What everybody at imdb seemed to miss was the political content. It was back when there was tremendous grassroots political stuff going on in Toronto, and the show reflected some of it. I particularly remember a show about the blockbusting that was happening -- a developer had bought up a block of rooming houses, and coerced one of the residents (a vulnerable immigrant) into terrorizing the other renters who refused to move out. I don't remember any guns being involved.
One where there was a gun ... I forget the storyline, but the climax came when the member of the public involved was being held by a guy with a gun to her head. The cops had their guns aimed at him but of course it was too dangerous to shoot. So she stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut and got away. Okay, maybe not the wisest choice, but it was a woman looking out for herself and not waiting to get rescued, somewhat unusual 30 years ago.
But my favourite was when one of the detectives was standing on Yonge Street with a victim of a purse-snatching, I think it was, and the purse-snatcher sped by on his bike. The woman said "That's the one, the vicious little turd!" and the cop grabbed a bystander's bicycle and said "police business!" and took off after the perp.
One night years later when the show was in perpetual midnight rerun on some US network, I was staying in the Algonquin Hotel near the train station in Toronto (a sort of landmark shabby hostelry that seems to be gone now). I'd been at a meeting of a committee I'd been appointed to having to do with police oversight. 
I was indulging in my hotel ritual: a bottle of wine and a big old submarine sandwich. Suddenly there was a knock at the door -- my door. Except the knock happened on television, not in the moment. They had obviously used the Algonquin for location shooting -- the door on TV was actually my room door, no doubt about it, turquoise paint, brass number and red carpet, but it opened to an apartment set, not my room. I was very confused for a minute there.
Complete with 80s hair. If you liked Homicide, you'll recognize Meldrick (Clarke Johnson).
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