Ryan has been portrayed as one who meticulously "follows the book" and is loyal and devoted to his job. When he was kidnapped, tortured and held hostage by the Russian mob, he refused to help them and only capitulated when they extracted a tooth and then threatened to kill a child hostage. However, he has let his emotions interfere with occupational protocol on occasion; once, he shoves the officer forcing the eviction of a family from their home. The officer filed a complaint against him but Horatio convinces him to drop it and warned Ryan to keep an eye on himself. In "Man Down", he realizes who shot Eric and lashed out at the suspect so furiously during the interrogation that he had to be pulled away and reprimanded by Calleigh.