'Small time Cop' Sheriff Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) has the most important job of all - policing the police. Deaf in one ear as a result of a childhood accident, he's limited to the rank of local Sheriff, but his turf is no ordinary hick town. He walks the beat in the small town of Garrison, New Jersey - a haven for New York cops looking to escape the grime of the Big Apple. So populated by NYPD the town earned the nickname 'Cop Land', a seemingly perfect community on the surface, but underneath boils a world of corruption and deception orchestrated by ringleader Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel). When 'Superboy' Murray Babitch (Michael Rappaport) is involved in an unlawful shooting however, and mysteriously disappears before he can face trial, Lt. Moe Tilden (Robert De Niro) is called in to investigate, and to find out exactly what is going on in Cop Land. Suspecting foul play, Lt. Tilden turns to Sheriff Heflin for help - but can he give up the easy life to ruffle NYPD feathers? It's not just his job thats on the line, it's his life.