Precinct Captain Furillo tries to defuse a hostage situation despite the advice of his gung-ho Emergency Action Team leader and the temperament of a self-absorbed gang leader; public defender Joyce Davenport tries to find a client who has been lost in the bureaucratic maze; Detective LaRue gets a lapful of coffee; Sgt. Esterhaus confides to Fay about his teenage sweetheart; Officers Hill and Renko are shot in the line of duty.
A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.
Precinct Captain Furillo tries to defuse a hostage situation despite the advice of his gung-ho Emergency Action Team leader and the temperament of a self-absorbed gang leader; public defender Joyce Davenport tries to find a client who has been lost in the bureaucratic maze; Detective LaRue gets a lapful of coffee; Sgt. Esterhaus confides to Fay about his teenage sweetheart; Officers Hill and Renko are shot in the line of duty.
Hill and Renko meet again for the first time since their shooting; Esterhaus tries to avoid Grace Gardner, the new police decorator; two transfer officers get themselves into trouble; Belker pursues rapists in the park; and Furillo must deal with Fay's demands for more money and an impending Presidential visit.
Hill and Renko decide to split up as a team; LaRue is offered a bribe by a drug dealer who turns out to be a cop; Furillo tries to negotiate with the gangs to ensure a peaceful Presidential tour; Belker agrees to a blind date; and Fay is arrested in a hot tub.
Furillo backs LaRue in the bribery case brought by Macafee; Hill and Renko bust a car thief who's a mechanical whiz; and Esterhaus sees Grace in a new light when they share a crisis at the station house when the Presidential visit is cancelled and gang revenge is feared.
Neal continues to investigate Macafee's life as a way of clearing LaRue; Belker and several others go undercover dressed as women to catch a rapist; Esterhaus broods over his two women; and Goldblume questions his ability after losing a jumper.
A television reporter rides with Hill and Renko; Washington and LaRue find the gun that shot Hill and Renko; and Belker busts Kevin Herman Dracula for biting a prostitute.
Hector Ruiz takes hostages again, this time at a supermarket; LaRue and Washington try to connect the gun that shot Hill and Renko with addict Eddie Hoban; and Cynthia Chase uses the hostage scene to stir up the local merchants.
Furillo gets orders to deal with a neighborhood merchants association; Esterhaus goes out to meet a criminal he helped put away; Harris and Santini get into trouble with the deadly black van; and Hoban's lie detector results are inconclusive.
The Dekker Avenue Merchants Association continues helping the police; Eddie Hoban finds himself out in the cold; Hill, Renko and Belker all have personal problems; Furillo tries to help a confused Santini decide what to do; and LaRue asks Cynthia Chase along on a dull stakeout that suddenly heats up.
Renko gets put out when a Division homicide detective ridicules his efforts to learn who killed a 15-year-old prostitute; Furillo learns that he may be in line for a promotion to commander; LaRue and Washington have a surprise for Hunter during his annual Alligator hunt in the city sewers; and Fay asks Furillo's help with an obscene phone caller.
Furillo's chances for promotion are threatened when a city councilman is implicated in the murder of the teenage prostitute; LaRue continues to look for money for his ""saloondramat""; Fay's obscene caller breaks into her home; and Belker confronts an anti-Semitic cop just transferred to the Hill.
Furillo pushes the investigation of Councilman McAuley; LaRue's business dream comes to a bitter end; Lt. Hunter gets his chance to test out an ""urban tank"" in sniper alley.
Esterhaus faces immense pressure as his wedding day to Cindy dawns and Grace shows him what he's giving up; Furillo resents providing protection for Ralph Macafee, who's now a state witness; Belker busts an entertaining professional cat burglar; and everyone scrambles to get ready for the wedding ceremony.
Furillo and Neal go out of their way to help clear an obnoxious, racist narcotics detective accused of shooting an unarmed black man; LaRue's drinking gets really out of hand; and Hill and Renko try to help a young black woman accused of neglecting her children.
Furillo and Neal go out of their way to help clear an obnoxious, racist narcotics detective accused of shooting an unarmed black man; LaRue's drinking gets really out of hand; and Hill and Renko try to help a young black woman accused of neglecting her children.
Neal continues to investigate the Weeks shooting, despite pressure from the Chief to drop it because of the bad publicity; LaRue goes from one shady scam to another as he tries to raise money; Belker's sham fence operation nets a surprise; Shirrett Anders leaves her children again; Furillo warns LaRue to get help for his drinking problem after he ruins a drug bust; and Joe Coffey, Lucy's new partner, is shot.
Neal continues to investigate the Weeks shooting, despite pressure from the Chief to drop it because of the bad publicity; LaRue goes from one shady scam to another as he tries to raise money; Belker's sham fence operation nets a surprise; Shirrett Anders leaves her children again; Furillo warns LaRue to get help for his drinking problem after he ruins a drug bust; and Joe Coffey, Lucy's new partner, is shot.
