Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 15, Episode 11 - Amaro's One-Eighty - full transcript

NARRATOR: In the
criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses are
considered especially heinous.

In New York City,

the dedicated detectives who
investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

How much longer, La Hoya?

You know we due at Liv's.

You can go on ahead.

Nah, I'll chill.

How many more times do we got to
celebrate this damn sergeant's exam?



Hey, she earned it.

I don't like it.

You know, they're not
gonna let her supervise us.

That means she's
gonna be transferred.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Rollins.

Would you do the honors?

You mean pour? Yeah.

Oh, wow. Brussels
sprouts were delicious.

You know, I'm glad that
somebody thought so.

I mean, these cops...

If it doesn't come in a
take-out container, it's not food.

Oh. Well, you're very
sweet to invite me.

Where's Brian tonight?



He's undercover. Again.

Well, he was there
for you during the trial.

And that's what counts.

Yeah.

FIN: Keep it coming, girl.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mmm-hmm.

That's what I'm talking about.

How long we have to stay here?

Just let me make a toast, Fin,

and then you can rush home to

whatever it is you
rush home to. Oh.

No, I'm good. Want some more?

Nick, come on. Don't you
get tired of being the choir boy?

Choir boy.

Good.

(CLEARS THROAT) Okay, everybody.

Um... All right, now.
Come on. Listen up.

I know that, uh,

everybody's been worried
about all the changes at 1PP.

The new mayor has his agenda,

but we don't make the
rules, we follow them.

Is this a toast or a memorial?

(ALL LAUGHING)

And the good news
is that so many people

are leaving the
department because of, uh,

these changes

that 1PP can't spare a
new sergeant for our unit.

So, they have agreed
to let Detective...

I mean, Sergeant
Benson, stay on at SVU.

NICK: Sweet. FIN: Okay.

Beautiful.

Hallelujah.

Congratulations.

FIN: Congrats.

Sarge.

FIN: I'll drink to that.

You drive?

Yeah.

Can I drop you somewhere?

Just the F Train, on Sixth.

That okay? Yeah, sure.

(INHALES DEEPLY)

So, Liv's our new sarge.

That's cool.

Better than having to teach
some baby-faced boss the ropes.

Mmm. They gonna
give you a new partner?

Ah. How would I know?

No one tells you
anything. It's the NYPD.

I know, right? "Never
Yielding Perpetual Dickaround."

I hadn't heard that
one. You make that up?

OFFICER: Police! Stop!

Stop! (TIRES SCREECHING)

(GRUNTS)

(HONKING)

Hey! Hey, hey! (OFFICER GROANS)

NICK: Are you all right? Stop!

What's going down? That
kid. We saw him do a deal.

I think he's got a gun.

Okay, call it in. I'll
back up his partner.

No, I'll go. I'll go.

Wait. You saw a gun?

My partner did.

ROLLINS: 10-13. Officer injured.

We're on the 500 block
of West 55th Street

and we've got a
plainclothes officer in pursuit.

Perp may have a gun.

NYPD! Which way?
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

MAN: That way!
He didn't do nothing.

NICK: Move!

Drop the gun and
kick it to me now!

(BOY SPEAKING FRENCH) (BANGING)

What do you got?
Suspect has a gun.

End of the hall. Alone?

Backed up against the last door.

I saw him reach in his
jacket and I took cover.

(BOY SPEAKING FRENCH) (BANGING)

I said drop the
gun! Kick it away!

(BOY SPEAKING FRENCH)

Shut up and just drop the
gun! He doesn't speak English.

Leave that boy alone.

I said back out now.

Get her out. I'm going in.

No, wait. Stop!

(GUNSHOTS)

(OFFICER GROANS) (GUNSHOTS)

Stay down. OFFICER: I'm hit!

Aah.

Come on. Come on.

(GRUNTS)

You okay?

I'm shot.

What the hell
happened? She's shot.

All right. Keep
pressure on it, okay?

She's all right.
Backup's coming.

WOMAN: Yusef. (MAN
SPEAKING FRENCH)

Give me your hands
where I can see them.

Mains. Show me le mains. Mains.

Get your hands up!
Get your hands up!

Hands up!

(WOMAN CRYING) Ma'am.

NICK: Secure the
gun. Ma'am? Over here.

NICK: Secure the gun.

ROLLINS: Get your hands up!

Where's the gun?
Where's the gun?

I don't see it.

Sucking chest wound. Call it in.

(MAN SPEAKING FRENCH)

Search the apartment,
the stairs, the streets.

We are missing a gun.

Bag his hands for
G.S.R. He just shot a cop.

Come on, come on,
come on. Let's go.

WOMAN: Nice triage.

You saved his life.

What is that?

It just fell out of his coat.

It's khat. East
African amphetamine.

Somali pirates use it to
make themselves fearless.

That's why he ran,
why he had the gun.

No. With that amount,
small time dealer.

Who's the other shooter?

I am.

Captain Howard, we've
met. Detective Amaro, SVU.

I'm Detective Rollins.

You saved my guys. Thank you.

I didn't know that SVU
was working my precinct.

We're not. We
came upon the scene.

We saw Officer
Dragin get hit by a cab.

Officer McKenna gave chase.

Uh, I ran to back her up.
She rushed in, got shot.

And I fired to cover
her. How is she?

Lost some blood. She'll be okay.

I hate to ask, but I'm
gonna need your weapon.

You know the drill. You'll
be escorted to the hospital.

Complete workup, blood alcohol.

It was a good shoot.

Kid was armed,

find the weapon.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Nick. Nick.

You okay? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Blood's not mine.

What happened?

Rollins and I ran into a mess.

Uni chasing a dealer.
He shoots her, I shot him.

Lucky for her you were there.

Where is Rollins?
Doing a grid search.

Gun's still missing.
Somebody may have dumped it.

Precinct captain arrive yet?

Yeah, Captain Howard.

That's my old
lieutenant from narcotics.

That's good. We know her. Okay.

Even so, Amaro, don't
say anything to anybody

until your delegate shows up.

Come on. I'm going
to the hospital with you.

You two stay. Find
that gun. Come on.

I had to shoot. She was down.

You don't need to
explain it to me, Nick.

In fact, you might not want to.

Nothing's privileged.

I'm not sure that
boy's going to make it.

Let's let the doctors
worry about that.

(GRUNTS)

(SIGHS)

HOWARD: Fin. FIN: Captain.

Detective. Hey.

Wow. What, the
whole squad show up?

We were with Amaro and
Rollins before the incident.

So, you didn't actually see
the chase or the shooting?

No. All right, good. Then,
I can put you to work.

I speak some French. I
can talk to the parents.

No, the translator's
on its way. Thanks.

Okay.

You guys can't be
primary investigators.

But while we're waiting on warrants,
you guys can canvass for the gun.

Hey. Big problem.

A window is open.
And it looks like

there's an older
brother that's missing.

Yeah. Berko Barré.

Seventeen. He's got a sheet
for peddling without permits,

dealing khat.

Well known to my squad.

It's a couple of stories down.

He went out the
window with the gun?

NURSE: You'll just
feel a stick. NICK: Yeah.

Detective Amaro. Didi
Denzler, your delegate.

That the tox screen?

It's okay. Look, I... I
just had a couple of...

Nurse, hold off on that.

I need to take his blood.

It's police business.
Confidential.

Technically, nothing you
say to me is privileged.

But if we're alone,
that's less of an issue.

It was two glasses of wine.

Did you eat dinner tonight?

Not a lot.

And I worked out earlier.

Why don't we review the process?

Number one, you should speak to
the department psychologist ASAP.

Hey, you know, let her
take my blood. I'm fine.

As I was saying, psychologist.

For now,

we go over all the details.

And we pray that
somebody finds that gun.

And that the kid lives.

He's what, 16?

They're claiming 14.

Captain. Tucker. Brian.

27's got this under control.

Not anymore.

The new mayor and
his commissioner

believe only IAB can conduct

an independent investigation.

Really? Is that
anytime a cop fires,

or only when a teenage
black kid gets shot?

That's a good question.

Brian, you here as a friend?

He's on duty.

Cassidy's training at IAB now.

This will be his
chance to show me

he can conduct an
unbiased investigation.

I'm just here to do my job.

You do know what that means.

Our new mayor is looking for a
poster boy for excessive force.

IAB is here to serve up

Amaro as the sacrificial lamb.

The only one who was
sacrificed was Yusef.

Reverend Curtis, that was quick.

Word travels fast when the
NYPD shoots an unarmed boy.

Yeah, Reverend,
you can dial it back.

We're still trying to
determine what happened.

We know exactly what happened.

You can't stop
and frisk anymore,

so now you shoot to stop.

This was not racially motivated.

I thought we hadn't yet
determined what happened.

Yeah, the whole city is
watching you and the mayor.

He wants to see if you'll whitewash
this shooting like all the others.

Reverend,

I wouldn't waste
your time with us.

The, uh, cameras
are down the hall.

What's going on? How's Amaro?

I don't know. Liv,
I'm here as IA.

Oh.

So, we can't talk.

Okay.

So, we're good to go?

You got my card.

I'm your delegate 24/7.

You need a lawyer.

We've got it covered.
Thank you so much.

The other cop's okay?

She's fine, but it's
a circus out there.

IAB, press, Reverend Curtis,

enough brass for a band, so...

I'm gonna get you
out the back door.

You're here. So,
they found the gun.

No.

The older brother's
still missing.

Well, how's the boy?

You saved his life.

Oh, so he made it. Yeah.

(SIGHS)

Except one of the
bullets hit his spine.

Doctors don't know
what that means yet.

Yeah, they do.

Kid may be paralyzed.

Doctor said Amaro
saved his life.

Yeah, family may
not see it that way.

Yusef, does he at
least have a record?

No, minor busts.

Street peddling
native art from Djibouti.

But his brother Berko, he's
the bad apple. Assaults, dealing.

So, Yusef was working for
his brother, holding the gun,

saw the cops, bolted.

Problem is, the only person who saw the
gun so far was the female uni, McKenna.

I mean, we did a grid
search for two blocks.

We got warrants on
the neighbors. Clean.

His brother took it.
Find him, find the gun.

If he's stupid. Or we're lucky.

He's a dealer. He
has known associates.

Put some pressure. Unofficially.

I paralyzed a child, Father.

I heard.

That guilt must be a burden.

No.

No, that's the thing.

According to my training, I did
everything the way I was supposed to.

And according to
your conscience?

Tell me why you feel guilty.

Was there hatred
in your heart? No.

I was trying to protect
the other officer.

Then why do you feel guilt?

I had a few drinks.

And this affected what you did?

No.

But they'll think it did.
They'll say I shot him

because I was impaired,
or because he's black.

So, it's your pride
that's wounded.

I did everything right.

And yet, God didn't give you

the result you
expected or deserved.

God planned for me
to paralyze Yusef?

No one knows God's plans.

Maybe one lesson

you can learn from this

is why pride is a sin.

Officer McKenna, good
to see you up and around.

I was just grazed.
My first time.

Yeah, it's tough.

And now, all the questions.

My delegate told
me not to answer.

The thing is,

IAB's going after Amaro hard.

They think it was his
gun that shot Yusef.

FIN: And the kid's gun is gone.

You did see it in his hand.

When he was making the
deal, I saw a flash of metal.

Then, in the hallway, I got
hit by a bullet that he fired.

What did you see after that?

I kept my head down until
Detective Amaro pulled me to safety.

Maybe the woman with the cell
phone got something as we ran in.

What woman? I don't know.

Middle-aged, cop hater.

Detective Amaro told her to get
back, but she just kept recording.

Detective.

Why is Internal Affairs here?

I've been made aware
of the bigger picture

and we all agreed that
IAB will take the lead.

In other words, 1PP already knows
where they want this to end up.

Under the circumstances,
we will be exercising

my client's right not
to self-incriminate.

Detective Amaro's free to go.

But given the
pressure on this case

and the absence of a gun,

it might be in his best
interest to talk to us.

I have nothing to hide.

Good.

Detective Cassidy, you're up.

He's gonna question me?

TUCKER: And I'll supervise.

Is that a problem?

(CASSIDY CLEARS THROAT)

Did you ID yourself to
the suspect, Detective?

I joined in a hot pursuit
by uniformed police officers.

From my precinct.

When you thought
you trapped the suspect,

did you try and talk him
down? Did you wait for backup?

Officer McKenna
rushed the suspect.

Shots were fired. She
shouted she'd been hit.

I needed to protect her.

So, you maintain that
the suspect was armed.

You see him holding a gun?

Did I stick my head around the
corner and see if it got blown off?

No. I didn't need to.

Officer McKenna was hit.

Shots were flying. Go look
at the holes in the walls.

Yeah, we're doing just that.

Continuing.

Earlier in the evening,
you were at a dinner party

where drinks were served.

Oh, you mean at
Cassidy's apartment?

After you were
taken to the hospital,

you refused to let the nurse
take your blood right away.

Why is that?

Detective Amaro followed
procedure as per his delegate.

She asked for a
moment. It wasn't long.

Long enough to lower
blood alcohol content?

So, at this party,

did you happen to notice how
many drinks Detective Amaro had?

I wasn't counting.
But he was sober.

You and Detective Amaro
encountered the officers in hot pursuit?

Yes, and Officer Dragin

told us that his partner saw
that the suspect was armed.

Detective Amaro
joined in pursuit

and I called in the 10-13.

So, you didn't
actually see the gun?

No.

How many drinks did you
serve Detective Amaro?

I didn't serve him.

Don't be cute, Detective.

Was he served at your apartment?

Maybe two glasses of wine.

Over the course of two hours.

And he ate dinner.

When he left the party,
he was unimpaired.

They'll ask you
that on the stand.

Would you say the
same thing under oath?

So, Amaro's going to be charged?

Tucker let slip that he
wants it to go to trial.

It's not Tucker's call.

Regime change.
What, so, their first act

is to crucify Amaro?

Nick.

You sure you should be here?

I called him.

He needs to see this. See what?

A concerned citizen posted
the shooting on Eyes-On-Cops.

NICK: (THROUGH LAPTOP)
NYPD! Which way did he go?

MAN: That way! WOMAN:
He didn't do nothing.

NICK: Move!

There's nothing there.

Here's the problem.

Kick it away!

(INAUDIBLE SHOUTING)

Speak English.

WOMAN: Leave that boy alone.

I said back out now.

MCKENNA: Get her out. Going in.

NICK: No, wait. Stop!

(GUNSHOTS)

(MCKENNA SHOUTS)

After that, the
recording's useless.

But before that, it's BS.

I mean, what I said was,
"He doesn't speak English."

She edited this.
I'm being set up.

She posted it anonymously and Eyes-On-Cops
hides behind the First Amendment.

So, it might take a
while to get the original.

Don't worry, Nick. We'll find
the full clip or we'll find her.

Amaro, we've
been looking for you.

He's already told you
everything he knows.

Here's something he
doesn't know. Cassidy?

Yusef Barré had no gunshot
residue on his hands or his clothing.

The only shots fired came
from Officer McKenna's gun.

And yours.

This third gun you and your
squad are unofficially looking for?

You can stop now.
It was never fired.

But McKenna was shot.

By a ricochet from her own gun.

Officer McKenna admitted
that her finger was on the trigger

when she tripped.

CRAGEN: Just hold up.

Detective Amaro believed that a
fellow officer had been shot by the perp.

He was trying to save her life.

Maybe, but Officer McKenna is
refusing to cooperate in any way.

One more thing.

Detective Amaro had a
blood alcohol content of 0.049

almost two hours
after the shooting.

Which means you were possibly
impaired when the shooting occurred.

As a courtesy, you'll have until 9 a.m.
tomorrow morning to turn yourself in.

You're arresting him before
he's indicted? This is a farce.

Better get your affairs
in order, Detective.

The D.A. has rushed
to overcharge this.

And Detective Amaro is
a dedicated career officer.

We request release on
his own recognizance.

Not in my court.

Given the serious
nature of the charges,

I will set bail at $500,000.

What?

Is this punitive or political?

Bailiff, next case.

They want me in jail. They know
I don't have that kind of money.

You own your home, right?

With my wife. We're separated.

She'll have to sign off on it.

MAN: Detective,
this way. Come on.

JUDGE: Order. MAN:
This way, Detective.

Detective. JUDGE: Order.

(ALL SHOUTING)

All eyes are on the
new administration.

During the campaign, they
pledged to change NYPD's culture

of racism and brutality.

This will be a test
case of those promises.

A hell of a show.

They're railroading him.

Nick's lawyer
sees the big picture.

He listens to her,
he's gonna be okay.

This might help.
Yusef's brother, Berko,

stopped by the hospital
to check in on him.

Unis are holding him now.

Did they call IAB?

No, I kind of told them to sit
tight on Berko until we get there.

Kind of? Nice work.

So, go talk to him. See if he
knows anything that can help us.

We know Yusef was
selling khat for you.

Yusef delivered for me.

That's it.

He never sold. He
didn't own a gun.

Then, why'd he run? Because
you people chased him.

Because every time we talk
to police, we get in trouble.

Permits, fines.

Any excuse to mess with us.
Why would anyone talk to you?

Why'd you run?

They shot my brother.

Wouldn't you run, too?

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Hey.

Come on in.

Hi, Zara.

Cesaria. Olivia.

Daddy, I want to play.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

I need to talk to
Olivia about work.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

You know, I'd offer you a drink,
but they might say you're impaired.

How are you doing?

Great.

I mean, there's Wanted
posters up for me as a kid killer.

I had to put my house up as
collateral. That thrilled Maria.

And you have
Zara to take care of.

I want her here.

My mother will take her down
to D.C. once the trial starts.

Nick, we're gonna
figure this out.

We shouldn't have to.

What does that mean?

Your boyfriend.

Is he enjoying this?

Nick, this is politics.

Brian hates this. He's
caught in the middle. Does he?

And leaking IAB files and
sandbagging me in the press,

that's just, what, bonus points?

Nick, if you're
gonna be paranoid,

then you need to think
a lot bigger than this.

1PP is hanging you out to dry.

They're making you the fall guy.

Well, whatever you say.

Nick, all of us have your back.

(GLASS SHATTERING) (ALL SCREAM)

NICK: Stay down!

BENSON: Zara? You okay?

You all right? You all right?

BENSON: We have
a 10-13. You okay?

Shots fired at 2022
Boulder Avenue.

OFFICER: (OVER RADIO)
Copy that. Backup's on the way.

NYPD!

(SIRENS BLARING) Stop!

I said stop!

Follow him!

Don't move.

You two put your hands up
where I can see them, okay?

Y'all gonna shoot us, too?

Keep your hands up
where I can see them.

Now, you want to tell
me what happened?

Nothing. It's
just a quiet night.

Yeah. We didn't see nothing.

You're lying. Stop lying!

Maybe someone
saw you with a gun.

You shoot at my house with
my daughter inside? Nick!

Nick, I got this. Back off.

Do you? Cuff them.
Cuff them now.

You heard your mama. Go inside.

Where's the gun? Nick.

You sure there was a gun?

Maybe you just imagined it.

You want to shoot me?
I'm standing right here!

(ALL SHOUTING)

Back!

OFFICER: Put the bat down.

It's okay.

We're on the job. On the job.

With a bat? Y'all hear
this? Police brutality.

BENSON: Nick.

Okay.

They found a .22 in the
sewer grate down the block.

They're bringing two
of the three kids in.

Well, what's the point?
If the slug's a match...

The shooter got away.
They wiped the prints.

The precinct's got this.

Captain, I called him in.

Nick, I had to.

But they shot through my window.

They could have killed
my mother, my daughter.

I appreciate your
anger, Detective.

But you can't go after
civilians with a baseball bat.

Oh, but they can shoot at me?

Nick, stop.

Lieutenant, they
shot at his daughter.

I understand that.

But I still have to
investigate the incident.

Yeah, that's great.
Just keep doing your job.

How much are you making now?

Tucker, will you please
give us a minute?

Amaro,

for what it's worth,

I would have done
the same thing you did.

Or worse.

We've got to get you and
your family out of here.

Yeah, I'm... I'm on it, Captain.

My mother will take Zara home
tonight, to D.C. in the morning.

Yeah. And what about you?

I'm... I'm good here.

Nick.

Nick, why don't you
come home with me?

With you and Cassidy?
(LAUGHS) No way.

Nick, he's never home. Okay?

We have a comfortable couch.

Why don't you just try
it out for a few days?

Please.

NICK: Look, Maria, just listen.

Wait.

No, I get it.

What?

She wants sole custody.

At least until my case is over.

Oh, Nick, I'm sorry. That's...

That's tough. No.

I mean, I can't argue with her.

It's safer for Zara.

And if I get convicted, I'm
gonna have to ask Maria

to bring Zara up
for prison visits.

Nick, don't catastrophize.

I'm way past that.

I'm thinking I
should cut a deal.

Nick.

You know who I miss right now?

Munch. (LAUGHS)

We all do.

Who am I gonna
talk to? My lawyer?

The NYPD shrink?

Then why don't you pick
up the phone and call him?

(DOOR CLOSES)

Hi, babe.

Hey.

Hi, Nick.

You okay?

Your daughter? I heard
about the shooting.

She's shaken up, but fine.

Ah, that's good.

That's real good.

NICK: Thanks.

Let me know if
you need anything.

That was Munch.

He thinks I should
just take a plea.

Just get this over with.

He said that?

He said just because I'm paranoid
doesn't mean I don't have enemies.

Well, that sounds like Munch.

You're a good cop.

Good cops make enemies.

Wait. So, you agree?

If I can keep my pension, I
should just take it and run?

Nick, I can't make
this decision for you.

But have you thought about
what your life would be like

without your badge?

Yeah, I don't know.

Have you?

I could move to D.C.

I'd be closer to Zara.

Pick up security work.

Yeah.

As long as this
doesn't stick to you.

Oh, yeah.

I'm damned either way.

I wish I could say NYPD
looks out for its own.

But I'm not gonna lie to you.

STRAUSS: Miss Calhoun.

It's good to meet you in
person. I've heard a lot about you.

Counselor. Detective Amaro,
it's good to see you again.

How's that son of yours?

All good.

Shall we get to it?

It's a tragic situation
for everyone.

In view of the
current environment,

my client is willing to plead guilty to
misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

He is willing to leave the department,
keeping his pension and no jail time.

That's okay, but given the
circumstances, I can't just let him walk.

He'll have to serve at
least a year's probation.

He's willing to do that, as long as
there's no felony charge on his record.

That may be an issue.

Excuse me?

There's a sentiment he should
plead guilty to a hate crime.

A hate crime? (SCOFFS)

That bumps it up to a felony.
Where's this coming from?

Reverend Curtis?

And I'm not a
racist. Nick, easy.

You shot a black 14-year-old.

You went after two black kids
on the street with a baseball bat.

That's it. I'm done.

You may think so, Detective. But,
honestly, I'm just getting started.

This had nothing
to do with hate.

Do you seriously think you can count
on a jury knowing what was in your heart?

This is why I like
defending criminals.

They are much less trusting.

I won't admit to
something I didn't do.

If that's pride, so be it. The grand
jury's going to indict me either way.

STRAUSS: Officer McKenna,

did Detective Amaro
identify himself?

He flashed his shield, but he
didn't verbally identify himself.

And after you accidentally fired
your weapon, what happened next?

He immediately started firing.

I was about to draw
the Detective's blood

when his delegate asked
me to leave the room.

They let you back in 40 minutes
later and even with that delay,

his blood alcohol
content was... 0.049.

Well, that's just under 0.05,

which is legally
impaired, is it not?

Yes, it is.

The night in question, you
volunteered to aid Officer McKenna,

but Detective Amaro, despite
having had a few drinks,

overruled you
and insisted he go.

Yes.

Have you ever known
him to use excessive force?

No.

Are you aware he
physically assaulted a man

he suspected of
sleeping with his wife?

I can't comment on that.

So, you've never known
the detective to overreact?

Not that I can recall.

How bad was it?

It's a grand jury.
Strauss can say things

that he can't say
in a courtroom.

He's just making
insinuations, that's all.

So, it was bad.

Yeah, we should
get you out of here.

He testifies, I'm indicted.

Maybe I should plead
to the hate crime.

I said before I can't
tell you what to do,

but you take their plea, you
won't be able to live with yourself.

Let's go.

Testifying before a grand
jury that's investigating you?

That's a cardinal sin.

Look, Strauss can ask
you anything he wants,

and it can all be used
against you, Nick.

We can put you
on the stand at trial.

I don't want to be indicted
for a crime I didn't commit.

I want the grand
jurors to hear my side.

I can't be in there with you.

Oh, don't worry
about it. It's not on you.

You're sure about
this, Nick? Yeah. I am.

So, in spite of your
blood alcohol content

and the fact you
shot an unarmed boy,

you still maintain you
did everything right.

There was a female officer down.

I did what I was trained to do.

A female officer.

An officer.

The other times you
fired your weapon,

uh, it's been in defense of a
female officer as well, hasn't it?

When a woman is
in danger, do you feel

compelled to rescue
her to the point where

reason goes out the window?

I made the only decision I
could under the circumstances.

Yeah, well, let's review
those circumstances.

After having had a
couple glasses of wine,

you gave chase without
identifying yourself.

Then, when Officer McKenna
went around the corner,

tripped and shot herself,

you determined without
any visual confirmation

that she'd been fired upon.

Then, without looking,

you poked your gun around
the wall and started firing.

Without looking, yes? Yes.

How many rounds?

I fired until I ascertained
the shooting had stopped.

But you were the
only one shooting.

What you mean is you fired

until you stopped firing.

I couldn't know those
bullets were ricocheting.

The hall was an echo chamber.

Bullets flying, an officer down.

I mean, it's easy for
you to judge in hindsight.

It took CSU 24
hours to figure out

what you expect for me to
have figured out in that moment.

Do you think it would
have been any easier

for you to figure it out if
you hadn't been drinking?

Or if Officer McKenna

had been chasing a
14-year-old white girl?

No further questions. You can
step down, Detective Amaro.

Excuse me.

We can ask something, right?

Sure, go ahead.

Detective, do you think it would
have made a difference that night

if you hadn't been drinking?

Ma'am, my judgment
was not impaired.

What if, like the
prosecutor said,

it had been a
14-year-old white girl?

I didn't shoot Yusef
because he's black.

So, you honestly think

you did everything right?

There is no right way to
shoot a 14-year-old boy,

cripple him and put
him in a wheelchair.

I've always prided myself

on following my training,

in my professionalism
and respect for the law.

Since that night,

I've been struggling
to reconcile

how doing everything right

could lead to such a
horribly wrong result.

And yet,

if I were in that situation
again, I'd do the same thing.

And do I regret it?

Yes.

Yes, ma'am, I do.

(SIGHS)

BENSON: Hey.

You wanna go take a walk?

Calhoun says it's a quick vote.

It only takes 13 to indict.

You were right,
Counselor. It was a mistake.

No, I was wrong.

Ten voted to indict.

Eight didn't.

You are free to go.

Well, for how long?
They'll just charge me again.

No. I'll tell the press
the D.A. overreached.

The mayor and the
commissioner will trip all over their

ties walking away from this.

Thank you, Rita.

Yeah.

So...

What do you say we
get the hell outta here?

Yeah.

Just give me a minute.

Now is not the time, Officer.

Not the time.

Welcome back, Detective.

What does 1PP want?

Well, after two
days of negotiating,

you're looking at a
command discipline,

anger management,
and mandatory retraining

to be done using vacation days.

And for the moment,
you're on desk duty.

Until when?

Well, until Benson
says you're not.

What are you talking about?

All right, everybody.
Listen up, please.

I didn't wanna
announce this, uh,

until Nick's situation
got resolved.

But it's done and so am I.

I'm leaving.

ROLLINS: What?

Now?

Hey, is this part of the deal?

Was this their pound of
flesh? Because if it is...

CRAGEN: No, no, no. No.

This is my call.

Where are you gonna go, Captain?

CRAGEN: Around
the world, actually.

Eileen has two tickets
for a six-month cruise.

And I have enough accrued leave to take
me through my mandatory retirement date.

If I stay, I make
less than if I leave.

Cap, cruise? Okay.

If anyone's earned it...

I'm proud of my time here.

And I'm honored and grateful

to have worked with the
finest unit of detectives

I've ever known.

Nick,

you're gonna get
through all this.

You're too good a cop
and too good a man not to.

Amanda, I was never sorry

that I brought you
up from Atlanta.

I would do it again.

And Fin.

What can I say?

For a guy who never should
have been an SVU detective,

you're okay.

Right back at you, Captain.

Nobody could ever
take your place.

Well, for the meantime,

Detective Benson will.

She's ready.

Now, it's not easy going
from player to coach, so, uh,

don't bust her chops.

But if they do,

you bust them right back.

(ALL CLAPPING)

We should throw you a party.

I don't like parties.

(LAUGHS)

This is good.

Um...

Word of advice?

Oh, please.

(LAUGHS)

I gave my whole life to NYPD

and I forgot to live my own.

Me and Eileen,

it's a Hail Mary.

It's a shot at happiness.

Now, people used to
say this to me all the time,

and I never understood
what they meant.

But take care of yourself.

You deserve it.

Oh, and Olivia...

Do something with
the place, will you?