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.