Vladimir Raven is a Sergeant for the Los Santos Police Department, Badge #486. He has been a part of the department for over two years.
He has a long, storied history as a detective within various law enforcement detective agencies. He was a Detective for the Criminal Investigation Division, a Captain for the Joint Task Force.
Vladimir Raven was born on September 5th, in Russia. He and his family later moved to Australia, though he does not remember much from his childhood. However, he does remember that he was close friends with Gazz Maloo, as the two of them grew up together. He served in the Australian army for many years, eventually leading to him being investigated for various war crimes, though he has been cleared of them since.
Raven sustained many injuries from his time in the war (leading to various body parts having metal plates implanted into him), and suffers from PTSD. During this time of his life, Raven became severely addicted to morphine and potentially crack, in order to cope with the pain.
The court case filed against him for his alleged war crimes was based in Los Santos, thus leading to him moving there to appear in court. He chose to stay following the court case; later joining the police force.
After arriving in Los Santos, Raven met up with an old friend from school, Brian Crane (head of EMS at the time), and soon began a very unhealthy relationship with him. Raven was deep in his morphine addiction, and Brian was abusive towards him. Brian Crane died of a mysterious illness, and Raven has moved on in a much more positive direction in his life. He has successfully broken himself of his morphine addiction and continues to stay sober.
Raven was formerly in an incredibly supportive marriage with the Chief of Police, Bobby Smith. The two are now separated, as of December 2019, and have filed for divorce - court case date pending.
Los Santos Police Department[]
Raven joined the Los Santos Police Department with 2 of his friends - Owen Svensen and Luka Kozlov.
Raven secured a spot in the Criminal Investigation Division following a prank that Svensen was attempting to pull on (at the time) Chief Inspector of CIDJackie Snow, and SASP Colonel Olivia Copper. Raven and Svensen hid in a van that was parked beside Snow's Police Mustang, outside of Mission Row Police Department. While waiting for Snow and Copper to come outside, a woman approached the Police Mustang and began lockpicking the vehicle, unknowing of Raven and Svensen's presence. The two men hopped out of the van and detained the woman, just as Snow and Copper exited MRPD. This event secured Raven's place in the Criminal Investigation Division.
One of the best things to evolve from his time with the LSPD was finding his (former) husband, Bobby Smith. Raven and Bobby Smith became "Facebook Official ™" on May 23rd, 2019. The two of them were together until December 2019, despite the fact that multiple officers tried to sabotage the relationship.
Many fellow officers have confessed to also having feelings for Bobby, and AJ Hunter tried to spread a rumor that Raven was cheating on Bobby with Jackie Snow. It didn't end well for AJ, as he was promptly knocked out via Raven's knuckle dusters, and then kicked repeatedly once down.
Raven met Bobby on April 24th, 2019, on Bobby's first day as a Cadet. Though Raven seemed unimpressed by him at first, his attitude towards him changed rather quickly. They would often inquire about one another by asking their fellow officers, and flirt while they were on duty together. With the help of Olivia Copper serving as his wing woman, Raven took Bobby on their first official date at the beach. After being together for a few weeks, Raven stated that he didn't want any more "guessing games" and wanted them to be "official".
Raven confessed his love for Bobby during their second beach date on May 23rd, 2019. Two months after becoming an official couple, Raven sought the help of Kareem Lyon and Olivia Copper in order to kidnap Bobby and propose to him.
The two were engaged on July 20th, 2019. Raven approached Bobby with the idea of purchasing a home together. They sought out Matthew Payne in order to find their dream home. After being constantly questioned about their wedding date by friends and colleagues, Raven and Bobby decided to be wed after a scheduled police meeting.
The Proposal
After hearing how his "Los Santos Vice" partner Rocko Colombo proposed to his girlfriend, Mia Mersion, Raven began to think about proposing to Bobby. Being the dramatic person he is, Raven wasn't satisfied with the idea of a conventional proposal. Once he remembered how Bobby has a kidnapping kink, an idea began to form in his head. One of his original ideas revolved around the thought of using Bobby as a hostage in a jewelry robbery, and then proposing to him using one of the rings there; but Olivia Copper protested this idea, claiming that wasn't special enough.
Once a concrete idea was formed, Raven got to work, making sure everything was perfect. The setup started with Copper partnering up with Bobby, while Raven and Kareem Lyon dressed up as cult members, gathered weapons from evidence, and grabbed a vehicle. They located Copper and Bobby on patrol, rammed their vehicle, and brandished their guns to force them out of their car. Copper insisted they "take the blonde one", so the pair took Bobby's weapons and forced him in their car. The three made their way from the scene of the kidnapping, leaving Copper behind.
During the transportation, Kareem and Raven told elaborate stories on how they were going to sacrifice Bobby to the 'Swamp God', and how he would become a "new vessel." The three arrived at the swamp without any problems, promptly ordering Bobby to exit the vehicle and make his way to the end of the dock. With the muzzle of an LMG to the Senior Deputy's back, Raven ordered him to "stare at the water, and do not turn around." Unbeknownst to Bobby, Raven quickly took off his hat and mask and got on one knee. Once Bobby was told to turn around, he was met with the sight of his boyfriend looking up to him, asking, "Bobby Smith, will you marry me?" Of course, Bobby said yes. Raven then gave him knuckle dusters, which spells out "BCSO" across the knuckles and had "Bobby x Raven" on the back. [4]
They had their wedding on August 25th, 2019. Raven's best man was Jackie Snow, and his two groomsmen included Owen Svensen and Julio Thomas (who paid $40k to be part of the bridal party). On the eve of the wedding, Raven was incredibly panicked. He feared for his and Bobby's safety, due to the very nature of a police wedding; and especially since Bobby had been in the ICU. His worries only increased when Bobby didn't show up on time. But they all turned out to be unfounded. As Rains of Castamere played, Bobby arrived in a three-piece suit, escorted down the aisle by Travis Tribble. After an incident in which Judge Dennis LaBarre fainted due to locked knees, Bobby and Raven eventually exchanged their vows and were officially married.
Recent Events - Separation; Pending Divorce
After the murder of Michael Dias on November 30th, 2019, the relationship between Bobby and Raven started to slowly change. Dias' death also shifted the relationships within the PD, as some officers believed that Denzel Williams, the murderer, should be sentenced to death; while other officers believed that life in prison should suffice as punishment. As the court ruling for Denzel Williams wasn't that far from the day Dias was murdered, both Bobby and Raven ended up being busy with the case, and didn't have much time to spend with each other. Unbeknownst to each other Raven was writing an impact statement defending Denzel, while Bobby was writing up the report pushing for Denzel's death penalty. Only a day later, both Raven and Bobby realized that they were on different sides during the court hearing. The realization led to a serious argument, where Bobby and Raven didn't settle on good terms. Bobby claimed that he wanted the Death Penalty for Denzel, to keep their daughter (and potential cops in the future) safe from harm. Raven stated that it would have broken Zelda's heart if her God-Father was killed by the very department that her two fathers worked for.
Following their argument regarding their stances on the ruling of Denzel, there were various actions made by Raven that continued to fuel negative feelings from Bobby towards him. Raven mentioned to several officers regarding Dias "not being much of a loss to the force", and continued to defend and deny Denzel's threats to Lauren Forcer's life while he serving his time in prison. Several days later, during the funeral for Dias (that Bobby single handedly arranged), Raven continued to make snide remarks about his death, and tossed his cigarette butt into Dias' open grave.
On December 15th, 2019, Raven, Bobby, and Zelda agreed to attend a therapy session with Pixie Plum, in order to settle their differences, and air out any issues. However, the session backfired, and brought up more negativity that had not been fully present beforehand. After a heated argument with Raven, Bobby cut the session short by hitting him, with Raven returning a punch to Bobby's face. With a resolution nowhere in sight, Bobby informed Raven that he was going to take a (possibly permanent) break from their relationship. After leaving the office, Bobby told Zelda that he owns a trailer in Sandy Shores, where they can live for the time being. Although Pixie tried her best to consult with Raven, he left the office emotionally broken.
After the official separation from Bobby (during Raven's extended 3 week vacation from the city), Bobby had a conversation with AJ Hunter regarding his crumbling marriage. Bobby told AJ about his own loneliness, and lack of physical needs being attended to. Bobby and AJ went on a "professional" date, which lead to sexual relations. This act of infidelity was quickly spread throughout the police department, and finally relayed to Raven via Olivia Copper. After receiving the news of Bobby's actions, Raven sent a text message to him, stating that he would find it wise to find himself a lawyer. Raven has contacted Norman Bones, Summer Mersion, and Rory O'Banion to represent him in the divorce case.
Although Raven has expressed having a fear of her in the past, that quickly changed once she was brought into his family. Two days before their wedding, Raven received a call from Bobby stating that the two had a daughter. Later that day, Bobby and Raven invited her to the home that they were trying to purchase. Luckily for them, she arrived at the perfect time, as they were being held up by two clowns (originally sent to apologize to Raven on Bobby's behalf, as Bobby left him at the hospital). Zelda, with the help of Denzel Williams, proceeded to attack the clowns and save them. After the altercation, Raven and Bobby officially welcomed Zelda and Denzel (as her godfather) into their family.
More recently, Raven attempted to have a conversation with Zelda about the birds and the bees. [5] However, Zelda mistook having a knife as using protection. She also asked Raven about which one of her dads would end up pregnant. After their conversation, Raven threatened her boyfriend, Siz Fulker; stating that he'd "never see the light of fucking day ever again" if he ever does anything to her. Showing how protective of Zelda he's become.
As the Assistant Chief of Police, Olivia Copper reports directly to Raven. However, sometimes it seems that she has more control of the LSPD than Raven himself since everyone respects her authority. This includes Raven, as he has stated that he "admires" her very much. Copper will be quick to call him out on his mistakes, or if he does something she doesn't agree with and/or like. Raven also has to answer to her, since she is his Captain in the CID. They have partnered up and gone undercover to conduct investigations on many occasions. With their long work relationship comes a long-time friendship. One that Raven cherishes very much since he will do whatever it takes to make her happy if he happens to upset her.
Raven has approached Copper not only for work-related advice but relationship advice as well. Copper was a big reason for Raven and his husband Bobby Smith becoming a couple in the first place. She pushed them to go on their first date because she didn't feel comfortable being a "really awkward third wheel" as she put it, and would go out of her way to give them some alone time together. Copper helped Raven create and carry out his plan to kidnap Bobby in order to propose to him. She was also made Bobby's "Best Ma'am" for their wedding. More recently, the three of them have become quite the trio and will get into a number of "bits" as they call it - such as dressing up as one another and talking to each other using their "old" accents.
Bidwell and Raven used to get along fine. Hailing from the same department originally, the two were cordial with each other. Even when Bidwell swapped to BCSO, the two didn't have too much tension. The rivalry came once Raven started dating Bobby Smith. According to Bidwell, he had been attracted to Smith far longer than Raven had, and gave him an ultimatum - let him into CID, or else he'd swoop Bobby away from him. When Raven refused, he started to be more upfront about his feelings regarding the other Deputy. This led to Raven becoming more confrontational, threatening to bury him out in the desert, or sinking his body in the ocean. Despite Raven and Bobby's marriage, Bidwell still holds feelings for Bobby. He often makes disparaging comments about their relationship. However, on their last shift together, the two of them were more focused apprehending Bovice to be at each other's throats. Raven, while making a call to "The Doctor", even admitted that he trusted Bidwell. The two seem to be on good terms now.
Jackie Snow and Raven have been friends for many years now. Snow was the one who welcomed Raven into the CID, as he was the Chief Inspector at the time. Raven gave him the honor of being his best man for his marriage to Bobby Smith. The day of the wedding, Snow, along with the rest of the wedding party, had made sure that everything was running smoothly for the couple. Afterward at their party, Snow read a speech that he had written for the couple where he stated that he was "very happy that Raven had become the new Chief of Police (a position he held for over a year)." He said that he couldn't "think of a better man for the job", listing the qualities that make Raven a good leader such as being attentive, caring, level headed, and strong.
Revealing how he genuinely feels about is best friend. Raven has even changed up his work schedule to hang out with him some more, as he has stated that he missed patrolling with him like they used to in the past. Although the two care for and respect each other tremendously, this hasn't stopped them from clashing every now and again. Recently, Snow has expressed his anger and frustration to Raven about his backdoor dealings with Arthur Hammond on the Bovice case. The two got into a heated argument at Mission Row PD, but talked it out and apologized to one another not long after.
Siz is dating Raven's daughter, Zelda, even before Bobby and Raven adopted her and Raven is closer to Siz then Bobby is. Raven was the first parent to find out they were dating and he and Zelda decided to keep it quiet from Bobby for a while but told him eventually because they both knew that he wouldn’t like Zelda's choice of boyfriend. Raven threatened Siz, stating that he'd "never see the light of fucking day ever again" if he ever does anything to her. Raven is one of Siz's Emergency Contacts. Siz was a ride-along for Raven and Copper for a day. Raven calls him; Champ, Lil Man, Sport, etc. Siz calls him Pops and whenever anything bad happens to Siz, e.g. being threatened or getting hurt, Raven starts to panic and makes sure Siz is safe first before anybody else.
Denzel Williams is the godfather of Raven and Bobby's adopted daughter, Griselda Harth. The two often talk to one another regarding Zelda's well-being. Despite being a well-known criminal, Raven trusts Denzel to take care of and watch over her when he can not. This has led to conflict between Raven and Bobby, since Bobby doesn't want the criminal that killed his friend and colleague, Michael Dias, influencing their daughter. Raven wrote an impact statement for Denzel's sentencing hearing. In it, he vouched for his character and made a case against him getting the death penalty. This only made the rift between him and Bobby grow, as Bobby wrote the incident report and was fighting to give Denzel the death penalty. Raven's reasoning for supporting Denzel was that he did not want to break Zelda's heart by killing her long-time friend.
Raven told Cheryl Smith that he hired Thorne as a PD receptionist, to cover for Cheryl, as she was away. Thorne is responsible for making sure all of Raven's mail is "anthrax free". She takes notes during his meetings, and makes appointments on his behalf. Raven has placed a lot of trust in her, and has even given her a guest room in his home. Bobby was unaware of the fact that Raven had hired an assistant, or that she was staying with them, as he had been away and preoccupied with work.
In November 2019, Thorne became a big factor in the tension between Raven and Bobby's relationship. Rumors of an "affair" between Raven and Thorne were being peddled by Tony Andrews and Cheryl Smith. She tried to correct this by scheduling an appointment with a marriage counselor, unbeknownst to Raven or Bobby. However, instead of bringing them closer, the therapy session brought factual issues to light, and ultimately lead to their separation.
Used to be under contract by a cigarette company to sell cigarettes, but has recently been able to get out of it. He was able to get out of said contract by signing with a different company to sell Alex Jones diet supplement pills and is now locked in this contract for life.
Hates milk bags.
Used to sleep on a pull out cot in his office at the Police Department. Now he owns a home in the Vinewood Hills.
Used to run a sex club with Olivia Copper, which was called "The CID Safehouse".
Raven's K9 Partner is named Gus.
Currently owns and drives a white in color Viseris.
Raven is five inches.
Not-So-Fun Facts[]
Bobby and Raven have a very harsh difference of opinion on the rulings of Denzel Williams, in regards to the murder of Deputy Michael Dias. Raven believes that Denzel's life sentence is fair punishment, while Bobby was for the death sentence. This argument, and events that unfolded after, was the basis of their separation, and pending divorce.
Often holds Zelda over Bobby's head in arguments, in order to back up his statement and validation for his decisions. Bobby absolutely hates this, as he sees it as Raven assuming that he does not hold family and loved ones first in his own beliefs on a topic. The use of Zelda's well-being generally ends with Bobby walking away from the argument.
Raven has shown to be prone to uncontrollable bouts of rage and violence against those who upset him. This has been demonstrated when he attempted to drown Irwin Dundee during a house raid, then again when he attacked AJ Hunter with knuckle dusters, proceeding to continue to kick him after he was downed, ignoring all of Bobby Smith's attempts to calm him and move him away. Both of these instances occurred when he felt the people he loved (Gazz Maloo and Bobby Smith) were being threatened.
He has admitted to being a "functioning alcoholic", making it clear he is almost always under the influence to some degree, which may explain his violent nature. When something or someone has upset him, he has turned to drink heavily. On one occasion, he crashed his car while on duty, because he was heavily intoxicated.
He has shown to be manipulative, breaking Luka Kozlov mentally, turning him into a monster.
He has been tried for war crimes. His superior officer pleaded guilty for all the crimes, which saved Raven from being punished. Still, those rumors may have merit.