In the state of New York, and every other state in the US, a person is considered legally intoxicated if they have a blood alcohol level (BAL) of 0.08% or higher, meaning that they cannot operate a vehicle no matter if they appear impaired or not, this is known as Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). However if a person has a BAL of 0.05% they can be considered to be what is known as Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI), meaning that if they appear to be visibly intoxicated, and fail a field sobriety test, they can be charged with DWAI. But being Ability Impaired by Alcohol applies to other things besides operating a vehicle, it also applies to operating a vessel, heavy machinery, and for law enforcement officers it means they are not supposed to be on duty with a BAL over 0.05%. An officer involved in a shooting with a BAL over 0.05% is considered to be impaired and can potentially face termination and even criminal charges.
When Executive A.D.A. Derek Strauss meets with Detective Amaro and his attorney, Strauss asks Amaro how his son is doing. This is a reference to Gil Mancheno and the events of the episode Undercover Blue (2013), during which it was revealed that Amaro had an affair with Cynthia Mancheno while working undercover and unknowingly got her pregnant.
Amaro says that Khat is a type of African amphetamine, this is partially correct. Khat is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, it contains the alkaloid cathinone. Cathinone is not an amphetamine, as amphetamines are synthetically created chemicals, however it has psychoactive and stimulant properties similar in effect to ephedrine and amphetamine. Khat leaves have been chewed as a social custom dating back thousands of years, it is chewed for its simulating effects including excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria. However because of its addictive properties, and because it can be used to synthesize a number of stronger stimulant drugs (like methcathinone), Khat is illegal in most countries. In the United States cathinone, and anything containing it including Khat, is considered to be a Schedule I controlled substance, in the same category as drugs like heroin, MDMA and LSD, meaning it has no excepted medical uses and is unlawful to obtain or posses.
One of the two officers in the opening chase scene is named Officer Dragin, named after one of the show's producers, Mark Dragin.
This is the first episode in which Olivia Benson is labeled as Sergeant, as well as the first in which she wears the sergeant's shield