Ep 12. Milestones

Frank Reagan, the New York City Police Commissioner, starts off in his office looking over his schedule for the upcoming week. One of his aides walks in and questions whether or not his schedule might be too light as there aren't many events on it. Frank insists that he is okay with it, but his aide presses him and argues that they need to schedule more events if Frank wants to keep the people of New York City happy and reassured that their police force is strong.

Meanwhile, Detective Danny Reagan, Frank's son, gets called to investigate a possible crime scene. He arrives at a remote location, and his partner, Maria Baez, is already there. They find a dead body - a long-time police informant - and start investigating the scene. Danny and Maria are shocked to find out that the local police department nearby had the victim on their radar, but they were not informed about anything. They soon learn that the police unit in that town had an ulterior motive for not sharing the information - they were trying to catch their own suspect.

Back at the office, Frank is visited by NYPD veteran Garrett Moore. The two men have a conversation about the lack of foot patrols in the city, and Garrett suggests that the department should organize a whole unit that focuses specifically on patrolling their beat. Garrett believes that the only way to connect with the citizens of New York City is through more personal and direct contact between the police and the people. Frank agrees to look into it, but he is hesitant about creating a new unit, knowing the potential for increasing the police budget.

Later that evening, the Reagan family gets together to celebrate Jack's (Will Hochman) graduation from the police academy. They invite police officer Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) who is dating Jamie Reagan, Frank's son, as well as Jack's girlfriend, Elizabeth. The conversation turns to Garrett and his suggestion, and Danny is quick to disagree with the idea of foot patrols. He argues that the police need to be more mobile and flexible, and that uniformity is not always the best plan. The family banters back and forth, sharing their own experiences and opinions, and soon everyone gets up from the table with plans to set things in motion.

At the precinct later that week, Danny and Baez receive a lead about the informant's death. They discover an attacker and set a trap to catch the killer. While they are staking out the location, Danny calls Maria in to talk to him about his own foot patrol experiences growing up in New York City. He reminisces fondly about how the beat cops knew everyone's names and how he felt more connected to the police as a result. Maria points out that the lack of resources was a problem then, and it is an even greater issue now. Danny sees her point, but still thinks that a new unit is not the answer.

Meanwhile, Frank meets with members of the city council to discuss the possibility of a new foot patrol unit. They argue about the cost, the resources, and the logistics, with the councilmembers suggesting that Frank should work on integrating current police officers into the existing beat. Frank is skeptical of their suggestions, believing a new unit will require specialized training.

Danny and Baez are still waiting for their killer to show up, and they finally get a breakthrough. They capture the killer and get a confession on tape before he is transported off to the precinct for questioning. Once they are back at the office, Maria suggests that they should look into the suspect's alibi to make sure that he wasn't working with anyone else. Danny agrees, but he still seems preoccupied about the idea of a foot patrol unit. Later, he approaches Garrett about his suggestion and admits that he doesn't think a new unit is the right answer. Garrett lets him know that he doesn't need to be the one to create it, but it should come from leadership within the department.

As the episode comes to a close, Frank is visited by his aide again, who informs him that many city councilmembers are still on the fence about the foot patrol unit. At the same time, Danny comes to see Frank with his own ideas about foot patrols. He admits that he may have been wrong about not needing one, and suggests a more community-based approach to policing the city. Frank is happy to hear Danny's suggestion, as it aligns with Garrett's original idea, and he starts to consider it.

Overall, "Milestones" is a well-paced episode that balances character development and crime investigation. The conversations about foot patrols and community policing give the episode a sense of relevancy and importance, while the case of the dead informant keeps the story moving. With an excellent cast and clever writing, this episode is a standout in a long-running series.