[2][3][4] In the game, the player controls the protagonist Jack Boyd, who is being forced into early retirement by the corrupt mayor.

The game takes place in the fictional city of "Freeburg" in 1985,[5] during Boyd's final one hundred and eighty days on the force.

The mafia may ask the player to turn a blind eye towards some of the crimes and be rewarded with money, or if they wish to stay alive.

[12] Later on during the game, the department's officers will start taking sides between the two main political figures, Mayor Rogers and Robespierre.

Boyd becomes Sand's new inside man, and weighs the risk of openly defying the mob while remaining true to his personal morals.

Eventually, either Varga or Sand take control of the criminal underbelly of Freeburg, with the help of Jack (via the player's choice).

Later, a serial killing case arises, where several victims of sexual assault by Mayor Rogers are found to have been killed by the Dentist, an infamous serial killer who eluded Freeburg's authorities, with Jack being forced to work behind the backs of law enforcement to find the killer.

Jack deduces that Chaffee was responsible for creating a copycat killer as a means of exposing Mayor Rogers' connection to the victims, as they are unwilling to speak out.

His return to the police department reveals that an election has been going on and Chaffee plans on running for Mayor despite the likelihood of the results being rigged, as political tensions break Freeburg.

Going to his local club, he learns that his membership was permanently revoked and with no one left in the city who he trusts, Jack laments on the bitter defeat he has suffered.

[15] Jon St. John, the voice actor behind Duke Nukem, portrays Jack Boyd, the protagonist of the game.

[10] Juan Garcia (IGN) praised Jon St. John's voice acting, the visual styles and said it had a good plot.

[19] Brent Ables (Kill Screen) mentioned that by day 100, he started to lose sight of the game's goal.

[20] Edward Smith of the International Business Times said that "This Is The Police is simultaneously a rich video game and a poor depiction of its subject matter", especially in light of then-prominent controversies surrounding American law enforcement practices, and criticized the lead developer for attempting to play down the political aspects of the story while simultaneously promoting the game as a tale of "political intrigue".