Goofs

Detective Fish has inconsistent years of service with the department. In the season one episode "The Arsonist " he mentions being on the force for 25 years. In the same seasons episode "Fish" he remarks that he went to the academy in 1937, making him a 38 year veteran.

When the squad room door is opened, a fire hose mounted on the opposite wall in the corridor comes and goes, depending on the episode.

Captain Miller carries his service revolver on his right hip, indicating that he shoots right-handed. But whenever he writes or signs something, he uses his left hand. Miller actually carries his revolver on his right side, near his back. He can grab the revolver with his left hand by reaching behind his back, a technique called Behind-the-Back Concealment. In "Experience Barney", he draws his pistol with his right hand.

Throughout the series, the detectives talk about sending people to the Tombs. The Tombs referred to a series of prisons in New York, but the third building referred to as the Tombs (Manhattan House of Detention) closed in 1974, the year before Barney Miller debuted. The replacement Tombs (Manhattan Detention Complex) opened in 1983, after the show went off the air. During the period when the show was on the air, prisoners would have been sent to Riker's Island.