Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is now in its fifteenth season. The program has received numerous accolades from community-based organizations for the social issues it tackles, and cast members are frequently recognized for the work they do off-screen to promote personal health and safety and other volunteer efforts and initiatives. This hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC's "Law & Order" brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. Dedicated Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all, heads up the department with empathy and professionalism, all the while dealing with her difficult past - as a product of rape and a witness to her mother's grief, she can personally relate to each victim she tries to help.