The Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of a place everyone calls "Cop Land" - a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he's long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town's peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
Policemen have always been the idols of Freddy Heflin. Due to being slightly deaf, Heflin could never pass the physical to become a police officer himself. However, because of his friendly, amiable nature, he's managed to get himself elected Sheriff of a small New Jersey county outside of New York City, and he lives in a town where many NYPD cops also live. Mo Tilden is an Internal Affairs investigator for the NYPD, and his investigation of some crooked cops leads him to this small town, and to Sheriff Freddy Heflin. Heflin begins to help Tilden, and discovers that some of his heroes may have feet of clay...—Afterburner <[email protected]>
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey, a small town that many NYPD officers call home. But when an officer is responsible for a violent incident involving a civilian, he leads his own investigation and uncovers a racially-charged conspiracy within the NYPD.—Marcos Eduardo Acosta Aldrete
A film about the duties (or lack thereof) of Sheriff Fred Heflin of a small New Jersey town occupied exclusively by police officers from New York City-the place Freddie wishes he was employed. His job is to look after the menial police tasks while the residents make and break the law as they see fit. The film progresses and Freddie develops a sudden motivation to do the right thing and become the legitimate law in town. An idea which meets with opposition.—Anthony Nalli <[email protected]>
In the fictional town of Garrison, New Jersey, located across the Hudson River from New York City near the George Washington Bridge, a number of residents are NYPD officers. Local sheriff Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) is secretly in love with Liz Randone (Annabella Sciorra), whose life he once saved after a car accident. Her rescue cost him the hearing in one ear and made him ineligible to become a New York City cop, as so many of his peers did, including Liz's abusive and unfaithful husband Joey Randone (Peter Berg).
One night, Murray "Superboy" Babitch (Michael Rapaport), nephew of Lt. Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), leaves a bachelor party at Scores in Manhattan, driving over a discarded beer bottle. He's driving across the George Washington Bridge when his car is sideswiped by a couple of African-American teens. Babitch attempts to force them to pull over. The passenger points what Babitch thinks is a weapon and then the front tire of his car suddenly goes flat. Believing they have fired at him, Babitch shoots back. In an ensuing accident, Babitch collides with their car. Both of the teens are dead from the shots Babitch fired.
During the ensuing investigation at the scene, Jack Rucker (Robert Patrick) is caught trying to plant a weapon in the teens' vehicle to justify the shooting. One of the paramedics seizes the gun from Rucker and tosses it over the side of the bridge. A brief fight breaks out but is quickly broken up.
Worried about the repercussions on his career of having shot unarmed black teens, Babitch is persuaded by Donlan to fake his suicide. During the tussle over the planted gun, Ray pretends that Babitch has jumped off the bridge. Other corrupt police officers, including Detective Leo Crasky (John Spencer) and Frank Lagonda (Arthur Nascarella), fear that Babitch will resurface and testify about their corruption to Internal Affairs.
While on radar patrol with his partner Cindy Betts (Janeane Garofalo), Ray zips by their position at about 70 mph. They pull him over, with Ray trying to muscle his way out of a speeding ticket with Betts, saying that he's above receiving a traffic citation. Heflin agrees to let him go but as Ray zooms off, Freddy sees Babitch stick his head up in the back seat.
Internal Affairs investigator Lt. Moe Tilden (Robert De Niro) asks if Heflin will provide information on the corrupt cops who live in his town. Heflin is intimidated by the New York City cops and is reluctant to betray them, derailing Tilden's case. Superiors in the department, related to the corrupt cops, order Tilden to shut down the investigation.
Although the Babitch cover-up appears to be initially successful, Ray is told by Patrolmen's Defense Association President Vincent Lassaro (Frank Vincent) that without a body, the case will not stay cold. Ray reluctantly decides that his nephew must be killed. During a loud party held by Ray at his house, Babitch is tipped off by his aunt Rose (Cathy Moriarty). Ray, Jack and Frank try to drown Babitch in Ray's hot tub. Babitch, grabbing a pistol he'd hidden in his waistband, fires off several shots just as Joe Randone, arriving at the party late, hears them. Babitch flees in to the night and goes to Freddy's house looking for help, but when he sees Freddy's friend (and fellow NYPD cop) Gary "Figgsy" Figgis (Ray Liotta), he flees. Later at the bar the police all hang out at, Joey disagrees with Ray over his plans to find & eliminate his nephew.
Later that evening while on patrol, Joey Randone gets into a fight with a violent suspect and is thrown off a rooftop. While he is clinging to an TV aerial and calling for help. Donlan sees him and, out of payback for Randone carrying on an affair with his wife, closes the door to the building's atrium and deliberately stalls, trying to pick the lock as the other officers arrive to help. By the time the squad gets to the roof, Randone has fallen to his death.
When Freddy realizes his mistake, he visits Tilden and is angrily told that the case was blown by his failure to cooperate sooner. As he leaves, Freddy sees a number of NYPD case files on the corrupt cops and steals them. He studies the files and realizes the extent of his friends' corruption. Deputy Cindy Betts decides to leave Garrison, frustrated by the New York City cops having turned the town into their own personal fiefdom.
Freddy returns home to find Figgsy packing to leave, not wanting to be further involved. Freddy finds out that Figgsy burned down his own house for the insurance money, accidentally killing his crack-addicted girlfriend Monica (Mel Gorham). Heflin manages to convince Rose to reveal where Babitch is hiding in the town's water tower, then takes him to Garrison's jail. Heflin generously permits Deputy Bill Geisler (Noah Emmerich), who is nervous about protecting Babitch, to go home and take care of his pregnant wife. Heflin attempts to bring Babitch to New York City to turn over to Tilden, but Lagonda, Donlan and Rucker ambush him. Rucker cruelly fires a gun next to Freddy's good ear, deafening and disabling him. Babitch is taken, presumably to be killed.
On foot and almost totally deaf, Heflin follows them to Donlan's house, where he quickly gets into a gunfight with Ray's man. Heflin kills both Jack and Frank. Heflin is then shot in the shoulder by Leo Crasky, but is saved by the arrival of Figgsy, who kills Crasky. In the house, Babitch is trying to escape through a window. Donlan sneaks up behind Heflin, but before he can fire, Figgsy shoots. Barely hearing the shot, Heflin turns and shoots. As Donlan lies dying on the floor, he mutters obscenities, to which Heflin replies simply: "I can't hear you, Ray."
Figgsy and Heflin personally take Babitch to New York City and to Internal Affairs, refusing to allow any other cop to assist them. Tilden takes their prisoner into custody. After the scandal has been investigated and indictments handed down, Heflin, who has recovered hearing in his good ear, ends up looking at the New York City skyline from across the Hudson River. Deputy Geisler notifies him about a jack-knifed truck and Freddy goes back to work.
