Premise: The Shield breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed ever day. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions. Rogue cop Det. Vic Mackey is the leader of the elite Strike Team unit, who is effective at eliminating crime but who operates under his own set of rules. Captain David Aceveda is the young precinct head who doesn't like Mackey's tactics and wants to bust him off the force. Finally, Det. Claudette Wyms is a veteran detective who understands Mackey and knows how to play both sides of the fence.