Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows.
["Dragnet Theme"]
["Dragnet Theme"]
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
NBC brings you Dragnet.
["Dragnet Theme"]
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail.
An armed gang of blitz bandits has started to work in your city.
Their pace is fast. Four and five robberies each night.
The criminals are not amateurs. They're well armed, dangerous.
Your job, get them.
["Dragnet Theme"]
Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime,
investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch
on the security of your home, your family, and your life.
For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of the law
through an actual case from official police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment,
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
["Dragnet Theme"]
It was Thursday, October 23rd. It was windy in Los Angeles.
We were working a day watch out of robbery.
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives.
My name's Friday. I was on my way back from the statistician's office,
and it was 1142 A.M. when I got to room 27A.
Robbery detail.
How'd it work out, Joe? Any good prospects?
I don't know how good they are, but I got a handful.
How many did you get?
Let me see. 15, 18, 22.
Ethel down in the stats office ran them on the IBM for me.
There they are.
Hmm, let's see.
It's a gang of three men working on foot. Blitz robberies.
They only take cash. M.O. is tie-ups.
Work from eight to ten at night. One of the gang's tall, the other two short.
And these are the men the machine sorted out.
Under that heading, yeah. If our information's wrong, then so's the machine.
Got a good bunch of candidates here.
Their descriptions match up with what we got.
They seem to. Check the names on that list, Ben.
Some of the smartest thieves in the country.
Yeah. Tommy Willis, Ray Grandpa, Kemp Satelli, Manny Roberts,
George Cross, Mario Koski.
Reads like June graduation at San Quentin.
Yeah, George Cross and Tommy Willis are in town. We know that.
And Koski is around a couple of weeks ago.
And what about the rest? It's a big field.
Have to check them out, I guess. Might as well start at the beginning.
Do you see the overnight reports yet? Yeah. No restaurants, no liquor stores.
That makes five days the gang's laid off.
Well, I can afford to, can't they? Eighteen robberies in 24 days.
That's a pretty good haul.
This stop-and-go strategy of theirs, Joe, it's got me.
Yeah. They work hard for a week in one area and then they lay low.
If they just keep going, we might have a better try at them.
Hey, Joe. Yeah, Chandler.
A fellow out there to see you, Joe. His name's Decker.
Decker. Henry Decker? Didn't say. Want to see him?
Yeah, send him in. Right.
Come on in, Mr. Decker. This way.
How are you, Joe? You're looking good.
Well, Hank Decker. How are you?
I'm fine.
What are you waiting for? Applause? Come on in and shut the door.
Hank, this is my partner, Ben Romero. Ben, Hank Decker.
Hi, Hank. How are you, Ben?
Hank and I are in service together.
Yeah, I just dropped in for a visit, Joe. Are you busy?
No more than usual. Sit down. Thanks.
I remembered you telling me you were on the PD,
so I figured I'd drop around and get an inside track.
How do you mean? I just filed with civil service
to take the exam next month.
Figured I'd like to work at being a cop.
He sells shop, Joe.
Great pep talk, you boys hand out.
You sure you want to be a cop?
Look, I'm 30 years old, Joe. I'm married, high school education.
About a year of junior college.
What's your wife think? She's not sold.
Well, that's why I dropped in.
How about coming out to the house for dinner tonight?
You want me to sell her? Just talk to her.
Seven okay? Seven's okay.
Glad to have met you, Ben.
Same here, Decker. See you again.
Bye, Joe. See you tonight, Hank.
Well, what do you think, Ben?
Oh, to make a good cop?
We had a list of 22 possible suspects.
By five o'clock, Ben and I had checked out two of them
who might possibly have had a hand in the blitz robberies
of the 18 liquor stores and restaurants in the past 24 days.
Number one man was Thomas Willis, Caucasian,
age 29, 5 feet 11 inches, 175 pounds, dark hair, blue eyes.
Number two man was Mario Kosky, Caucasian,
5 feet 6 inches, 170 pounds, dark hair, dark eyes,
large scar under his chin, running across his throat
up to and behind his left ear.
According to our informants and after questioning some of their associates,
either Willis or Kosky or both could have taken part in the blitz holdups.
We showed their mugs to the victims, but none of them could give us definite assurance
that either Willis or Kosky were in the holdup gang.
At seven that night, I went out to Hank Decker's house for supper,
met his wife Linda, his four-year-old twin boys.
We talked about the Army, played with the kids for a while.
Before we sat out to eat, we put the boys in bed.
Hank was in the kitchen carving a roast.
His wife closed the door to the kids' room and we started downstairs for the kitchen.
What do you think of our two atom bombs?
They're fine kids, Miss Decker.
Hank told me that you were worried about him wanting to join the force.
I was 12 years old when my father was shot down.
He was a policeman in Des Moines.
He was only 37 when he died.
I wouldn't know what to do if anything like that happened to Hank.
What do you want me to say?
But does Hank really want it?
Can't you talk him out of it?
You're his wife, can you?
No, I think it's his choice, Miss Decker.
He's going to have to make up his own mind.
I'm sorry.
If it's what Hank wants, I guess I worry too much.
A lot of women marry cops, they have and they will, and they all worry.
Hank will be all right.
Do you guarantee it, Joe?
During the next month I heard from Hank Decker only once.
He was studying hard.
During the same month, Ben and I were working hard,
trying to find some kind of a concrete lead to break the Blitz gang.
There had been no subsequent holdups which seemed to tie in directly with the gang or its operations.
From the list of possible suspects which Ben and I made up,
18 names had been eliminated for one reason or another.
They were in jail at the time of the robberies, out of the Los Angeles area or out of the state.
But four names remained, George Cross, Tommy Willis, Mario Koski, Julian Brock.
During the latter part of the month, George Cross was booked on a minor charge and we questioned him at that time.
He showed no knowledge of the holdups.
Nearly two months after the robberies were committed,
Ben and I were still without a solution as to the whereabouts of the gang.
Never known a Blitz gang like this before, Joe.
Once they get wound up, they usually go into let caught.
Did you get out those telegram checks to the east yet?
Last night before I went home, sent out all three.
Willis, Koski and Brock. I'd like to find just one of them.
Chicago might have something. That's Koski's old hangout. Willis too.
What about Brock? He's from Kansas City, isn't he?
Yeah, I got a wire too. Might have an answer from one of them tomorrow.
That's a slow job. We'll have to wait it out.
I guess so. No follow-ups from the victims we talked to.
I'll get it.
Robbery Friday.
Oh, hiya, Joe. Hank Decker. Congratulations.
What for?
Just passed my written exam. Got the letter this morning. How about that?
That's fine. When do you take your physical?
Oh, not till the end of the month. Next week I take the oral and agility tests.
Then the physical. If I get by them, I'm in.
You're going to have a full month at the police academy after the test.
There's a lot of work, Hank.
It can't be any worse than these tests.
It's a tough 30 days out there on the hill. Law, court procedure, evidence,
combat firing target practice. You'll have to wade through all of them.
You ever going to have anything encouraging to say?
Yeah, when you graduate.
I won't count on it. How's your job going?
Slow. How's your wife feel now?
About taking the job? A little better. She said to say hello.
Okay. Keep us posted, huh?
I'll do that, Joe.
Right. Bye.
Hank passed his written test.
Sure anxious.
Browny, Romero, got a minute?
Yes, Gaffer. Come on, Joe.
You got something, Ed?
Yeah. Those blitz robberies you're handling.
Not having much luck.
We were. Gangs disappeared. Not a trace of them so far.
They leave town?
We're not sure, Ed. We don't even have a good description.
We're guessing most of the way.
What are your guesses? You've had a couple of months to make them.
Twelve of the holdup victims we talked to told us definitely that there were three men in the gang,
two of them short, one of them tall. We've just been working from there.
All three of them have dark complexions, started with 22 possibilities and got it weighted down to four.
No, wait a minute, three.
Yeah. Tommy Willis, Mario Koski, Julian Brock.
Willis and Koski are eastern hoods. Brock's from the middle west.
And where are they now?
Haven't showed their faces around town. Checking some of the cities in the east.
That's about all we've got, Skipper.
Eh. Not much for two months' work. Thieves can't be that smart.
Right now they are.
We've sounded out every lead we had, Ed. We're doing our best.
Either of you ever hear of a man by the name of Al Mishakov?
No, I don't think so.
He was a Chicago gunman in the old days, wasn't he, Ed?
That's right.
I thought he was doing time in Juliette.
Parole last year. Got a tip he was spotted on East Broadway night before last.
You figured it might tie in with our job?
I don't know. Find out. If I remember right, Mishakov's brother used to be pretty friendly with Mario Koski.
I helped send both of them up 13 years ago. Same rap, robbery.
Is that all you heard, Ed? Somebody spotted Mishakov?
That's all. If you can track him down, you might get some kind of a lead.
That's more than you got now.
That night and for the next two nights following, Ben and I had dinner downtown instead of going home.
And then we spent the rest of the night covering the lower end of the city in search of Al Mishakov.
We got more than a dozen leads on where to find him from some of our informants, but none of the leads paid off.
We kept missing him. No one knew where he was staying. No one knew or no one would tell us.
Worst thing about this job, Joe, leg work?
You must be averaging 10 miles a night.
My feet say 20. Almost midnight.
Here's McCarthy's place. Let's try it.
Right.
Let's go down to the end of the bar, Ben.
Yeah.
Hiya, Ben. Good to see you come in. What's new?
Oh, not much, Bert. Meet my partner, Joe Friday.
Hiya, Friday. What do you fellas have?
Looking for a guy, Bert. His name's Al Mishakov, Chicago. You heard anything?
He was in here earlier tonight. Couple of guys with him.
Are you sure? What do you look like?
Six feet, about 45, I guess. Big build.
Sounds like him, all right, Joe. Is he staying in the neighborhood, Bert?
Down here? I don't think so. Most of those big-timers stay uptown someplace.
You looking for Mishakov?
I'd like to talk to him. How long ago was he in?
Oh, about 8 o'clock. Couple of guys with him. They were talking about driving out to the airport. Something about Las Vegas.
There's an 840 plane for Vegas, isn't there, Ben?
Thanks. Oh, 840, 850. I can't recall which.
Bert, do you remember the exact time they left?
Exactly. No, for say, there's one of the fellas that was with Mishakov down there in the middle of the bar.
Which one, Bert?
There. The one with the sandy hair, big chin. See him?
Yeah. Want to tell Joe?
Come on.
And, George, you know what he said? He said when he was in Vegas last week...
Pardon me. Pardon me. I'd like to talk to you a minute.
Yeah, who are you?
Police, Sergeant Friday.
Oh, have a drink, Sergeant.
No, thanks. I said I wanted to talk to you.
Oh, Square John. Huh, wait a minute, George. Square John wants to talk to me.
Come on outside. We can talk better out there.
I ain't done nothing. What's the pitch? I got a right to know.
Let's go outside.
Maybe I don't want to go outside.
I think you better. Come on.
All right, all right. Quit shoving, you dumb cop. Shoving people around. What are you trying to do?
Ah, what a sausage.
All right, down this way.
Of course, parked up next alley, Joe.
Hey, look, what's this all about, huh? I got a right to know.
You were seen with Al Mishikoff tonight. Where is he?
Who?
Al Mishikoff. You want us to spell it?
I don't think you can spell your own name.
Nobody's asking you to play smart.
Where's Mishikoff?
Out of town. What do you care?
Here's the car. All right, inside you.
Now, look, you got me wrong. I ain't done nothing.
Where's Mishikoff?
You and some other guy drove to the airport with him tonight. Let's have it.
I'm clear, I tell you. I just drove out with him. That's all.
Where'd Mishikoff go?
Vegas. Took the plane for Vegas.
When?
About 8.30, quarter to 9. What's up, anyway?
Who's the guy traveling with Mishikoff?
Nobody.
Who's the guy traveling with Mishikoff?
Koski. I just met him tonight.
Mario Koski? Is that the guy?
Yeah, I'm level and I ain't done nothing.
Ben, get to a phone call the office. Contact Las Vegas police.
Ask them to pick up Koski and Mishikoff.
When we got back to the office, we questioned the man we had picked up for almost two hours.
His name was John Delmar, an ex-convict.
He'd been paroled from Folsom Prison two months before after serving three and a half years for burglary.
He said Mishikoff was looking for a man to work with him and Koski.
He didn't specify the work.
Delmar said he refused the offer, but they parted on friendly terms.
He said Koski and Mishikoff told him that they were going to Las Vegas for a few days, then returned to Los Angeles.
But when Ben and I checked back with the Las Vegas police, they said Koski and Mishikoff were going to Las Vegas.
When I checked back with the Las Vegas police the next morning, they reported that nobody answering the description of either Koski or Mishikoff was seen arriving or leaving the airport.
We checked with the airlines and sent inquiries to law enforcement agencies throughout the entire area.
No sign.
Three weeks went by. Still no sign.
Nothing in there overnight, Joe. No, not a thing.
Oh, yeah, same here. Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, nobody's seen them.
They've got to come out sometime. We can wait. Yeah, we can wait.
Gets on your nerves. Let's check with Backstrand. Maybe he's got a job for us in the meantime.
You're getting as eager as your friend Hank Decker, Joe. Incidentally, how'd things turn out for him?
He passed all his exams, putting in his months training at the Academy now. He should do all right.
How are you?
Hi, Mike. Skipper busy?
Not in his office. Won't be in till afternoon.
What's the matter?
He's got a lecture at the police academy this morning.
Thank you. Thanks, Mike. Come on, Ben.
Ben and I drove out to the police academy near Elysian Park.
We went out to check with Ed Backstrand on the blitz robberies, not to listen to his lecture.
When we walked into the classroom, he was just finishing up, so we sat in the back of the room and listened.
It was a pretty good speech.
Because of the alertness of the arresting officer, his talent for memorizing detail, and his knowledge of how a criminal acts under a given set of circumstances, the arrest was made.
Well, that's about it, gentlemen. Thank you for your attention.
Now, when I ran this speech over at home, my wife said it wasn't a very good talk, but at least it came out on time.
Now, it seems, I'm two minutes short, so I guess I failed on both counts.
If I may, I'd like to use the few minutes that are left to tell you what I think of being a cop after 24 years.
For one reason or other, you men have chosen the career of a police officer.
Now, let me tell you right now, without any qualifications, it's a thankless job.
Maybe you can't see it now. Maybe you think I'm exaggerating.
But when you graduate next week and get that uniform on, your whole lives are going to change.
You're going to lose friends, a lot of them.
They'll want parking tickets fixed, some other favors.
You'll have to turn them down, so you'll be a heel, a fathead.
When you're on the beach, you're going to meet the cream of society and the scum, the lowest.
Sometimes you won't be able to tell the difference.
Some of you will have to work with thugs, stupid gangsters, dope addicts, cheap women, all the human garbage you can find in a big city.
You'll come home at night and take a shower to wash off the dirt, but you still won't feel clean. That's the job.
When you buy a box of candy and bring it home for your anniversary, the neighbors will say you chiseled it.
When you save up a few dollars and buy a new car or some furniture for the house, that's graph.
People are going to want favors. They'll offer you things, a free beer or a new dress for your wife.
If you take it, you're a chiseler. If you don't, you're a tough cop.
Well, here's a piece of advice.
Take nothing from anyone, no matter how good a friend he is.
Pay for everything you get and don't ask favors.
Treat everybody alike, no matter what they look like or what they believe in.
You don't play favorites.
There are going to be times when a few men in the department get out of line.
The newspapers will play it up because it makes good reading and the average John Public will love it.
Because that's the only way he can pay you back for that traffic ticket you gave him.
Being a good cop is a hard job, but it's a good one.
Let me warn you just once more. It's one of the most thankless jobs on earth.
That's all, gentlemen.
The following week, Hank Decker graduated from the police academy and hit the transfer list for a regular assignment.
He drew a job of teaching combat firing and boxing at the academy.
He didn't like it, so he put in a request for a transfer and waited.
For the next six weeks, Ben and I waited, too, for some sign of the Blitz bandits.
There wasn't any.
The only possible suspects, Mario Koski and Al Mischikoff, had disappeared completely.
We kept a close check on every possible avenue of information.
Still, no sign.
Ben and I were transferred to the night watch on robbery for a few weeks,
and that gave Hank Decker a chance to drop in and visit with us a couple of hours when he went off duty at the academy.
He was still as eager as ever.
Hi, Ben. Is y'all anything new?
Hi, Hank. Nothing here. What about the academy?
Oh, big news. What's up?
Getting a transfer starting next Monday. Gonna start on a beat.
Thought you were all tied up with that boys' club you started out there.
Oh, I was, but Hanson's gonna take over when I leave.
The kids sure love it. Free swimming in the pool, boxing lessons. We teach them everything.
Where's your beat gonna be, huh? Central, right in the downtown district.
Might learn something, huh? You'll learn a lot if you want to forget most of it.
Look, it's a quarter after seven. Don't you ever go home for dinner, Hank?
Getting my wife used to it. This new shift's gonna be night work, you know.
Wait till you're on it for a year, and then you tell us how you like it.
A year? I want to be in the detective bureau after a year.
Well, you're not even gonna last a year. If you don't get home to dinner,
your wife's called twice this week already. She calls me.
Okay. When did she call tonight? She hasn't yet.
I guess I better head off. Let me know if anything breaks, huh, Joe? I'd like to tag along.
Okay, Hank. Well, on your way.
Okay. Good night. So long. Good night.
How eager can you get? Were we like that when we started?
Not me. I never had that much energy at one time in my whole life.
Hot shot, Joe. I'll get it.
At 767 East Broadway, a liquor store. 211 and slugging.
At 767 East Broadway, a liquor store. 211 and...
767 East Broadway, 211, liquor store. Let's go.
767 East Broadway, King's Liquor Store.
We pushed our way through the small crowd outside the door and into the shop.
Two patrolmen in uniform were already interviewing the proprietor.
He had two large gashes on his head just above the right temple.
He was trembling and badly shaken, but he managed to give us a good description of the holdup men.
Yeah. I can tell you what they looked like.
Three of them.
They were all white, black, and white.
They were all white, black, and white.
One of the short men, he had a big scar here on the throat like this.
One of the short men, he had a big scar here on the throat like this.
After the three men robbed the store, they slugged me and tied me up.
Turner, this man's hurt. You call an ambulance?
On the way, Sergeant.
That's fine.
We have just one more question, Mr. King. Here's a handful of pictures.
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if you're going to be able to get me out of here.
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if you're going to be able to get me out of here.
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if you're going to be able to get me out of here.
We have just one more question, Mr. King. Here's a handful of pictures.
We'd like you to tell us if any one of these men were in the gang that held you up tonight.
Let me look.
There you are. Take your time.
No. No, not him.
No.
No.
Oh, this one. Here.
He took the money from the register.
Would you look through the rest, please?
Anymore?
Let me see again.
No.
No. Oh, here. Another one.
The fat one with the scar. This is him.
I think he's the one that slugged me.
Thanks, Mr. King. Here's our card. We'll be contacting you later.
Turner, will you and your partner take the crime report? We've got some checking to do.
Right, Sergeant.
Thanks. Come on, Ben.
Yeah.
Koski and Meschkoff. You picked out both of them, Joe.
Yeah, we certainly did, didn't we?
Attention all units. Attention all units.
Wait a minute.
The southeast corner of Broadway and East 3rd, a liquor store and restaurant 211, code 3.
All units, the southeast corner of Broadway and East 3rd.
Come on, Ben. Let's roll.
When we got to the liquor store and restaurant at Broadway and East 3rd, Ben and I knew for certain that Koski and Meschkoff were back in the city and working hard. Their ammo matched down to almost the smallest detail. We put a call through to communications and the entire central division was alerted. Then we called Chief Backstrand and told him the news.
He assigned a special detail from the Metropolitan Unit to patrol the area until further notice. But at 923 p.m., before they pulled out of the police garage, the Blitz bandits added two more liquor stores and one more restaurant to their list of victims.
Early the next morning, Ben and I met with Chief Backstrand in his office.
You got a make on that third man yet?
We ran his description through R&I early this morning, Ed. The closest candidate's a guy by the name of Julian Brock, done time here in New York.
Any tie-up with Koski or Meschkoff?
Mama, she says he knows Koski pretty well.
And that's good enough. Now, how do you think you're going to get these thieves?
We've got the alert out, Chief. Special detail from the Metropolitan Division's been briefed. Communications all set.
All right. Here's a tip for you. Tell the men if there's a hold-up call that only the car in the area of the hold-up will handle it. These thieves are no amateurs. Let me try some decoy trick.
Tell the men to stay in the area they're assigned to until they receive a call. Check?
We'll take care of it, Ed. You going to be on the hand tonight?
When do you figure on starting?
We'll have the full detail out by 630.
Play it safe and start at four. Why chance missing them?
At 330 that afternoon, we left the police garage with a special detail from the Metropolitan Division, and we started to cruise the central area.
We weren't looking for any action the first few hours, and we didn't get any.
The five o'clock traffic in the downtown area was heavy as usual.
Hope that gang holds off until after six. We couldn't get out of this traffic if our lives depended on it.
We'd probably do better on foot if it wasn't for radio contact.
Control four to 80K. Control four to 80K, your location.
Get it, will you, Joe?
Yeah, wait until I get the mic. 80K to Control four. 8-OK to Control four. Our location on Spring Street between second and third.
80K, standby. 80K, call your office, code two. Call your office, code two, KMA 367.
80K to Control four, Roger, KMA 367.
Yeah, now what do I do for a parking space?
You know, you're lucky. That guy up ahead there, he's pulling out.
Good, that hasn't happened to me in six months.
Okay, hold on, Ben. I'll be back in a minute.
Yeah.
City Hall?
2511.
2511.
Robbery, Chandler.
This is Friday, Bill. You want us?
Yeah, I just met a Joe. Chief wants to talk to you.
Hello, Friday.
Yeah, Ed.
Cruiser car just brought in a guy answering the description of Mario Koski.
Yeah?
Get over here right away and question the guy. If it is Koski, we can all go home early.
Ben and I went back to the office and questioned the man who gave his name as Conrad Larkin.
He was Koski's approximate height and weight, same color hair, same color eyes.
The resemblance to Koski's picture was evident. We questioned him thoroughly about the blitz robberies, and then we checked out his fingerprints.
The coincidence was hard to overlook, but we were satisfied. The man was not Mario Koski.
There was a phone message on my desk to call Hank's wife. I called her, and then we checked with Chief Backstrand again and started for the police garage.
It was ten minutes past six.
Hey, Ben. Joe. Wait a minute, will you?
Oh, hi, Hank. What's all the excitement?
I heard about those jobs last night, the blitz gang. How about tagging along tonight?
What's the story?
You suit yourself, Hank. 20-I-do home for dinner.
I told the wife I'd eat out tonight.
You sure you're not due home for dinner?
No, not tonight, Joe. Uh, is everything in luck yet?
Not so far, Hank. Maybe later on tonight.
Come on, here's the garage.
How close did you come to the gang last night?
Not close enough. Two steps ahead of us all the way.
They sure must work fast. Five jobs in a row.
All right, Hank. Let's don't rub it in, huh?
Hey, Ben, watch it, will you?
Watch out.
Woman driver.
How about it, Joe? You think I can make the outfit?
You can talk to Ed Backstrand. He might get you a transfer after a while.
Yeah, I might try it.
Joe, look across the street. There's a guy coming out of the bar.
Where?
In front of the bar. He's standing there. Guy in the dark coat, you see?
Yeah. Two other guys behind him.
Who is it?
I can't be sure. Ben, you better pull up.
Koski. Looks just like his picture.
All right. Come on.
All right, hold it, mister. We want to talk to you.
Watch it, Joe.
Hank, get down. Get down.
Two of them down, Ben.
Other than one up alley. Let's go.
Did they get Hank?
Yeah.
All right, hold it right here.
All right, Koski. Throw out your gun and come out with your hands up.
All right, let's return the fire.
Come on.
He...
He had his chance.
Yeah. Grab his gun. Let's get back to Hank.
Did you get the guns from the other two?
Yeah, they're dead. Hank got them both.
All right, one side, please.
Officer, did you call an ambulance?
Yeah, they're on their way.
Come on, Ben. One side, please. Will you let us through?
Hank, how you doing?
That's a good job.
Ben, will you get the crowd black? Give him some air.
We're going to get him some air.
All right, let's go.
All right, easy, Hank. They'll be here in a minute.
Hank?
Hank?
How's it going, Joe?
Going?
Yeah. Come on.
What have you got, Joe?
Phone message from Hank's wife.
For you?
Yeah.
What's that?
A letter from his wife.
For you?
Yeah.
You returned the call?
Before we left the office.
Who was it?
She wanted me to remind Hank
he was due home for dinner at 7 o'clock.
The story you have just heard is true.
Only the names were changed
to protect the innocent.
You have just heard the 12th in a new series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Tonight's program is dedicated to patrolman James Frank Goggin
of the Cleveland Police Department,
who on the morning of January 13, 1939,
gave his life
so that yours might be more than a mere
one-year-old.
The story you have just heard is true.
Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
The story you have just heard is dedicated to patrolman James Frank Goggin
of the Cleveland Police Department,
who on the morning of January 13, 1939,
gave his life
so that yours might be more secure.
Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles.
Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles.
If you enjoyed tonight's production of Dragnet,
if you enjoyed tonight's production of Dragnet,
you'll want to listen to Richard Diamond,
private detective,
as played by the screen's romantic tough guy, Dick Powell,
heard Saturday on most of these NBC stations.
This is NBC,
the national broadcasting company.