 At the 74th Preceint in South Brooklyn, a typical day begins with a sudden bloodbath when a deranged gunman opens fire on policeman and random civilians outside the station, killing and wounded several before being wounded and taken into custody where he dies from his wounds. Because of the nature and race-related killings (the shooter, DuShawn Hopkins, is black and all the victims were white) prompts the killer s civil activist/black racist sister to team up with a local fanatic civil rights preacher to insist to the precinct commander, Captain Zerola, that an investigation be launched to find out who "murdered" Hopkins. Patrol Sergeant Francis Donovan, tries to keep the situation together while consulting Officer Ann-Marie Kersey who s detective boyfriend was one of the victims. Unknown to everyone, Donovan is revealed to be an informant for the hated Internal Affairs Bureau over some past issues involving his father. Meanwhile, the new transfer, Officer Phil Roussakoff, is partnered with the good-natured Officer Jimmy Doyle to located a second shooter who intervened during the shootout. At the same time, Doyle, who lives with his younger sister Kathleen and brother Terry, is overjoyed with Terry announces that he s joining the police academy to follow in his brother s and late father s footsteps. Kevin Patrick, another officer who was shot in the back during the opening shootout, is comforted by Jimmy Doyle at the hospital when it appears that he might end up paralyzed below the waste. Elsewhere, the hot-tempered veteran Offiver Jake Lowery deals with his difficult job and his troubled home life involving his contemptuous, highly strung-out wife Yvonne. Tough-as-nails Officer Nona Valentine is also affected by events as well as her former boyfriend, traffic cop Clement Johnson, while rookie newcomer Hector Villaneuva is assisted by Donovan during his first week on the job.