Ep 5. The Baby Broker

Barney Miller is a classic American police procedural television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The show is mainly about the everyday lives of the police officers assigned to this precinct, the 12th, and the various characters that they encounter in the course of their duties. Season 5 Episode 5, entitled "The Baby Broker," is an interesting episode about the illegal practice of buying and selling babies.

The episode opens with Detective Phil Fish (Abe Vigoda) bringing in a hooker named Nina to the station. But instead of her usual routine of soliciting clients on the streets, Nina reveals to the detectives that she has come to the station to turn in her pimp. She tells them that after having a baby with one of her clients, her pimp promised to help her find a good home for her baby if she gave it up for adoption. However, now that the baby is born, the pimp is pressuring her into giving the baby to a mysterious man who calls himself "The Broker" who sells babies for a living.

As Phil and Detective Janice Wentworth (Linda Lavin) investigate this lead, they find out that the baby is already missing, and Nina's pimp is the prime suspect. Meanwhile, since Detective Ron Harris (Ron Glass) is out sick with the flu, Detective Chano Amenguale (Gregory Sierra) takes over Ron's duties as the in-house valet for the station's captain, Barney Miller (Hal Linden). In the process of carrying out those duties, Chano finds out some of the darker secrets of the captain's respect for and love of his own car.

As the investigation into the whereabouts of the baby continues, the detectives discover that the "Broker" is an actual baby-selling ring and that they have to find and shut it down before any more babies fall victim to it. In the end, they succeed, with the help of a savvy informant who works in the baby-selling industry. Janice and Phil eventually manage to rescue the baby, and Nina goes to jail for her role in the illegal adoption scheme.

Overall, "The Baby Broker" is a fascinating episode that, whilst showing the inherent corruption that exists in society, also highlights the honesty and integrity of those charged with serving and protecting the people. Barney Miller is a great show, and this episode is no exception. Fans of the show will love this episode for its fast-paced storytelling, well-acted characters, and thought-provoking social commentary. It is an episode that is hard to forget and one that serves as a testament to the timeless appeal of this classic television series.