Malloy and Reed see a man passed out in an alley and stop to lend assistance, deliver bad news to a young wife, apprehend a mentally ill man who then becomes uncontrollably violent in their patrol car, and respond to a robbery that needlessly becomes a tragedy. All along the way the officers have their every move second guessed by a pair of young, unethical freelance journalists who are determined to document police brutality.

Reed's wife is in the hospital expecting their first child, and Reed soon regrets his decision to report for work as usual. Out on patrol, they encounter a drunken man directing traffic, chase down a robbery suspect, investigate the theft of money from washing machines and become involved in a minor traffic accident that results in a major delay.