Small town guy John Nolan pursues his dream of being a police officer after a life-altering incident. As the force's oldest rookie he's met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as a walking mid-life crisis.
Talia forces Nolan to confront his personal moral inclinations after he encounters a kidnapping victim; Lucy is temporarily placed with a new training officer who tests her patience; and Jackson confronts his short-comings.
After Nolan and Talia lose control of a crime scene, they begin to debate whether people are fundamentally good or bad and what that means for a police officer. Meanwhile, Lucy is concerned Tim is enabling his wife's destructive behavior and not taking care of himself.
The rookies are temporarily paired with new training officers and Officer Nolan is paired with Officer Lopez. When Nolan and Lopez track down an escaped criminal, they discover a little kindness goes a long way. Meanwhile, Jackson is forced to face his fears when he is partnered with Officer Bradford, while Officer Chen and Nolan must face a hard truth.
Nolan, the rookies and their training officers get involved in a competition that pits them against each other, while Officer Lucy Chen notices Officer Tim Bradford is obsessed with winning at all costs.
The team must help capture a cop and his former mentor from the academy after he becomes a fugitive following an assault; Officer Tim Bradford needs Officer Lucy Chen to learn to predict the moves of criminals in order to capture them.
Sergeant Grey informs Officer Nolan and Officer Bishop that they are going to have a movie director as a ride-along; Officer Bradford learns that his wife has been arrested for drug possession.
Officer Nolan and Officer Bishop respond to a silent alarm call at a local convenience store where two men are attempting to rob the place. Officer Nolan pursues one of the suspects on foot and is forced to make a split-second decision that will affect both of their lives. Meanwhile, Officer Bishop helps coordinate a drug bust that hits a little too close to home for Officer Bradford.
Officer Bradford's wife, Isabel, is found shot but alive and he vows to track down the man responsible. Meanwhile, Officer Nolan must protect his home and the truth after a home invasion attack.
An unscheduled visit by the Vice President of the United States puts the station on high alert. The secret service tasks Officer Nolan and Officer Bishop with checking out a possible threat to the vice president while the rest of the team try to keep the streets clear and safe for his visit.
The most dangerous day of the year, Valentine's Day, has the team on high alert, and Officer Nolan invites everyone over for a party now that he is single,
When a prison bus crashes, some inmates face severe injuries while others seek an opportunity to flee; in the wake of the accident, officer Nolan tries to impress an FBI hostage negotiator while tracking down an escaped convict.
Officer Nolan gets a lesson in respect after his arrest of a gang member leads to a free-for-all on his life; officer Chen and Bradford pull over Mario Lopez, who thinks he can talk his way out of a traffic violation.
A massive earthquake rocks the city and throws everything into chaos; Russo recommends Officer Nolan for a protective detail of Brad Hayes, a man whose dealings have put a target on his head.
When one of their colleagues is arrested by Internal Affairs for lying on the witness stand, it leads to the release of three felons whose cases he worked on and the team being asked to check in on them now that they are free.
Sergeant Gray informs the rookies that they must track down a specific set of crimes in a 48-hour period in order to qualify for their final exam. Meanwhile, Officer Nolan and Officer Bishop answer a silent alarm call at will.i.am's house.
As the rookies prepare for a big exam to see who moves on to the next stage of training, Nolan and Bishop are called to the scene of a murder and learn that the victim may be tied to a potential terrorist attack on the city of Los Angeles.
