At the end of the episode, Detective Megan Russert, the chief witness against Gharty, seems to be successful in her attempt to talk him into resigning and admitting to himself that he is not cut out for police work.

He tells Russert that he is six months away from being able to transfer into a desk job and get off patrol duty, and that concern for his family's welfare was the main reason that he did not go in after the shooters.

He plays a key role in solving the murder of Detective Beau Felton, who, Gharty reveals, had been working for IID regarding possible corruption in the Auto Squad.

As a homicide detective partnered with Laura Ballard (to whom he is extremely loyal), Gharty sometimes displays racist paranoia, homophobia and other forms of pettiness, but for the most part redeems himself as a police officer, demonstrating aptitude, confidence, and devotion he had not exhibited as a patrolman.

In the season 6 finale, he and Ballard are both wounded during a gunfight in the squad room; the shooter also kills three uniformed officers before being shot dead by several other detectives.

Gharty is forced to stand by and watch Captain Roger Gaffney dismiss retired detective Pembleton, who return to work with his partner Tim Bayliss with the hope of helping find Giardello's shooter.