Julius Root

Commander Julius Root was the commander of the Reconnaissance division of the Lower Elements Police. He was frequently angry, and when angry, his face turns red (thus earning him the nickname "Beetroot").

Relationships
He was often annoyed by many militiary personnel, especially Foaly the centaur (whom he could not fire, as Foaly's knowledge of technology is irreplaceable). At first, he seemed to dislike Captain Holly Short, although it's later revealed in The Time Paradox that he was just trying to induce in her a sense of discipline and respect for her commanding officers. In the first Artemis Fowl novel he was betrayed by his old friend, Briar Cudgeon, who desired Root's position. At first he despised Artemis Fowl and his accomplice Butler, but by the second book they had a certain respect for each other.

Physical Appearance and Personality
Root was a broad-chested elf with gray, buzzcut hair. He wore a required LEPrecon uniform with Commander Status gold acorns. Root smoked customary fungus cigars and had little sense of humor, though made (unintentional) dry-humored jokes (he hasn't laughed out loud in 200 years). Root, despite being a veteran of war and a commanding officer, was quite active in the series up until his death, and had shown skills for strategising and marksmanship. His favorite weapon was a tri-barreled water-cooled blaster, the most powerful production handgun under the world.

Artemis Fowl
Commander Julius Root was commander of the LEPrecon. He was harder on Holly Short because she was female, and thus all of Haven would be watching her, making her a 'test case'. When she was kidnapped by Artemis Fowl, he personally went after her. In the end, Holly escaped and a Bio-Bomb was released in Fowl Manor, but Artemis found a way to circumvent it by taking some sleeping pills to force him to change his state of consciousness, allowing him to slip back into real time and escape the blast.

The Eternity Code
Commander Julius Root plays a minor roll in The Eternity Code. He watches Foaly doing the mind wipe through communications.He appears on a screen when the group is getting together Fowl Manor.

The Opal Deception
Opal Koboi led Holly Short and Commander Julius Root into a trap. A bomb covered with stealth ore was strapped to Julius's Chest using octo-bonds, tightening and crushing him. Koboi informed Holly that there was a sweet spot on the Bomb. If Holly shot it, the bomb's circutry would be overloaded and it would not detonate. Otherwise, he would be blown up. Holly shot it, but Koboi had lied, and there was no "sweet spot". It was merely a trick to cause the LEP to believe Holly shot Root. The ensuing explosion incinerated Root and forced Holly to flee. Since they did not have any sound feed on their cameras due to Koboi's jammer, the LEP accused her of Root's murder. Root was eventually replaced with Ark Sool, and Holly resigned, believing it would do more good if not under command of him. Followed by which former Captain Trouble Kelp was appointed commander.

The Time Paradox
Following Root's death, Holly managed to get a chance to say goodbye to him in the past, thanks to Artemis, who was trying to make it up to her for accusing her of giving his mother Spelltropy. Root found it odd, but was touched by it.The lemur Jayjay (Julius Junior) was also named in his memory, because of his head fur that looked like Root's buzz-cut.