A hostage situation arises in Captain Furillo's precinct. Public defender Joyce Davenport is looking for her client, lost due to bureaucratic mismanagement. Officers Hill and Renko are shot in the line of duty. The audience is introduced to Belker's growling, and his mother. This episode was awarded an Edgar for Best Teleplay from a Series.

Goldblume goes undercover to solve a purse snatching and gets badly beaten, yet successfully apprehends the purse snatcher. Furillo testifies again before the Sullivan Commission and offers his resignation to Chief Daniels, who has clearly set him up. Daniels refuses the resignation and agrees to restore Delgado to 30 years service for pension purposes. Still successfully entrapping corrupt officers in South Ferry, the fake saloon is raided by armed robbers - but in the ensuing shoot-out, "Captain Freedom" is fatally wounded and dies in Belker's arms. After 30 hours of successful gambling, Bates loses out in the final game of the Tenth Annual Inter-Precinct Poker tournament.

Chief Daniels praises Mizell^[2] at his funeral, for the sake of his family, while preparing to act on the evidence of Mizell's widespread corruption. Councilman Detweiler threatens to expose Mizell's corruption - and corruption in the police force in general - but before he can act, he kills an old lady while driving drunk. Hill is naked on the doctor's table when his fellow officers burst in to arrest the doctor for fraud - much to their amusement. LaRue abandons his attorney, Wachtel, moments before Wachtel too is arrested on the same charge. Hunter proposes to his nurse girlfriend, but she (a Jewish woman) turns him down on grounds of religion. Fay Furillo's home is burgled. Bates and Coffey deal with a baby abandoned in the back of their patrol car.

Detective Arthur "Art" Bradley, who is homosexual, but married with children, is the only surviving witness to a mass-murder in a gay bar; much of the episode revolves around attempts by Washington and LaRue to cover for him, and his eventual decision to come forward formally as a witness. Goldblume becomes Fay's partner in natural childbirth classes, a horse-riding eccentric, the "Cisco Kid" (Martin Ferrero) causes problems, and Calletano finally passes a kidney stone (with a loud scream) during very hot weather, and a series of city-wide power cuts.

It is election day. Randolph Scripps, a late candidate, is creating more trouble than interest; Goldblume takes an interest. Daniels, expecting to win, offers to put Furillo forward as the next Chief. Deputy Chief Mahoney, overhearing, goes public with Daniels' and Furillo's roles in the failed Robson prosecution. Wachtel continues his comeback - still in women's clothes. Jimmy Robson's funeral takes place. Furillo spends time with Mike Perez Junior, the teenage son of Officer Mike Perez. Mike Junior has been bullied following Jimmy Robson's killing; Mike Senior remains in a psychiatric ward, traumatized by Jimmy Robson's death.

"Buck Naked" has his feature role as a witness against corrupt taxi operators. The judge unexpectedly overturns the decision of the jury, and Davenport implies to Furillo that she suspects the judge of corruption. An investigation into police corruption turns up evidence that, fourteen years prior, rookie patrolman Howard Hunter was coerced into being the "bagman" for two corrupt Midtown detectives. Furillo informs Hunter, who sinks immediately into depression, believing that he has disgraced himself and the police force. Also in this episode, Fay and Henry have a sexual encounter, Hill is victorious in a police boxing match, and Michael Conrad makes a short and shaky appearance at roll call, looking very drawn and unwell.

Honk, the "guard goose on the loose", is caught by Bates and Coffey, but executed in the station by its owner; Calletano and Schnitz make arrangements to salvage the "dark meat". Hunter appears at the stationhouse with powder burns, having failed to commit suicide (LaRue, seeing his depression, had put blanks in Hunter's revolver); Furillo uses a favor from Daniels to avoid an Internal Affairs investigation of Hunter, then confronts Hunter about his state of mind. Belker is devastated and blames himself when a man who uses a wheelchair that he had arrested previously dies after helping him to go undercover as a disabled person and make an arrest. In the middleweight boxing finals, Hill falls prey to a rope-a-dope and is felled with one punch. Judge Cole is arrested for corruption as it becomes clear that the corruption runs deep, possibly including the entire vice squad of Midtown Precinct. Belker and Tataglia's relationship continues to get more serious. Michael Conrad again appears only at roll call with slurred speech due to his worsening cancer.

Three "Russian" journalists from the Soviet Republic of Georgia (now the independent Republic of Georgia) visit the Hill, where one attempts to defect. It transpires that he and the female delegate are in a relationship which has been complicated by the advances of the third delegate, a KGB officer. The matter is resolved without international incident. Belker goes undercover with an ambulance crew, and strikes up an unlikely relationship with the ambulance driver (Bruno Kirby) arising at first out of a shared diet. A temporary freeze on promotions upsets Bates, who is still awaiting a vacant sergeant's post. A young man with mental instability who is shot by police leaves a dependent dog whom Bates adopts, ironically naming him "Sarge". Furillo spots Goldblume kissing Fay.

Sergeant Phil Esterhaus dies while making love with Grace Gardner, and Captain Furillo announces the death at Roll Call, shocking the officers. In a double blow for Leo, he discovers his wife to be having an affair. Belker is let down by his backup (Hill and Renko) on an undercover operation, and the city suffers multiple lawsuits in consequence. Coffey's girlfriend Sandy (Linda Hamilton) is raped by a man recently released from prison as a non-violent offender. Jesus Martinez trades information for the release of two juvenile Diablos. Fay Furillo is arrested for prostitution by Officer Pfiezer, much to his embarrassment. Lucille Bates is offered promotion to sergeant, and the opportunity to take Esterhaus' job as Desk Sergeant - a thought which scares her.

The previous episode's murdered call girl may yet be avenged thanks to the evidence of her "manager", until he too is executed in the station, by an assassin dressed as a police officer. The police chaplain leads a memorial service for Phil Esterhaus. Bates' promotion is announced, but her first roll call goes badly, particularly as she reacts to the stealing of the podium; nonetheless, she gains respect during the episode. Renko develops what may have been a hernia, lifting a heavy woman stuck in a bath. The overcrowding of cells continues. Esterhaus' ashes are scattered on the road, at the very center of the Hill, as he requested, by a nocturnal gathering of officers; a street sweeper then sweeps them away. Natalie DeRoy arrives - a new khaki officer to assist Leo Schnitz.

• Clarence Williams III of Mod Squad fame guests as Lester Menley; Edward James Olmos plays Judge Cruz.

Belker's recurring pickpocket is shot and killed - his real name finally emerging as James Logan; Belker reacts badly and breaks up with Robin, but she refuses to accept it. Fay and Goldblume also break up, but agree to remain friends. Deputy Chief Briscoe proves an annoyance to Furillo and Mayor Cleveland an even greater one, especially after Furillo is misquoted in the press over "Operation Stop and Cop", an operation Cleveland personally backed. The Mullins brothers appear - William is arrested and brother Timothy murders the key witness (Scatman Crothers). Joyce Davenport witnesses this murder but refuses to identify Mullins, fearing for her own life. Alan Wachtel becomes a judge, much to everyone's surprise. Cleveland refuses to believe Furillo was misquoted and threatens to make the captain pay for it. Bates misses the streets and the camaraderie with other street cops but Furillo encourages her and tells her it is time she put on her sergeant's stripes.

A genial census worker (Barry Corbin) is taken hostage and murdered, much to the dismay of his bodyguards, Hill and Renko, who were called away to back up other officers on the order of Deputy Chief Briscoe. Joyce Davenport agrees to testify against Timothy Mullins, but both brothers issue death threats against her. Furillo, most in need of his command to defend her, is relieved of duties by Chief Daniels on the orders of Mayor Cleveland. Cleveland is unhappy with Furillo's apology concerning his comments about "Operation Stop and Cop" and reassigns Furillo to command a task force at Division. Joyce accuses Furillo of failing to protect her, resulting in recovering alcoholic Furillo purchasing a fifth of Scotch. In the personal storylines, Renko's girlfriend Daryl Ann is pregnant, and Hunter dates both Bates and Fay Furillo, while looking for a partner - both turn him down.

In a packed episode, "Operation Stop and Cop" continues to claim victims as Pilsky is shot and killed by a fleeing suspect; her delay in returning fire was caused by her "officer-involved" shooting the previous day. Bates and Briscoe argue publicly when the Deputy Chief denies that he ordered Pilsky's deployment; her death also affects Hunter, who had planned a date with her. Washington surrenders a video tape to Calletano showing Chief Daniels having sex with a prostitute (see Episode 72 above); Calletano uses the tape as leverage to facilitate Furillo's return to command Hill Street. Washington, Garibaldi and Belker, with Goldblume's approval, follow William Mullins all day cutting off his access to drugs until he slips up: when he refuses to surrender after committing an armed robbery, he is shot dead by the detectives after firing at them. Renko proposes nervously to Daryl Ann. Jesus Martinez marries his pregnant girlfriend (avoiding a conviction for her, as she had threatened him with a gun). Furillo, narrowly avoiding drinking the alcohol he has bought, seeks out his AA sponsor - only to discover that the sponsor has returned to hard drink himself and is in denial about the consequences. The episode title comes from a minor storyline about a legal battle between a man whose genitals became caught in a whirlpool drain and the distraught therapist who didn't release the power switch until he was punched.

The title comes from Judge Wachtel's wig as he wears a wire to help the DA's office convict a group of Mafia-connected loan sharks. The Hill Street precinct is also targeting them (with Belker, Renko, and Hill undercover), as is the State Liquor Authority, leading to considerable confusion and a SLA bust that nearly collapses the entire operation. Garibaldi does some unofficial investigation to avoid being sued after he crashed without insurance - Washington assists him, successfully. Marcus Peabody, a former gang member, is accused of corruption and embarrasses his new employer, Mayor Cleveland, who fires him. Natalie continues to admire Leo and discourages his attempts to regain the affections of his wife. Hunter's proposed "Equine Rapid Development Force" is rejected under budget cuts, even though he had bought his own horse (Apollo) to save the city money. Exhausted over their jobs leaking into their private life, Joyce and Frank separate at her suggestion.

Lieutenant Calletano appears on the TV game show Lucky Ducks and does very well until he freezes on the question that would have guaranteed his winnings, losing everything. Peabody, back in charge of the Blood and seeking quick money to finance a gang war, approaches the group of Mafia-connected loan sharks which Belker has infiltrated. Peabody becomes too aggressive with the loan sharks, and they arrange to have him killed, leading to their arrests. Davenport's current client seems in a huge hurry to get through arraignment, which may mean he has an out-of-state record. Renko tries to marshal his wedding attendants - Hill (Best Man), Washington, Coffey, and Davis. At the rehearsal dinner, Darryl Ann's father is belittling of his daughter, the police, and especially Hill, whom he addresses by the epithet "boy". Lieutenant Hunter is increasingly worried about Apollo, his horse, who is seriously ill; the episode ends with Hunter settling down to a night in the stable with Apollo.

In a busy pre-titles opening sequence, the viewer is introduced to Sergeant Stan Jablonski (Robert Prosky), a 22-year veteran from the Polk Avenue Precinct; he has transferred after an altercation with female Lieutenant Vera Horvath (Sharon Barr), in which the latter was struck a blow, alleged by Jablonski to have been self-defense. Sergeant Bates returns to motor patrol as a street sergeant, explained by Jablonski as being an extra sergeant post created by "adding the Jefferson renewal to the Hill Street Precinct". The new Sergeant's catchphrase is heard for the first time: "Let's do it to them, before they do it to us". The sequence ends with Jablonski being knocked down by his nemesis from Polk Avenue, she having turned up at Hill street, despite being subject to psychological assessment and treatment. In the rest of the episode: Celestine Grey (Juney Smith) is to be executed for raping and murdering a nun (which he denies) (episode 3.1), resulting in much consternation; Goldblume's opposition is reported in the press. An all-night ordeal of robbery and torture leads to a war hero, Mr. Parsons, dying in hospital, while police comfort his widow. Belker is undercover at a seedy hotel. Fay Furillo starts full time at the station as a Victim Aid Counselor (also covering the Polk Avenue Precinct). An unfortunate couple from New York (Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry) are repeatedly robbed, but rescued by Bates and Coffey. An unusual man stealing ice cream is found to be preserving the body of his dead mother. Detective Mayo goes on a date with Furillo, although he turns down a proposed night together - luckily, as Davenport elects to return after their four-month separation and Laura Ann Renko (Andrew Renko's daughter) is born.

A man is found dead in an apartment with a sheep tethered in the bathroom, prompting bizarre speculations. The Reverend Booker Simons is murdered, but because his killer is also the only witness in a major anti-drug operation involving violent Colombians he is able to plea-bargain a greatly reduced charge when Fay leaks information to Simons' widow which is overheard by the suspect's lawyer, Joyce Davenport. Inspector Joe Keenan almost comes to blows with Frank concerning overlapping jurisdiction between the precinct and Special Narcotics. Jesus Martinez appears in a new manifestation as a paralegal aid to Attorney Brown. Prostitute Lotta Gue (pronounced "goo") has her third arrest for soliciting in 48 hours; but Lieutenant Hunter, who has developed a soft spot for her, lets her go.

Belker temporarily moves into Hunter's RV; new ADA Davenport faces opposition when she plans to prosecute three white teens for the vicious beating of a young black athlete; Furillo's car accident starts an investigation into illegal gun sales by Al DiPiano; and Mayo has a date with Chief Daniels.

• Jesse John Bochco, the real-life son of Barbara Bosson and Stephen Bochco, guests as Frank Furillo, Jr.^[4]

Belker's drycleaners undercover catches not only the corrupt Midtown detectives but also Dugan, who offers them Joe Keenan and a major ring of police corruption; Goldblume wrestles with Gina's estate and discovers he may inherit a fortune; Hill and Renko's duty of escorting "Officer McBear" turns out to be no walk in the woods; Furillo copes with the results of the random drug test.

At roll call, the entire cast appears to have been replaced; it is revealed that this is roll call of the night shift (Lawrence Tierney plays the roll call sergeant Jenkins), while the program then follows the nocturnal activities of the day shift officers. Renko bets LaRue that he has a better driving route to the station house, planning to use his winnings to pay for a backstage pass he has purchased to meet his favorite musician, Bobby Angel; unfortunately, his idol turns out to have feet of clay (or, in this case, cocaine). Belker spends the night undercover in a dumpster waiting to arrest a cat burglar, but receives bad news about his mother's death. Joyce and Frank attend a bizarre dinner party. Jablonski spends the night at home alone (except for his dog). Lucy has some ceramics fired by a charming, but married, pottery instructor (Harper), on whom she develops a crush. Bobby and Joe try to mediate an argument about a dog stuffed into a washing machine. Henry Goldblume, while trying to mediate a dispute with militant group S.O.I.L., is taken captive at the command of their psychotic leader (Yaphet Kotto).

Lieutenant Calletano is nominated to be Captain of the Polk Avenue Precinct. Lieutenant Buntz is transferred from the Heights to take his place, and he facilitates the departure of the current Captain at Polk Avenue to ensure he keeps his position. Furillo must mediate between Mayor Cleveland and his wife when their son, Lee, is arrested on a narcotics charge; he is also placed in charge of a special corruption taskforce by Chief Daniels. Hill and Renko try to mediate tensions between a Korean storeowner and his Black clientele. Belker's car is destroyed by a car bomb on the day his girlfriend, Robin Tataglia, discovers that she's pregnant. Garibaldi, deep in debt to a loan shark, considers going bad to cover his debts; he decides not to do the bidding of his new loan shark and is fatally stabbed.

A runner trying to raise money for cancer research is exploited by his coach; Garibaldi's death shakes the station house; Hill takes a direct interest in helping a black youth who robbed the Korean store get a job at the store; Furillo begins choosing personnel for the new commission on police corruption; the Lee Cleveland case comes to a tragic end and Mayor Cleveland comes to the end of his rope; Howard gets a shock from and about his latest love interest; khaki officers Leo and Natalie elope.

Lieutenant Buntz is introduced to a new partner, Detective Manny Rodriguez (Del Zamora). They arrest a criminal, handcuffed to a boiler room valve, who holds a key to Keenan's death as well as having been the man responsible for stabbing Garibaldi; the suspect is later shot while in station custody by Garibaldi's father. Belker, undercover at the bus terminal, is knocked out and loaded on a bus inside luggage. Hunter adopts a Shar Pei puppy and unwittingly joins a ponzi scheme.

Fabian has turned up unannounced to stay with Bates; Hill returns home with his father's body; Hunter hits his head falling into the station basement and begins hallucinating that he's being held prisoner on a Russian freighter; Buntz is unhappy at being involved by an ex-colleague in shaking down a loan shark; Furillo is approached by a politician who thinks he should stand for mayor; Sid the Snitch is given the task of delivering Belker and Robin's wedding present, who finally get married.

Belker goes undercover to expose a corrupt parole officer; Goldblume clashes with Furillo over Goldblume's attempts to use his position to delay demolition of some low-rent housing in his new neighborhood; Bates makes a deal with Vivian DeWitt to sign guardianship papers for Fabian; Jablonski tries to cope with a crew making a music video in the station house, while LaRue attempts to make a quick $100 by renting out Lt. Hunter's dog to the production crew as his own; comic relief in the episode includes a hefty man who sits on people, then demands to be paid to get up.

A prostitute accuses McBride of trying to blackmail her, and in the process of discussing the false charges with Bates, McBride confides that she is a lesbian;^[5][6][7] two new officers, Ron Lipsky (Chris Noth) and Michael Galva, are called to deal with a suicidal man; Ballantine's mental health problems continue; Furillo is courted by a group of men to run for mayor; Buntz has to decide what to do about his ex-partner Tommy Donahue, whom he suspects of murdering a fellow officer.

Hill and Renko rescue suspected multiple murderer and rapist Albert Sawyer (Paul McCrane) from a mob; a media and political circus ensues, with the arrest bringing out the worst in a lot of people; because of a mistake in judgement, Belker almost isn't there when Robin goes into labor; she delivers a healthy baby boy (whom they later name Philip, after deceased Desk Sergeant Esterhaus).

Hunter is demoted to Sergeant as a result of the Internal Affairs investigation, and Furillo convinces him to take over the Desk Sergeant position; with the public defenders on strike, the officers must use discretion in making borderline arrests as the station overflows with suspects; Belker finds the storeowner cashing the checks of the mugged senior citizens; while Belker tries to get the name of the criminal from the shopowner, LaRue reopens the store - acting as the storeowner - and catches the criminal when he comes in to cash another stolen check; the public defenders return to work after the cuts are rescinded; Jablonski undergoes successful bypass surgery.

Chief Daniels asks Furillo to intervene at the Polk Avenue Precinct, where racial tensions are simmering and Captain Calletano - derisively nicknamed "Captain Taco" by his officers (a nickname that first cropped up in episode 6.7) - has been unable to control the tensions, but Calletano denies there is a problem and vehemently resists help; Furillo looks on sadly as a brawl between white and black Polk Avenue officers erupts after a black officer is shot, and Calletano is unable to stop it; Internal Affairs is investigating Buntz after several people he has arrested have been burglarized while in custody; Buntz traces the burglaries to the man feeding names to Sid the Snitch, who has been forwarding those names to Buntz for arrest; Hill becomes a minor celebrity after catching a baby thrown from a fourth-story window.

Rene Enriquez (Captain Ray Calletano) returns to the opening credits; James B. Sikking (Sgt. Howard Hunter) now appears in the credits wearing his Desk Sergeant's blues instead of his EAT khakis. Added to the guest star credits (after the opening credits) is "Also Starring Jon Cypher as Chief Daniels".

After Captain Calletano loses command of Polk Avenue and is reassigned to Division, he threatens to go to the press; several Polk Avenue officers are fired outright or reassigned; Officer James Sanders is transferred to Hill Street and is treated as a pariah; a college friend of Goldblume turns vigilante, with fatal consequences for criminals, police, and ultimately himself; Renko's damaged car is stolen by a hood who offers to get him full replacement cost from his insurance; Renko backs out, and the hood returns his car; Buntz explains his hostility for Flaherty - Flaherty turned in his partner, an old friend of Buntz's; a hit man attempts to kill Sid, but Buntz kills the hit man instead; Jablonski asks to return to the police force.

Renowned mobster "Uncle John" Petruzzi is expected to be assassinated prior to going to jail; Russo is beaten and raped by her mobster "boyfriend" while trying to discover the location and time of the hit; Belker counsels Russo on how to be an undercover cop; LaRue and Washington arrest a purse snatcher who then confesses to several high-profile murders, but further research reveals that he has not committed the crimes; Furillo has to intervene to help Ray Calletano, who is testing Chief Daniels' patience to the limit, and Calletano decides to resign; Jablonski assists Belker on an arrest.

Grace Gardner, a character from the early seasons who dated Sergeant Esterhaus, returns as a nun planning outreach work on the Hill and Flaherty is assigned as liaison; Councilman Wade, out for personal glory, repeatedly jeopardizes the precinct's battle against drugs, shoots an unarmed juvenile dealer, claiming self-defense, and is arrested by Washington; Belker and Buntz (separately) are working on drug busts; Buntz is forced to delay his bust due to a lack of supporting officers and has his finger cut off in retaliation by the loan shark who bankrolled his buy; Jablonski is hoping to return to police work, but experiences a flare of his chest pain and is not cleared by the police surgeon; Goldblume has a new lady in his life: the producer of a TV talk show.

Councilman Wade attempts to derail Furillo's investigation of his shooting by revealing details from Washington's personnel file to the press to discredit the detective; Furillo and Washington discover the conspiracy that allowed Wade access to Washington's file, and Wade is arrested for the conspiracy; Grace Gardner's vocation is challenged by her attraction to Flaherty; Buntz chooses to be the one who arrests the loan shark who clipped his finger, but though he tries for a clean bust, the loan shark pulls a gun and Buntz is forced to shoot him; a literary agent, unimpressed by the manuscript of Goldblume's deceased friend, offers Goldblume the chance to write his memoirs.

Captain Furillo is advised that his father was shot and killed during a robbery; when he investigates and discovers that his father had a brain tumor and killed himself due to the pain, for his mother's sake Furillo disposes of the suicide weapon and uses his pull with the police to avoid having the case classified as a suicide; Belker - who has been suffering from nightmares regarding nuclear war - takes charge of an abandoned baby and then gets involved with the father's plight; a Korean restaurateur tows LaRue's car from his parking lot and LaRue retaliates by releasing rats in his restaurant and notifying the Board of Health.

Racial tensions escalate when a white undercover officer (Sam McMurray) shoots his black partner; Buntz has temporarily lost his sight and goes undercover with Belker, posing as a beggar; a store-owner causes disturbance by displaying Nazi artefacts in his store; enraged because he was made to look like a liar in front of his black officers, Furillo strong-arms Chief Daniels into an apology to them over the shooting incident--and gets unexpected help when detective Patricia Mayo storms into Daniels' office during their meeting and resigns from the force over Daniels' unethical police pressures to renew their personal relationship.

Jablonski, Renko and Hill go on a deer-hunting weekend; after being accosted by state troopers, breaking into the wrong cabin, and recalling war-time experiences, the weekend is cut short when Hill steps on a spike during the hunt; Henry Goldblume, who had planned to join them, is sidetracked by a speech to the Boy Scouts, an unstable woman who accuses him of raping her in the Captain's office, and a lack of money; he is then kidnapped by a serial robber who, upon learning that Goldblume is a police officer, forces him to dig his own grave before leaving in Goldblume's car; Officer McBride voices uncertainty and regret after shooting an armed robber, until Buntz mentors her.

A jealous Renko confronts his wife about her relationship with her business partner in her cookie-making company, and at the end of the episode, he sleeps with a classmate from night school; a Hill Street officer with limited fluency in Spanish shoots an innocent Hispanic when he doesn't understand what he's saying; Ray Calletano, now representing the Latin-American Coalition, threatens a lawsuit on the victim's behalf - until he finds out that Furillo would bear the blame; Flaherty's romantic involvement with Russo begins to interfere with work, resulting in Bates dressing down both of them after she is slashed due to Flaherty's inattentiveness; Goldblume finds his informant, who did indeed kill the head of the Blood, and is forced to kill him when he turns a gun on him; Belker, acting on a tip from a snitch, buys stolen credit cards, but is shot in his car in the final scene.

Belker survives the shooting and is rushed to the hospital with a bullet near his spine; Buntz brutalizes Belker's snitch to get the name of Belker's contact, who refuses to provide any information and is later found dead; Furillo, who is blaming himself for Belker's injury, takes Buntz off the case, but Buntz continues investigating anyway and finds a District Attorney's investigator with connections to the stolen credit cards, Belker's contact and Belker himself; the investigator kills himself when Buntz, LaRue, and Washington arrive to question him; Renko discovers the hard way that the night school classmate with whom he had his one-night stand is a hooker---who tries to blackmail him, and he and Daryl Ann part after he confesses to sleeping with his ex-classmate, nullifying the woman's blackmail attempt, and Daryl Ann confesses her own affair with her business partner; Flaherty and Russo also part company after a drugged Russo calls for another man; Sergeant Hunter is restored to his former rank of Lieutenant and resumes command of the EAT; Belker moves his hands and feet in his hospital bed, relieving his wife, Robin, and his colleagues.

The city is full of stunts after a radio station challenges citizens to commit "outrageous acts"; this includes gang members (one played by Cuba Gooding Jr) releasing a live piglet into the Hill Street squad room; with Hunter resuming command of the EAT, Bates resumes Desk Sergeant duties; Hill and Renko are assigned a new unit (2403), state of the art, and computer-controlled - with disastrous results, which include Renko inadvertently winning the radio competition when he accidentally causes the unit's computer to disrupt traffic lights along a fifty-block length of Dekker Avenue; Belker returns to the precinct intending to ease back into his work; Renko forgives Darryl Ann, who is still uncertain about forgiving Renko just yet; Jablonski's badge is found on an arrested prostitute, and Belker gives it back to Jablonski, who voices frustration that he could not prevent the theft; while investigating a possible Indian burial mound in a house's basement, Hunter and a friend are caught in a cave-in.

A famous American football player (Keenen Ivory Wayans) is arrested for soliciting, but his high-powered attorney and Chief Daniels intervene to reduce the charges and protect his reputation; given 20-1 odds against beating the department's four-time marksmanship champion, LaRue's syndicate bets $400 on Buntz, but Buntz loses by two points in the final round of competition; Furillo backs a loan for his brother, whose construction company is in debt after missing a completion date on a project; fears grow as Lieutenant Hunter fails to report for duty, and his former paramour Prunella returns from Samoa to search for him.

Lieutenant Hunter is found alive after 11 days, and it is discovered that his friend had been dead for a week, and - under a pact with Hunter - Hunter ate a portion of him to stay alive; Hunter discusses this with Furillo (who advises him not to discuss it) and Prunella (who leaves him); Lieutenant Buntz is accused of stealing a kilogram of cocaine from the suitcase in Episode 1; a box containing $17,000 (actually belonging to his late friend Donahue) is found in Buntz's apartment, leading Internal Affairs to suspend him; Grace Gardner returns to the precinct after having left the convent after finding her "concept of love" incompatible with chastity; she now works with a condom-distribution company and informs Furillo that the company installs machines free for law enforcement agencies, as "Our motto is the same as yours: To protect and serve."^[9] The sister of Jesus Martinez is apparently kidnapped shortly before her wedding to a member of the Gypsy Boys; when it is discovered that she actually loves a member of the Shamrocks, Jesus gives his blessing for them to be married; LaRue narrowly escapes death and rides a rollercoaster of emotion, finally breaking down sobbing in Washington's arms.

The final episode. The Hill Street stationhouse is gutted by fire, though the basic structure still stands; Lieutenant Buntz, Captain Furillo, and Sidney Thurston investigate the case against Buntz and uncover a plot to frame Buntz, in which Internal Affairs investigator Lieutenant Shipman is implicated; fearing that Shipman will flee prosecution, Buntz takes matters into his own hands and holds Shipman at gunpoint, and both are arrested: Shipman for the cover-up and Buntz for carrying a gun while suspended; when Chief Daniels announces publicly that he intends to have Buntz fired, Buntz punches the Chief in the face (a development that TV critic Ron Miller called "marvelous" in a column bidding farewell to the series);^[9] Goldblume works with a Division investigator and a prostitute to locate and arrest a notorious serial killer; Belker finally addresses his late mother's possessions; Sergeant Bates and Sal the plumber finally have dinner together, with perhaps a hint at a relationship developing; Buntz leaves the fire-damaged station in the final scene, but the last words are spoken by a constant, but low-profile, character — the night shift desk sergeant (Lawrence Tierney), who answers a ringing telephone, and states the final words of the series: "Hill Street".