While patrolling his New York City beat, Sgt. Tim Maloney is knocked out by the Dalton gang, which was about to pull a robbery when he came along. They pour a bottle of whiskey over his unconscious body, then commit the robbery. When Maloney wakes up, still groggy from being knocked out, he stumbles out into the street, and the combination of his grogginess and the smell of whiskey leads to him being charged with being drunk on duty. He must clear his name and bring the criminal gang to justice.