Police Story (Season 5)

Police Story is an anthology television crime drama. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. Scott Brady appeared in more than a dozen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots.

Trigger Point (Episode 1)
Air date: 1977-09-27
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Veteran Sergeant Wilson can't escape the burdens of being mother hen to, among others, a green lieutenant, an alcoholic superior, and an officer who's becoming dangerously paranoid.
Stigma (Episode 2)
Air date: 1977-11-09
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Manny Mandell, involved in a shootout with a fleeing felon in which his partner is fatally wounded, receives a Police Department medal as a result. The survivor's guilt is bad enough, but as a medal winner he finds the expectations overwhelming.
River of Promises (Episode 3)
Writer: Michael Mann
Air date: 1978-01-14
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Policeman Miguel Rataza works in area where illegal Hispanics encounter difficulties. Going undercover regarding green card scams and protesting unsafe conditions he finds himself falling in love with Rosalie, an undocumented worker.
Day of Terror, Night of Fear (Episode 4)
Air date: 1978-03-04
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Officer Ron Tice engages hostage-taker Richey Neptune in protracted negotiations, a task complicated by the fact that one of the five hostages is the Deputy Chief's daughter-in-law.
The Broken Badge (Episode 5)
Air date: 1978-03-19
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: IA Sergeants Bivins and Petrelli investigate the fatal shooting of a prostitute by a veteran beat cop with a history of bending the rules. The cop is then convicted and sent to the same prison that holds some of the men he sent there.
No Margin for Error (Episode 6)
Air date: 1978-04-30
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: A cop is consumed by guilt after innocent bystanders are killed in police shoot-outs.
A Chance to Live (Episode 7)
Writer: Larry Brody
Air date: 1978-05-28
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: The head of an undercover narcotics division assigns a young policeman to infiltrate a high-school drug ring.
A Cry for Justice (Episode 8)
Air date: 1979-05-23
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Police detectives investigate the shotgun shooting of a police officer.
Confessions of a Lady Cop (Episode 9)
Air date: 1980-04-02
Runtime: 120 min
Overview: Career and personal pressures bring a vice investigator to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
The Freeway Killings (Episode 10)
Air date: 1987-05-03
Overview: Police officers deal with personal and professional dilemmas as they search Los Angeles for a highway killer.