Ayanna Bell

Sergeant Ayanna Bell is the commanding officer of a squad in the Organized Crime Control Bureau. She is partners with Elliot Stabler.

History[]

Bell and Stabler clashed when they first partnered together, with Bell concerned about Stabler threatening a witness. Stabler then accused Bell of profiling him, which resulted in Bell telling him that he does not know what it is like to be profiled. (OC: "What Happens in Puglia")

Bell welcomed Detectives Washburn and Morales to the Organized Crime Control Bureau. She later investigated a doctor who was illegally administering COVID-19 vaccines to his rich patients. Both her and Stabler also confronted Richard Wheatley about the case, where Bekher attempted to assault her but was stopped by Richard. (OC: "Not Your Father's Organized Crime")

After her nephew-in-law Damon King was physically assaulted by police detectives after being wrongfully arrested which could possibly result in lifelong injuries, Bell's wife Denise Bullock told her that she was suing the NYPD. Bell was deeply upset and angry that Damon was assaulted and wrongfully arrested. (OC: "I Got This Rat")

After Bell survived being targeted by a group of men trying to murder Richard, both Stabler and her went to the hospital where Benson found Morales with a gun after poisoning Angela and tying up a doctor. As Morales put the gun to his head, Bell shouted at him that he was not to commit suicide. Morales lowered his gun but then attempted to shoot Bell, who shot him in self-defense. Bell was shocked and upset by this and rushed to help Angela with Benson and Stabler. (OC: "Forget It Jake; It's Chinatown")

Bell's squad and the Special Victims Unit teamed up to investigate a sex trafficker named Gabe Navarro. After Stabler shot Navarro when he drew a gun, Navarro was supposedly transferred to hospital, but was not there, with Carisi believing that Stabler lied to the SVU. A furious Benson visited Bell, but Bell told her that Stabler had continued his undercover operation and that Popkov was going to prison for life. However, Benson became angry that Bell was shrugging off Navarro not being in hospital, but told her that she knew she was busy, to which Bell walked away, frowning at Benson, which put them in a tense relationship. (SVU: "I Thought You Were On My Side")

In the process of arresting all the members of the Kosta Organization, Bell and Stabler turned up to a building and saw Louis Chinasky coming out. The building then blew up after being bombed from the inside, almost killing Bell and Stabler. (OC: "High Planes Grifter")

Bell, Stabler and several other officers were shot at by snipers on the top of the dilapidated building before storming in and making several arrests. Bell then led the arrests of Jon Kosta, Reggie Bogdani, Flutura Briscu and other members of the Kosta Organization. She showed no sympathy to Flutura, who was genuinely hurt that Stabler had lied to her about his identity nor did she care about her hurt feelings. (OC: "Ashes To Ashes")

Following Richard and Angela Wheatley's deaths, Bell told Stabler that Brewster and the police department were looking into investigating him for his actions during the Wheatley case. When Stabler laughed, Bell told him that she was being serious. (OC: "...Wheatley Is To Stabler")

Following the arrest and imprisonment of Kilbride, Denise became angry with Bell, saying that she had ruined her career and that she hoped she was happy. Bell later came home and found a note from Denise, saying that their relationship wasn't work and that she had left her and taken Jack, which devastated Bell. (OC: "Friend Or Foe")

Bell and Denise eventually divorced, with Denise telling Bell that she had a job as a wife and a mother, which she abandoned as soon as Kilbride was arrested and imprisoned. Bell tried her best to convince Denise to change her mind, pleading with her to come home but Denise refused to change her mind and told Bell that the divorce was happening before returning to work, leaving Bell heartbroken. Bell later confided in Stabler and sadly says she was a bad wife but Stabler reassured her that he was married to Kathy for a long time before divorcing and only getting back with her because Kathy had made it work. (OC: "Everybody Knows The Dice Are Loaded")

Lillian Goldfarb spoke to Bell privately in her office and recommended that she change her job and that Stabler was bad for her career but Bell put her foot down and defended Stabler, telling Goldfarb that Stabler is the best detective she has ever worked with before remaining adamant about staying in her current position. (OC: "Behind Blue Eyes")

After Montanero recanted to murdering her partner, Bell reopened the investigation into her former partner's murder, and Montanero told Bell that Murphy had committed the murder. Bell then arranged for her task force to investigate Murphy and his crimes. (OC: "Partners In Crime")

Following the FBI taking over the Eamon Murphy case, Bell was furious and visited Murphy with Stabler. Murphy taunted Bell who pulled out her gun by saying that she shouldn't pull out a gun on someone unless they planned to shoot them, to which Bell responded by saying who said that she wouldn't. Stabler stopped Bell in her tracks, telling her that Murphy wasn't worth it and they both left Murphy, who was amused. (OC: "All In The Game")

Officer-involved shootings[]

Detective Diego Morales (OC: "Forget It Jake; It's Chinatown")
Unnamed henchman (OC: "All That Glitters")
Unnamed Los Santos thug (non-fatal) (OC: "The Last Supper")
Unnamed Redcoat thug (alongside Stabler) (OC: "Stabler's Lament")
Tobias Krychek (alongside Stabler) (OC: "Stabler's Lament")

Personality[]

Bell is very abrupt and by-the-book who initially showed concerns about Stabler being in her taskforce due to his past history as a detective. Due to her abrupt personality, she sometimes comes across as rude. Despite this, she is extremely caring especially towards Stabler and victims and showed sympathy for Angela Wheatley after Richard's treatment towards her, encouraging her to testify against him. She tends to try and not take her work life home to keep professional but sometimes talks about Stabler or cases with Denise after she asks her about it when she shows signs of being bothered, stressed or upset.

Trivia[]

Both Bell and Gina Cappelletti were very close friends, with Bell being deeply upset about Gina's death, struggling to come to terms with her death.
Some fans have compared Bell to Olivia Benson as they are both partners with Stabler, both share close but sometimes complicated friendships with Stabler and both have a different hairstyle every season, most notably with Benson's hair being short in the first six seasons and the ninth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit while having long hair in seasons 7-8 and from the tenth season onwards while Bell had a similar short haircut to Benson in the first season of Law & Order: Organized Crime and long hair from the second season.