from an article written by Margaret Hofer in the book "The Games we Played"

This McLoughlin game comes with vivid graphics and an oversized box which probably makes it one of the companies best games. Players representing rival police forces compete to capture the greatest number of crooks roaming the city's streets. Rival Policemen was inspired by a tense period in New York City's history when a state controlled police force and the city's police force worked simultaneously (but not necessarily cooperatively) to protect the city.