Karen Vick
Encyclopedia
Chief Karen C. Vick is a character on the American comedy detective drama Psych
played by Kirsten Nelson
.
's weblog, Vick replaced Police Chief John Fenich upon his retirement about a month prior to Shawn's arrival at the SBPD in the pilot episode
. However, in "Poker? I Barely Know Her", she references an event known as "The Secret Santa Debacle of 2005", suggesting that she has been involved in the Santa Barbara Police Department in some capacity at least since December of that year. Vick's relationship with Lassiter seems strained by the fact that she is "an outsider" who was chosen by "the powers that be in City Hall" to take the position over "someone from within our own ranks." Vick's decision to allow a self-proclaimed psychic so far into official police investigations has done little to assuage Lassiter's misgivings. Eventually, Lassiter's attitude towards both Shawn and Vick soothed.
On her way to non-lethal weapons training with Lassiter, Vick's water broke and Lassiter rushed her to a hospital where she gave birth to a daughter in Shawn vs. the Red Phantom (1.08).
Since Nelson was pregnant during the filming of the pilot episode and gave birth shortly thereafter, for continuity she had to wear a fake pregnancy prosthesis for several of the following episodes.
For Seasons 1 and 2, her position as Police Chief was described as 'Interim.' At the very end of Season 2, Vick announced that she would step down because her position as Chief was not solidified by the mayor, but she received a call from the mayor soon after, effectively giving her the position. This was mainly because her replacement had been exposed as an adulterer by Shawn.
She does not appear in the show's seventh episode "Who Ya Gonna Call?"
She has an older sister in the Coast Guard with whom she has a strained relationship. This sister once ordered Carlton Lassiter
out on a date with her. A name Shawn Spencer gives her as a nickname is, "Chiefie."
's display of psychic-like insight into her police officer's lives after she tried to arrest him for being an accomplice in a series of crimes which were solved with Shawn's tips. She is suspicious of his psychic abilities, but is not above using any tool at her disposal to solve tough cases. In the episode "There Might Be Blood", Shawn starts to have a "vision" about her relationship with her sister, but she quickly tells him not to do it. Either she didn't want to deal with his charade, or she simply didn't want to talk about the situation. She did talk to him about the situation, though.
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
played by Kirsten Nelson
Kirsten Nelson
Kirsten Nelson is an American actress. Born in Oklahoma, though raised in Chicago, Nelson attended Northwestern University and became a founding member of Chicago's Roadworks Theatre Ensemble before moving to Los Angeles. She currently stars in the USA Network dramedy Psych, where her character,...
.
Fictional biography
According to Head Detective Carlton LassiterCarlton Lassiter
Head Detective Carlton Lassiter is a character in the American dramedy Psych played by Timothy Omundson.-Fictional biography:Carlton Lassiter is a ten-year veteran of the Santa Barbara Police Department, and the youngest Head Detective ever named to the force. He also has a Masters Degree in...
's weblog, Vick replaced Police Chief John Fenich upon his retirement about a month prior to Shawn's arrival at the SBPD in the pilot episode
Pilot (Psych episode)
This article is about the extended pilot of the USA Network series, Psych.-Plot:Shawn Spencer has never kept a job for more than 6 months. He helps the Santa Barbara Police Department prove a man guilty, using his keen powers of observation and his near perfect photographic memory he obtained as a...
. However, in "Poker? I Barely Know Her", she references an event known as "The Secret Santa Debacle of 2005", suggesting that she has been involved in the Santa Barbara Police Department in some capacity at least since December of that year. Vick's relationship with Lassiter seems strained by the fact that she is "an outsider" who was chosen by "the powers that be in City Hall" to take the position over "someone from within our own ranks." Vick's decision to allow a self-proclaimed psychic so far into official police investigations has done little to assuage Lassiter's misgivings. Eventually, Lassiter's attitude towards both Shawn and Vick soothed.
On her way to non-lethal weapons training with Lassiter, Vick's water broke and Lassiter rushed her to a hospital where she gave birth to a daughter in Shawn vs. the Red Phantom (1.08).
Since Nelson was pregnant during the filming of the pilot episode and gave birth shortly thereafter, for continuity she had to wear a fake pregnancy prosthesis for several of the following episodes.
For Seasons 1 and 2, her position as Police Chief was described as 'Interim.' At the very end of Season 2, Vick announced that she would step down because her position as Chief was not solidified by the mayor, but she received a call from the mayor soon after, effectively giving her the position. This was mainly because her replacement had been exposed as an adulterer by Shawn.
She does not appear in the show's seventh episode "Who Ya Gonna Call?"
She has an older sister in the Coast Guard with whom she has a strained relationship. This sister once ordered Carlton Lassiter
Carlton Lassiter
Head Detective Carlton Lassiter is a character in the American dramedy Psych played by Timothy Omundson.-Fictional biography:Carlton Lassiter is a ten-year veteran of the Santa Barbara Police Department, and the youngest Head Detective ever named to the force. He also has a Masters Degree in...
out on a date with her. A name Shawn Spencer gives her as a nickname is, "Chiefie."
Characterization
She was impressed by Shawn SpencerShawn Spencer
Shawn Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych played by American actor James Roday. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory, he poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara Police Department...
's display of psychic-like insight into her police officer's lives after she tried to arrest him for being an accomplice in a series of crimes which were solved with Shawn's tips. She is suspicious of his psychic abilities, but is not above using any tool at her disposal to solve tough cases. In the episode "There Might Be Blood", Shawn starts to have a "vision" about her relationship with her sister, but she quickly tells him not to do it. Either she didn't want to deal with his charade, or she simply didn't want to talk about the situation. She did talk to him about the situation, though.