Mariska Hargitay doesn’t reserve her impressive detective skills for the TV screen — she also solves some cases in real life.
Recently, Date line NBC’s Andrea Canning joins Today show to discuss the latest episode Dateline True Crime Weekly and revealed that Hargitay, 60, had helped a Michigan prosecutor with thousands of sexual assault cases.
The Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star-funded prosecutor Kym Worthy on her way to solving thousands of cases. Worthy was the first to discover that more than 11,000 untested rape kits were sitting on a shelf in the evidence room. She took matters into her own hands and worked to test them all.
However, it took money to test all those sets, and as Canning said, “So who stepped in? None other than Law and orderis Mariska Hargitay.”
Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson. Virginia Sherwood/NBC Christopher Meloni writes a Season 5 episode Organized crime — and Mariska Hargitay will be a guest! (Exclusive)
Canning, 51, explained that the actress “helped them raise the money to make this happen.” As a result, thousands of cases were solved and 22 serial rapists were discovered.
The Date line the broadcaster also noted that Worthy and Hargitay’s work “is having a ripple effect across the country [and] it brings change everywhere – for police departments to prosecutors.”
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Kym Worthy in Detroit on April 7, 2021.
AP Photo/Paul Sancy
This isn’t the first time Hargitay has helped the real police. Earlier this year, in April, during the filming of one of the last episodes of the 25th season Law and Order: Special Victims Unitshe was approached by a little girl who, based on the badge she was wearing as part of her character’s outfit, believed that she was a real policewoman.
At the time, a witness told PEOPLE the girl was separated from her mother at Anna Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park and asked the actress for help. Hargitay complied and then stopped production for 20 minutes to help the child find its mother and to comfort them both.
The witness noted that the young girl was oblivious to the film crew and Hargitay’s partner in the scene, Ice-T.
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Ice T as Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
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The Dateline True Crime Weekly episode will air Thursday, August 15 on NBC. Law and order: SVU season 26 premieres Thursday, October 3 at 9:00 PM ET on NBC.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education