she can help them more if he trusts her. Reese knows she can but suggests that Beecher needs her help more than him before hanging up.
Later, Terney approaches Carter and tells her he has a lead on Beecher's killer. Unknown to Carter, Terney has received orders to kill her and it's a setup. As a result, the Machine generates Carter's number but Root prevents Finch from taking the call. Accompanied by two other cops, Carter and Terney go to the address and head to the back while the other two cops enter through the front. As Carter walks in front of him, Terney prepares to shoot her in the back only to have a man emerge from the house and take aim at Carter. Carter shoots the man twice, killing him and foiling Terney's attempt on her life. Carter is later approached by IAB Detective Ed Solis who she believes is simply following routine procedure. However, Solis tells her that there is no gun by the suspect while Terney lies that he didn't see a gun though he believes her. Looking over at the man she shot, Carter discovers that his weapon has disappeared. (“Zero Day”)
Carter is repeatedly questioned by IAB about the shooting but is eventually left alone for awhile. As Carter waits in the interrogation room, she is visited by Terney who suggests she call her union representative. Carter refuses, telling Terney that she recognized one of the cops at the scene as a cop interrogated in the HR bust but let go and knows he removed the gun to frame her and states her intention to have Fusco look into him. Terney then reveals himself to her as a crooked cop and threatens to kill her, Fusco and her son killed if she doesn't stop investigating. While Carter is shocked, she uses the opportunity to discreetly perform a forced pairing of Terney's phone and overhears his plot to kill Elias' right-hand man and then Elias himself using a prison transfer that night.
Carter later contacts Reese to warn him that HR is going after Elias. Carter tells Reese that HR injured Elias' Lieutenant which led to Elias having his bodyguards paroled to protect him. Though Carter shows an interest in saving Elias, Reese reminds her that Elias had tried to kill her and kidnapped her son and he has other priorities. Reese then hangs up on her.
That night, Terney and Peter Yogorov lead Elias into the woods to execute him. Before Terney can shoot, a masked Carter appears and shoots Terney and Yogorov in the arm. After Terney pleads for his life, Carter pistol-whips him unconscious and leads Elias to a nearby SUV. Elias is surprised that Carter rescued him and Carter admits she has no idea where they are going when Elias asks. (“God Mode”)