The episode title is a parody of the phrase used by supporters of General Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was running for President of the United States. Eisenhower's nickname was Ike, and fellow Army Generals and Republicans coined the phrase "I Like Ike," a phrase then used by Eisenhower's campaign manager when "Ike" was running for office. A number of posters were made with Eisenhower's picture and the phrase "I Like Ike" across the top. They are one of the most sought after items by collectors of political memorabilia.
While at the door of the bookie's office, Curtis says, "If I smell burning flash paper, I'm gonna arrest your ass." Flash paper is a special kind of paper favored by bookies, by people involved in white collar crime, and by magicians. The paper is coated with nitrocellulose, a highly flammable substance that is also used as a component of smokeless gunpowder (also known as guncotton). When set on fire, flash paper burns almost instantly with a bright flash and leaves behind no ash residue. Criminals like to use this type of paper to write possibly incriminating evidence on since normal paper takes too long to burn, often burns incompletely, and leaves ash behind which can sometimes have ink recovered from it.
This episode is based on the 1997 murder of Ennis Cosby, the only son of the actor Bill Cosby. Cosby was murdered in Los Angeles in the early hours of January 16, 1997, while he was changing a flat tire on his car. He was in LA while on winter break from Columbia University and was on his way to his girlfriend's house when he got a flat tire while driving on Interstate 405. Cosby called his girlfriend and asked if she could come help him change the tire, it was still dark outside and he was having trouble seeing, she pulled her car behind his so that her headlights could help Cosby see. She then reported that a man came up to her window and tapped it with a gun barrel and told her if she didn't get out of the car he would kill her. She stated that she became frightened and drove off, but after a minute she decided to turn back around, upon arriving back at the scene she saw the man running away and Cosby was dead on the ground, having been shot in the head. The killer was subsequently identified as 18-year-old Mikhail Markhasev, a Russian immigrant with multiple arrests for drug possession, possession with intent, and grand theft auto, he had been attempting to rob Crosby. He was apprehended after the Cosby family offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer, he was turned in by two of his friends who wanted the reward. Both friends were with Markhasev on the night of the murder, one of them claimed that they were all high on cocaine and heroin and that while they stopped to use a payphone Markhasev spotted Cosby's Mercedes convertible, which was a few hundred yards down the street from them and pulled off to the side of the road. Markhasev walked off intending to steal the car, allegedly without telling his friends where he was going or what he planned to do. Markhasev's friend then claimed that a few minutes later they heard gunshots and Markhasev came running back to them shouting "get the f**k outta here I just shot that ni**er." Markhasev was eventually convicted of attempted robbery in the first degree and murder in the first degree and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Markhasev initially claimed he was innocent but finally confessed to the killing in 2001.
The title of this episode has a clever double meaning regarding the police's attitude toward the character of Mike Bodak in the story: at the beginning they "like" him (in cop slang) as the prime suspect in the killing, and at the end they "like" him (genuinely) because he helps them nail the real killer even when it's not in his own best interest to do so.
Reiko Aylesworth later auditioned for--and was one of the finalists for-- the role of Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).