| “ | Don't do it. (Adrian Monk: Don't do what?) Break my heart. You're thinking about planting evidence in Kloster's house. Monk, I've been a cop for 30 years. I've had this conversation nine times. I never thought that I'd be having it with you. There's a line. You step across it, and you're gone for good. There's no going back... I do understand. I've been there. I've had cases like this, cases you couldn't shake. Sometimes you have to let it go. | „ |
| ~ Leland Stottlemeyer to Adrian Monk |
| “ | Even God took a day off. And what day did he take off? It was Sunday. Why did he take off Sunday? I tell you why Sunday, so he could watch football! | „ |
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer is the tritagonist of USA mystery comedy drama, Monk.
He is the captain of the San Francisco Police Department, the former partner of Randy Disher, the best friend of Adrian Monk, and a close friend of Natalie Teeger and Sharona Fleming.
Despite Randy's outrageous theories and some of Adrian's quirks, Stottlemeyer deeply cares about those who he considers friends.
He is portrayed by Ted Levine.
Background[]
Leland Stottlemeyer was born in the late 1950s to an unnamed mother; he grew up in a household consisting of himself, his brother and his sister. He was childhood friends with his second wife, Karen Stottlemeyer. But, before he married her Stottlemeyer was already married to someone else. They married in the 1980s and had two children together.
When Adrian Monk joined the department, Stottlemeyer became his watching officer and close friends. Stottlemeyer also became well acquainted with Adrian's girlfriend, Trudy and attended their wedding, which he considered to be a beautiful ceremony and recalled how much they cried, especially Adrian.
In 1997, Stottlemeyer eventually became the Captain of the SFPD. While he and Monk were taking to a doctor, Stottlemeyer's cell phone started ringing. When the man answered it, he was shocked to hear that Trudy had recently been a victim of a car bombing. Monk saw Stottlemeyer was grieved and inquired what was wrong. The saddened Captain looked to Adrian, confirming Trudy's fate. As a result of his wife's death, Monk became withdrawn and distant, never once leaving his apartment. Leland was forced to discharge Adrian until further notice, driving him further downward spiral. Stottlemeyer attempted to help his friend get through his grief but nothing worked. He hired a nurse, Sharona Fleming, to help Monk get back into the real world.
Sometime before 2001, Stottlemeyer became close friends with Randy Disher, who eventually became Stottlemeyer's right-hand. However, Stottlemeyer would get irritated by Randy's ridiculous theories.
Solving Trudy Monk's Murder[]
After the hospital synthesizes a cure after Natalie determines Adrian is receiving the poison from his wipes, Stottlemeyer is suddenly approached by Randy, who updates him on this progress. Relieved, Stottlemeyer gets ready to visit Monk at the hospital. However Randy also adds that Monk drugged a cop with his sleeping pills and escaped the hospital, grabbing his gun in the process. Alarmed that his best friend is going to kill Rickover for Trudy's death, Leland rushed out the door with Randy and to his car in hopes of stopping Monk before he could go through with it. He has Randy drive fast in the pouring rain until they make it to the judge's house where they see Adrian holding Rick over at gunpoint and a squad of police there.
A frantic Stottlemeyer tries talking Adrian down by tempting him with the knowledge that the hospital synthesized a cure for his affliction. However, when the judge digs up Wendy's remains in his front yard, Adrian, still fueled by revenge for his wife, reveals how Rickover murdered Wendy Stroud and Trudy, and tells Judge Rickover how pointless it was to kill these women all for a promotion. After Monk suddenly loses his grip on his stolen pistol due to being weakened from the poisoning and ultimately deciding not to go through with killing Rickover, Stottlemeyer and Randy catch him before he falls down. A remorseful and cowardly Rickover grabs Monk's stolen gun before cryptically telling his arch-enemy to "take care of her" before he commits suicide, much to Stottlemeyer, Randy, and Monk's shock. With the ordeal over, Leland half-carries Adrian away from the scene and takes him to the hospital, where Monk is cured and the charges against him are assumably dropped.
Later, when Adrian determines that Rickover was telling him to take care of her," he was referring to his and Trudy's daughter, who survived childbirth and was "found" by midwife Wendy Stroud. With Stottlemeyer's help, he helps Adrian find Trudy's daughter, who was adopted by a couple, named Molly Evans. Before Monk leaves, Randy announces he is quitting his job and moving to New Jersey to be with Sharona because there is an opening for the next chief of police in Atlantic City.
At an unspecified time, Stottlemeyer gets a phone call about a recent homicide and heads out to the crime scene with Adrian and Natalie, but not before kissing his wife, TK, goodbye. (Mr. Monk and the End, Part 2)
Appearance[]
Stottlemeyer is a Caucasian man, with blonde hair and blue grey eyes. He also has a mustache and appears to be in his late 40s.
Personality[]
Stottlemeyer's early characterization suggests he and Monk had clashed for their entire shared career and he was extraordinarily opposed to and reluctant to work with him under any circumstances. However, this is not the case as various dialogue suggests that they've known each other for a long time. However, as the time goes on, the two reestablish their friendship and the series shows that Stottlemeyer and Monk had always been close. It is enough for him to try to accommodate the crime scene so Monk can concentrate. He is also the first to believe in his friend's judgement. When a model was seemingly killed by suicide, when Monk announced she was indeed murdered, Stottlemeyer had the officers leave as he declared this scene a homicide. In one episode, Stottlemeyer even once kissed a detective on the cheek in the excitement before rushing to get evidence.
He also tends to be a deadpan snarker, more-so often than any of the characters on the series. He seems to especially have this whenever in Randy's or Adrian's presence. In "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike," Randy takes Monk's theory that Alice Cooper killed a union leader for his chair, with Stottlemeyer sarcastically asking him, "Do we really need to poke holes in the 'Alice Cooper wants a wingback chair' theory?" He also really hates federal agencies, such as Agent Grooms and Agent Thorpe, even warning Monk to not go undercover in "Mr. Monk meets the Godfather" and how he couldn't be trusted).
Stottlemeyer is also fiercely protective of his loved ones, and does get hot-tempered whenever someone he cares about his hurt or in danger, especially in regards of his children, his wife Karen (and later) T.K., Adrian, Natalie, Sharona, and Randy. However, being a captain of the police force 24/7 means that Leland can't spend much time with his sons as much as he wants to and is specifically married to the job. However, during his relationship with his first wife, T.K., this doesn't seem to affect Leland anymore.
In regards to the media, Stottlemeyer sometimes hates going up against the press, especially when retracting previous statements. He also hates going on the air, worrying that the media will portray him as an idiot, as seen in "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike." In "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" Stottlemeyer is pressured to solve the Sidney Teal murder and how everyone is calling a cop who fled the scene. He tries to make the other reporters stop talking about "Fraidy Cop" but ultimately fails. Leland also dislikes media scum, as seen with one ghostwritten blog noted: "It's hard enough trying to solve a case without having the media turning the investigation into a circus and spinning everything so it'll make a good sound bite on the 10 o'clock news. I'm also not too fond of the way police always get made out to be bumbling fools."
Powers and Abilities[]
- Investigation
- Marksmanship
- Firearms
- Singing/Guitarist
Weaknesses[]
- Hot Temper
- Arrogance (sometimes)
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Karen Stottlemeyer - Ex-Wife
- Mother
- Father
- T.K Jensen - Wife
- Jared Stottlemeyer - Son
- Max Stottlemeyer - Son
Allies[]
- Adrian Monk - Best Friend and Former Partner
- Randy Disher - Close Friend and Former Partner
- Sharona Fleming - Close Friend
- Natalie Teeger - Close Friend
- Benjy Fleming
- Gail Fleming
- Molly Evans
Enemies[]
- Ethan Rickover (deceased)
- Joey Kazarinsky (deceased)
- Frank Nunn (deceased)
- Maria Beecom - Ex-Girlfriend (incarcerated)
- Dale J. Biederbeck III (incarcerated)
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
- “Captain Stottlemeyer: It's either (a) the blind woman who has zero motive or it's (b) your friend the red-headed stranger.
Randy: Who had motive, means, and opportunity, and was identified by the only witness at the scene.
Captain Stottlemeyer: A or B, Monk.
Monk: I think it's C.
Captain Stottlemeyer: What the hell is C?
Monk: I don't know yet.” - ―Stottlemeyer, Randy and Adrian
Trivia[]
- Stottlemeyer has been married 3 times.
- By 2023, Leland retired as the Captain.
- In the first two seasons, Stottlemeyer usually didn't like contacting, Monk and didn't understand why he still grieved about Trudy for twelve years. However he doesn't mind contacting Adrian in Season 3 due to Leland once nearly losing his wife Karen and having her again made him finally understand why Adrian still kept a bond with Trudy long after her death.
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