Lewis' ploy of introducing Kellerman as "Michelle" (because the local cops will only release Rose Halligan to a female officer) is based on an incident from David Simon's book involving the real-life John Munch and Tim Bayliss.
On the DVD's, this is episode 412 which is shown in the order it was produced, instead of the order originally aired on NBC.
The Enchanted Forest park was permanently shuttered from 1995 to 2005, when active preservation began. In 2003 the Enchanted Forest Preservation Society was formed with the long-term goal of reviving the Enchanted Forest. Their work focused on preventing the artifacts from being lost forever. The owner of the land, Kimco Realty Group, agreed in 2004 to allow most of the fairy tale structures and figures to be moved to nearby Clark's Elioak Farm for display and preservation.
Old Ellicott City, MD stands in for the town of Hazleton, PA. Rose's car is seen being pursued down Main St./Frederick Road through the historic district, and the police station was at the time an empty old lumber yard building later featured on Gordon Ramsay's "24 Hours To Hell And Back" as the restaurant Phoenix Upper Main.
This episode takes place in February 1996.