In the first ever episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), which aired in September 1999, two detectives from the New York Police Department’s 16th precinct’s sex crimes division are called to what appears to be a run-of-the-mill murder. That is until a uniform cop reveals the victim has had his genitals “sliced off”.
What unfolds is a complicated, surprising and nuanced story about revenge, trauma and war crimes. It’s a fitting start to a series that, in its 23 seasons, has sought to explore every shade of grey in the reporting, investigating and prosecution of sex crimes in New York City.
