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When a female police detective, who is part of a homicide squad in Portland, Oregon, Rose "Phil" Phillips, is appointed as the Women's Coordinator, this bothers her male co-workers. But soon, these problems are eclipsed by something much more important, after her partner and friend, Detective Frank Fusco, disappears, which worries both his wife and daughter. Soon, Internal Affairs becomes involved in the case, led by a tough investigator, Detective James Vitelli.

With the death of LeBlanc and Fusco, and the arrest of a third police officer, the homicide division is understaffed. Phil is investigating the case of a possible serial killer who inscribes an odd symbol at his crime scenes.

When all the incriminating evidence appears to point to Judge Friedlander as the serial killer, Phil comes too close to fingering him, endangering both her career and her life.

A new detective, Beck, joins the squad, helping to increase their manpower.

Meanwhile, Shane Fusco's best friend is kidnapped from the park, where she and Shane were out for a walk. Phil becomes overinvolved investigating the kidnapping and questioning Shane about what had happened. She is helped in the investigation by Beck, who happens to be an expert in such cases.

Shane's friend, Rita, is found, but she has been murdered. A new detective from the squad, Papadakis, helps Phil and Beck investigate the murder. These events have caused a change in Shane's personality--she acts withdrawn and distant, from the world and from Phil, as well.

A husband is seen abusing his wife in the restaurant where Beck and Phil are eating. Phil threatens to arrest the man. Later the wife ends up dead and Phil is determined to get the husband for the crime.

When Phil goes after Garfield as his the killer of his wife, Phil's affair with Vitelli is leaked to the press and a police cover-up is alleged by the famous attorney, Martin Fox, who has been hired to defend the husband.

The negative publicity in the press results in a visit by Bob Phillips, Phil's estranged father.

Phil and the other detectives investigate, when a body is found in the debris of a warehouse that was torched. The main suspects are some street kids who live near the warehouse, especially one, called Johnny, who might have a history of previous arsons.

Also, a leak to the newpapers from the precinct is investigated by Vitelli and Lieutenant Schwarz's daughter has some surprising news.

When a pregnant woman is shot in a drive-by shooting, the only witness Phil finds, is a man who just happens to have a photographic memory, a man with mental retardation.

The evidence for the death of a businessman, who was killed by a shotgun while he was in bed, points to his daughter, who says that she was a victim of molestation by her father. The only snag is that that the daughter has no memory of the night her father was murdered.

A female cop files a sexual harassment claim against a city official and Phil gets involved in the case. When Internal Affairs investigates and Phil is pulled off of the case, it starts trouble between Vitelli and Phil.

Shane Fusco develops a crush on Doc after visiting the station.

When Phil and Beck investigate a Korean spa owner's homicide, racial tensions complicate the case, especially when they find out that the man had been buying up real estate in a mostly black neighborhood.

A priest who was convicted of manslaughter and has served his sentence, redeems himself by running a halfway house. Yet, he is one of the suspects in the homicide of a reporter for the newspaper.

In a brutal homicide, very similar to an unpleasant case he dealt with twenty-five years ago, Lieutenant Schwarz takes the investigatory lead. In the previous case, the suspect was released on a technicality.

A television reporter, together with her cameraman, annoys Phil and jeopardizes a murder investigation. To top it off, the reporter and her cameraman then end up as hostages for the main suspect in the murder.

When Phil investigates a gruesome murder of a school teacher who seemed demure, she discovers some surprising information about the teacher's personal life.

Phil has her hands full running the station in Lt. Schwarz's absence, while the detectives investigate the mob-style murder of a police officer, encountering FBI interference along the way. Meanwhile, Vitelli visits with his father.