Jack Boyd, beloved police chief of Freeburg, has 180 days before he's forced to retire. But Jack won't be going out quietly. Over the next six months, he'll be going all out to fulfill a dream: earn half a million dollars, any way he can. That might be play money for a corrupt cop, but up until now, Jack has been playing by the book. Even with overtime, in six months he wouldn't make fifty grand. But a police chief has access to all sorts of… informal income. Bribes, weapons and drug sales, deals with the Mafia, skimming off the budget, kickbacks – you name it. And Jack is tired of playing nice. He's is ready for anything, but only you can decide how far he'll go.

Set in the fictional American city of Freeburg in 1985, This Is the Police is an adventure and management game that follows Jack Boyd, the city's aging police chief. After a corruption scandal involving his deputy tarnishes the department's reputation, the corrupt Mayor Rogers moves to force the sixty-year-old Boyd into early retirement, giving him just one hundred and eighty days left on the job. Facing an uncertain future, Boyd resolves to build a half-million-dollar retirement fund before his time runs out, all while quietly doubting he can raise such a sum through honest means alone. Over his final six months, the player manages the daily grind of running the force, dispatching officers to crimes, prioritizing emergency calls, and juggling limited staff and resources. Every decision carries moral weight as Boyd is drawn toward tempting but dangerous opportunities, including dealings with the local mafia, testing how far a weary lawman will bend the rules to secure his own future.