 Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows Ladies and gentlemen The story you're about to hear is true Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent NBC brings you dragnet 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 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 It was Thursday October 23rd was windy in Los Angeles We were working the day watch out of robbery my partner's Ben Romero the boss is Ed Backstrand chief of detectives My name is Friday. I was on my way back from the statisticians office. That was 1142 a.m. When I got to room 27a robbery detail How'd it work out Joe any good prospect? I don't know how good they are, but I got a handful. How many did you get? Let me see 15 1822 Ethel down in the stats office ran him on the IBM for me. There they are. Hmm. Let's see It's a gang of three men working on foot Let's robberies they only take cash ammo as tie-ups work from 8 to 10 at night one of the gangs tall the other two short And these are the men the machine sort it out under that hitting you if our information is wrong And so is the machine got a good bunch of Canada's here Descriptions match up with what we got they seem to check the names on that last band some of the smartest thieves in the country Yeah, Tommy Willis Ray Grapper 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 He's around a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, what about the rest? It's a big field have to check them out I guess might as well start at the beginning. Did you go through the overnight report yet? Yeah, no restaurants No liquor stores that makes five days of gangs laid off. I can afford you can't see 18 robberies in 24 days It's pretty good all this stop and go strategy of theirs Joe. It's got me They work hard for a week in one area, and then they lay low. They just keep going. We might have a better try at them Yeah, Chandler Decker Henry Decker didn't say want to see him. Yeah, send him in Decker, how are you? Nobody waiting for applause. Come on in and shut the door Hank, this is my partner Ben Romero Ben Hank Decker. All right, Hank and I are in service together Yeah, I just dropped in for a visit. Joe. Are you busy? No more unusual sound? Thanks I remember 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? Figure I'd like to work at being a cop. He shall 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, but 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 Yeah, seven's okay Glad to have met you Ben. See you Decker. See you again. Bye. 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 5 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 Koski 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 Koski or both could have taken part in the blitz hold-ups We showed their mugs to the victims But none of them could give us definite assurance that either Willis or Koski were in the hold-up 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 the roast His wife closed the door to the kids room and we started downstairs for the kitchen What do you think of our two Adam bombs they're fine kids Ms. Decker Hank told me that you were worried about him wanting to join the force. I Was 12 years old 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 this 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 Ms. Decker. He's gonna 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. Will 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 hold-ups which seemed to tie in directly with a 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 either 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 hold-ups Nearly two months after the robberies were committed Ben and I were still without a solution as to the whereabouts of the gang Never know no Blitz gang like last night this way before Joe Once they get wound up they usually go until they caught yeah, did you get out those telegram checks of the east yet? Last night for one 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 hangouts Willis too. What about Brock from Kansas City, any? Yeah, I got a Y2 might have an answer from one of them tomorrow That's a slow job. We'll have to wait it out. Yes, so no follow-ups from the victims we talked to I'll get it Robbery Friday hi Joe Hank Decker congratulate me. What for just passed my written exam got the letter this morning How about that? That's fine. When do you take your physical? Well, not till the end of an agility test and the physical if I get by them I mean you're gonna have a full month at the police academy after the test is a lot of work Hank I 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. Yeah when you graduate 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. I'll do that Joe right bye Hank past his written test. Hmm. Sure ain't you Brandy Romero got a minute. Yes, give her come on. Yo You got something Ed. Yeah those butch 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 12 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 complexion started with 22 possibilities and got it We did down to four. No wait a minute three Yeah, Tommy Willis Mario Koski Julian Brock Willis and Koski 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 It's about all we got skipper and much for two months work thieves can't be that smart right now They are we've solid out every lead we had Ed. We're doing our best either of you ever hear of a man by the name of Al Mr. Cove No, I don't think so Chicago gunman the old days wasn't he in that's right. I thought he was doing time in Joliet Pro last year Got a tip. He was spotted on East Broadway night before last you figured my tie-in with our job I don't know find out if I remember right michikov's brother used to be pretty friendly with Mario Koski I helped send both of them up 13 years ago same rap robbery. Was that all you heard Ed somebody spotted michikov? 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 Michikov 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 Yeah, almost midnight. Here's McCarthy's place. Let's try it right Let's go down to the end of the bar been yeah Good to see you come in what's no no much bird meet my partner Joe friday. How are you friday? Well, you fellas have looking for a guy bird his name is Al michikov 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? I'll 45 I guess big bill sounds like him. All right, Joe Is he staying in the neighborhood bird down here? I don't think so most of those big time to stay uptown some place You're looking for miss you like to talk to him. How long ago was he in? About 8 o'clock couple of guys with them. They were talking about driving out to the airport something about Las Vegas There's an 840 plane for Vegas, isn't there Ben? I'm thanks. Oh 848 50. I can't recall where Bert Do you remember the exact time they left exactly? No, I say There's one of the fellas that was with michikov down there the middle of the bar Which one were there one with a sandy head big chin. See him. Yeah Want to tell Joe come on Vegas 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 Square John, huh? Wait a minute. George Square John wants to talk to me. Come on outside. We can talk better up 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 me dumb chop shoving people around. What are you trying to do? All right down this way course parked up the next alley Joe. Hey, look, what's this all about, huh? I got a right to know you were seen with al-mishikov tonight. Where is he who al-mishikov you honest to spell it I don't think you can spell your own nobody's asking you to play smart Where's Mishikov out of town? What do you care? Here's the car. All right inside you Look, you got me wrong. I ain't done nothing. Where's Mishikov 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 Mishikov go Vegas took the plane for Vegas when about date 30 quarter to nine. What's up? Anyway, who's the guy traveling with Mishikov? Nobody who's the guy traveling with Mishikov? Koski I just met him tonight Mario Koski is that the guy? Yeah, I'm leveling I ain't done a Ben Get to a phone call the office contact Las Vegas police asked him to pick up Koski and Mishikov 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 Mishikov 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 Mishikov told him that they were going to Las Vegas for a few days and returned to Los Angeles But when ben and I checked back with the Las Vegas police the next morning They reported that nobody answering the description of either Koski or Mishikov 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 any overnight Joe. Nope. Nothing. Oh, yeah, same here. Reno Sacramento San Francisco. Nobody's seen them I've got to come out sometime. We can wait. Yeah, we can wait Gets on your nerves. Let's check with back strand. Maybe he's got a job for us in the meantime You getting as eager as your friend Hank Decker, Joe Incidentally, how things turn out for me passed all his exams putting in his months training at the academy now You should do all right All right, Mike skip a busy not in his office won't be until afternoon. What's the matter? He's got a lecture at the police academy this morning. Thanks, Mike. Come on, Ben Ben and I drove out to the police academy near Elysian park We went out to check with that back strand 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 accent or a given set of circumstances The arrest was made Well, that's about it gentlemen. Thank you for your attention Now, uh, 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 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 uh, gonna 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 fat head 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 Neighbors will say you chiseled it When you save up a few dollars and buy a new car or some furniture for the house. Let'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 two for some sign of the blitz bandits There wasn't any The only possible suspects mario koski and al michikov 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 bands y'all anything new hi hank nothing here. What about the academy all big news? What's up getting a transfer starting next monday gonna start on a beat Thoughts you were all tied up with that boy's club you started out there Oh, I was with hanson's gonna take over when I leave the kids sure love it free swimming the pool boxing lessons We teach them everything where's your big gonna be huh central right in the downtown district Might learn something you 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 a wife used to it This new ship's gonna be night work, you know They're way to your honor 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 her off Let me know if anything breaks. I'm joy. I'd like to tag along. Okay, hank Well on your way. Okay. Good night. It's all on good night Yeah, how eager can you get where we like that when we started not me I never had that much energy at one time the whole life Hot shot Joe. I'll get it At seven six seven east broadway a liquor store to 11 and slugging At seven six seven east broadway a liquor store to 11 and seven six seven east broadway to 11 liquor store. Let's go Seven six seven 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 hold-up men Yeah, I can tell you what they look like three of them One short one tall husky another short fat. You remember what they were wearing the coats all three dark coats One of the short men had a big scar here on the throat like this After the three men robbed the store. They slugged me and tied me up tenor Miss 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 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. Hey, 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 had 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 Well, you and your partner take the crime report. We've got some checking to do right sergeant. Thanks. Come on, Ben. Yeah Husky and Meshikov you picked out both of them. Yeah, I certainly did All units the southeast corner of broadway and east third a liquor store and restaurant to 11 All units the southeast corner of come on, Ben. Let's roll When we got to the liquor store and restaurant at broadway and east third men And I knew for certain that Kosky and Meshikov were back in the city and working hard Their mo mats down to almost the smallest detail We put a call through to communications and the entire central division was alerted Then we called chief back strand and told him the news He assigned a special detail from the metropolitan unit to patrol the area until further notice But at 9 23 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 back strand in his office You got a make on that third man yet We ran his description through r&i early this morning in closest candidates a guy by the name of julian brock Done time here in new york any tie up with Kosky or Meshikov mama. She says he knows Kosky 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 metropolitan divisions been brief communication rolls that all right. Here's a tip for you Tell them in 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 them in to stay in the area. They're assigned to them until they receive a call check We'll take care of it ed you're going to be on hand tonight And when do you figure on starting we'll have the full detail out for 6 30 play it safe and started for my chance missing him At 3 30 that afternoon we left the police garage with the special detail from 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 till after six. We couldn't get out of this traffic of our lives dependent on We'd probably do better on foot if it wasn't for radio content Get it would you yeah, we'll get the mic 80 k to control four eight okay to control four our location on spring street between second and third 80 k to control four roger cammy 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 2511 2511 this is friday bill. You want us? Yeah, I just met a joe a chief wants to talk to you Honey, yeah, yeah 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 It 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 the chief backstrand again and started for the police garage It was 10 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 steering? You suit yourself hank 20. I do home for dinner. I told the wife. I'd eat out tonight You sure you're not do home for dinner. No, not tonight joe Is everything 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 Sure must work fast five jobs in a row. All right hank. Let's don't rub it in now. Hey ben watch it, will you? Woman driver. How about it joe? You think I can make the outfit? You talk to your backstrand. He might get you transferred 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 coach. You see, yeah two other guys behind him. Who is it? I can't be sure ben you better pull up Husky looks just like his picture. All right, come on All right, hold it mister. We want to talk to you run for it alcovers. Watch it, Joe Hank get down get down two of them down ben other than went up valley. Let's go Did they get hank? Yeah Garage your gun and come out with your hands up All right, let's return the fire He had his chance. Yeah grab his gun. Let's get back to home Did you get the guns from the other two? Yeah, they're dead hank got them more 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. Would you just move back? All right easy hank. They'll be here in a minute Hank Hank How's it doing, Joe? Going Yeah, come on. What have you got, Joe? Phone message from hank's 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 seven o'clock The story you have just heard is true Only the names were changed to protect the innocent You have just heard the twelfth 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 goggen of the cleveland police department Who on the morning of january 13th 1939 gave his life So that yours might be more secure Dragnet came to you from los angeles if you enjoyed tonight's production of dragnet You'll want to listen to richard diamond private detective as played by the screams romantic tough guy dick powell heard saturday on most of these nbc stations This is nbc the national broadcasting company