Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson has an offbeat personality, uses a tough-as-nails approach, and has a track record as one of the country's leading investigators. For the Atlanta transplant heading up the Priority Homicide Division of the los Angeles Police Department, her position on this elite detective squad, which handles high-profile cases of a sensitive nature, is a tenuous balancing act. She faces antagonistic roadblocks, even from her own peers, and must manage a team that remains wary of her unconventional style.