The department is still reeling with the recent departure of Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson, creating a tough transition for the newly appointed head of Major Crimes, Captain Sharon Raydor. But there is little time for adjustment as the department rushes to reach a plea bargain when a string of grocery store robberies turns fatal. After proving to be a valuable source for the case, undercover police detective and military veteran Detective Amy Sykes is transferred to Major Crimes. Meanwhile, Raydor takes a big step to protect teenager Rusty Beck after he runs away from his foster family.
Growing pains within Major Crimes become apparent as the division works to obtain justice in a brutal homicide that turns out to be more complicated than expected. Raydor struggles to gain the respect of her colleagues while also trying to supervise Rusty 24/7. The changes within the department may become more than Provenza can accept.
When an activist to end human trafficking is murdered, the investigation leads to a possible eyewitness, a young prostitute wanting to get out of the business, and the pimp she works for becomes their primary suspect. Meanwhile, child services arrange a meeting between Rusty and his father, against Rusty's wishes.
The LAPD flies a material witness into Los Angeles to testify, but in a horrible turn of events their witness winds up as the key suspect in an entirely new murder. Personal and professional stress takes a toll on Flynn. And the squad takes bets when Rusty brings a girl from class to hang out with him at the department.
The squad investigates a brutal murder, but they soon find that dark secrets are at the root of an apparent drug bust gone wrong. Meanwhile, Raydor’s estranged husband of 25 years returns to Los Angeles to work as a court-appointed attorney. Charming and charismatic, Jack becomes fast friends with Rusty but Sharon continues to remain wary.
When a child with gender dysphoria goes missing, the Major Crimes division scrambles to solve the emotional case before it's too late. Torn between several suspects, the squad has to be careful as it tries to connect the evidence to a dangerous bully. Meanwhile, Jack Raydor attempts to make up for years of lousy parenting.
In a case that brings gang violence and social profiling to the forefront, the squad realizes that things are not always as they seem. Complicating matters further, Sharon offers Jack the opportunity to be a court-appointed attorney in the case. Meanwhile, Rusty expresses apprehension about meeting Kris' parents.
The team works strategically to capture a spree killer who has put everyone on high alert. Trying to solve the case quickly, Raydor is torn between two seemingly right decisions, each of which comes with major consequences. Meanwhile, Rusty is given some extra freedom, but more threats leave him afraid to stray far from home.
A year-end blowout sale becomes literal for a used-car lot after one of its owners is killed when a bomb explodes. While the squad tries to find who is responsible, Rusty dons a bullet-proof vest under the watchful eye of Lt. Chuck Cooper, an SIS (Special Investigation Section) supervisor, in an attempt to catch the person responsible for threatening his and Sharon’s life.
The Major Crimes unit draws closer to finding a dangerous serial killer. Rusty faces his biggest challenge yet when he bravely takes the stand against Phillip Stroh. Complicating the case further, the team goes head to head with Linda Rothman, a tough, powerful attorney who doesn't let morals stand in her way of winning a case.
The Major Crimes division faces a new challenge as they work to solve the murder of a dog that was left a 20 million dollar estate by his deceased owner. With the help of wannabe detective Jonathan Baird, aka Dick Tracy, the case takes a new turn as the squad begins to suspect foul play in the death of the dog's owner, a wealthy heiress.
The mysterious murder of a tech-entrepreneur with questionable morals and possible mob connections has the Major Crimes division working overtime. Meanwhile, Rusty struggles to feel accepted when Raydor's son Ricky comes home to visit and Fritz Howard prepares to assume command of the LAPD's Special Operations Bureau.
The LAPD finds itself in a precarious situation during an investigation into the disappearances of a string of young girls from a popular nightclub, leading to a turf battle between The Major Crimes division and the Special Operations Bureau. Fritz Howard remains on the mend from poor health, while Rusty’s mom continues to struggle with the law and her sobriety.
A surrogate adoption gets complicated, leaving one person dead and a lot of people searching for answers. The Major Crimes division gets their hands dirty as they explore LA's underground water system. Sharon works to make Rusty officially part of her family, while he struggles to tell his biological mother (guest star Ever Carradine) about the upcoming adoption.
The squad investigates a double homicide related to an ongoing string of home invasions in the Hollywood Hills. Meanwhile, Sanchez attempts to reintegrate himself in the division after his suspension over a questionable use of force, while Captain Raydor makes a fateful choice in the life of her adopted son, Rusty.
When a dead body pops out of the trunk at the end of a car chase, the squad must untangle connections between a superstar chef; a middle-aged pediatric psychiatrist and his second, much younger wife; and a bankruptcy lawyer whose problematic representation threatens to derail the investigation. Rusty continues his attempt to identify the murder victim who called herself Alice Herrera, inadvertently threatening the case against her murderer.
While the Major Crimes unit investigates a complicated gangland shooting, Det. Amy Sykes finds she must protect the identify of a witness capable of identifying the killer. Rusty struggles with how to manage newly gained information on the Alice case, and Lt. Flynn works to gain the courage to take his relationship with Captain Raydor to the next level.
After a shooting leaves two LA police officers dead, the Major Crimes unit must work with the Deputy Chief of the LAPD Special Operations Bureau, Fritz Howard, to piece together a high stakes case involving a fugitive witness. Meanwhile, Rusty works with the team on the case in order to secretly gather more background information to support his own, journalistic investigation into the life of the girl who called herself Alice Herrera..
New information prompts the re-opening of an old kidnapping investigation, forcing Captain Raydor and her Major Crimes Division into partnership with a potentially corrupt FBI agent. Rusty has a major breakthrough in his investigation on Alice Herrera, but discovers he and T.J. are possibly not the friends he thought they were.
Four wealthy one percenters are left for dead outside a hospital emergency room in a twisty- curvy murder that leads through an impossible list of suspects, including a high school daughter with her father's iPhone password, a diabetic chauffeur, the owner of several LA parking lots and a mysterious woman with great legs who trips up Lt. Andy Flynn on her way to Mexico. Meanwhile, Rusty pursues a taboo subject for his next story on "Identity."
Jack Raydor (guest star Tom Berenger) is back again, defending a man who is attempting to withdraw a confession in the murder of his wife. A last-second video purporting to provide the defendant with an alibi alerts the Major Crimes team to the possibility of a conspiracy. Rusty interviews Slider, while Flynn is still living with Sharon due to his injury.
The Major Crimes team is called to investigate a follow up attack on a victim of road rage, as a business executive and his wife fall prey to a furious driver in a pickup truck. As Thanksgiving approaches, Flynn suffers a setback on his road to recovery. And Rusty finally gets the interview with Slider that he wanted.
A young woman and her 3-year-old son are shot to death while driving through gang territory in the wrong colored car, and the gun used in the murder is quickly connected to the most troubling series of unsolved homicides in LAPD history. As Captain Sharon Raydor and the rest of her division attempt to solve the mystery, Amy Sykes begins an uneasy alliance with a disgraced former LAPD detective with a novel theory and a corrupt past.
After a shootout in a tow yard leaves three people dead, Major Crimes must scramble to find a disturbed man with a bag full of guns and a long list of grievances before he kills again. Meanwhile, Rusty pushes against LAPD policy in an attempt to find more evidence related to the murder of Buzz's father and uncle.
In attempting to clear up lose ends from their investigation of a gang of White Supremacists, Major Crimes detectives audit the trial of serial killer Dwight Darnell, and end up facing their most deadly case ever while Rusty’s psychologist, Dr. Joe, faces an unexpected confrontation that leaves his life in jeopardy.
When Captain Sharon Raydor and the Major Crimes Division investigate the murder of a young woman found in the LA River, their case is not only impeded by a secretive PI working for a tech industry millionaire, but also by Deputy Chief Winnie Davis, who regards Sharon as competition for the promotion to Assistant Chief of the LAPD.
When a well-known attorney, celebrated for her defense of oppressed women is found dead, there are no shortage of high-profile suspects, including her son, her ex-husband, a film director whose career she helped destroy and a former football player whose sports bars/restaurant chain, Tackles, features scantily clad women. Meanwhile, Rusty and Gus confront issues in their relationship.