 Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a forgery detail. A group of check passers is working in your city. They've hit over 50 places of business. You have no lead to their true identity. They're still working. Your job? Stop them. It was Wednesday, July 11th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of forgery detail. My partner is Frank Smith. The boss is chief of detective staff. My name is Frank. We're on our way out from the office. It was 11.20 a.m. when we got to the corner of York Boulevard and Buchanan Street. The York-Canon market. Yeah, something you're looking for? Like C. Tom Dawson. He's in the back there on the back count of 11, cold cereal. Thank you. Yeah? Mr. Dawson? Yeah? Police officers would like to talk to you. Oh, about the check, huh? That's right. Mind if I go ahead with this display? I'd like to get it finished. I got enough trouble with the bosses. It is that I don't want to build anymore. Oh, sir, you do right ahead. This fellow cop, too? Yes, sir. This is Officer Frank Smith. My name's Frank. How do you do, Mr. Dawson? I sure hope you can get the guy that gave me the paper. When he stands now, I'm going to have to make it up out of my salary. I don't make that much. I haven't told my wife yet. She's going to scream like an eagle when she finds out. We've got a real strict budget. Sure going to lock it up. You have the check? Yeah. We've got it right here. Came back from the bank this morning. Boss gave it to me. Here you go. Thank you. Same as the others? Looks like it, yeah. Here. Thank you. How's that look to you? Sir? The display. It'll look all right? Oh, yes, sir. It's fine. Get this mask finished and it's all done. What can you tell us about the man who gave you the check? What do you want to know? Well, what kind of identification did he use? Just about the whole thing. Driver's license, social security card, gasoline credit card, the works. Uh-huh. There's pencil notation on the back of the check. This is his license number. Let me take a look. Here. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. I figured sure it'd be good. Nice looking fella. Sure never going for a paper hanger. Can you give us a description of him? Yeah, sure can. I got a good look at it. This sure ought to sell this stuff. What's that, sir? I say this ought to sell this stuff. This mask. We're giving them away when you buy the breakfast food. Extra quarter and you get one of these head things. Kids sure go for them. Uh-huh. Whole displays go around it. See, the finished mask goes right there. Makes it look like the cardboard kids were in it. Uh-huh. You want to go ahead with the questions while I put it together? Yes, sir. Have you ever seen this man before? No. Of course, he might have been around. We do a pretty good business. Could have been in, I wouldn't have remembered. What'd he say to you? Just came in and bought some groceries. Must have been about a dollar and a half's worth. Asked me to cash a check. I told him the manager had to okay it. Mm-hmm. Told him the manager wasn't here. He'd have to wait. Well, can anyone else give the okay? Not supposed to. If we do and something goes wrong, we're stuck for it. I see. The guy told me he didn't have time. Said he was on his lunch hour and he had to get the groceries home. So I asked him if he had any identification. He said he did. Looks all right to me, so I cashed a check. Uh-huh. Oh, say, would you hold this mask for me while I get the rubber band around the top? Yeah, sure. Now, wait till I wind it around a couple of times. We put these things up high, but the kids still find a way to get them down. They're not put together good. They don't last long. There we go. Let's see. I guess this is what goes in next. The eyepiece. Take the eyepiece and put it inside the mask. Slip it into notches. Y and T. You can set these. Did you look at the man's identification closely? How do you mean close? Well, take a good look at it. Good enough to think it was all right to cash a check. It looked genuine, huh? If it didn't, I wouldn't have gone for the money. I see. Was there anything about the man that would make it easier for us to identify him? Not that I could see. He looked ordinary enough. Nothing special about him. Nothing that would stand out. Hold this a minute. Will you while I put the earpiece inside? This here? Yes, sir. Thanks. I guess that's all there is. Put it up here on the top. And that does it. How's it look? It's fine. Kind of scary. I sure hope the boss likes it. I've been on my back since that check came back. Seems like everything I do is wrong. I'll be glad when this day is over. Yes, sir. Do you want to give us that description now? The man who gave me the check. That's right. Sure. I want to do all I can to help. You think if you catch him, I'll be able to get the money back? Well, that's hard to say, sir. I sure hope so. 89.60. That's a lot of money. I hate to lose it. How much was that? 89.60. Yes, sir. I don't even want to think about what my wife's going to say. That will be pretty rough. Yes, sir. We understand. Where's the man? About 27. Around in there. About how tall was he? Five, nine, I guess. Say, if you do catch him, how do you go about getting the money back? Well, it's booked as evidence first. Then I get it back? Well, that depends on what happens at the trial. It's not up to us to decide, sir. You see, the suspect has gotten a several other people, too. If there is anything recovered, they've got to share of it. Then they probably won't get what's coming to me. Well, no, sir. But you can be sure of one thing. What's that? Suspect will. 1146 AM. We got the complete description of the suspect, and we made arrangements for the victim to come down to the city hall and go through the mudbooks. The information on the driver's license was checked through R&I in the Department of Motor Vehicles, and we found it to be false. The first bad check had come to our attention on February 16th, five months previously. Between then and the present forgery, the gang had taken approximately $60,000 from businessmen in the Southland area. All attempts had been made to stop them. The checks cast were all issued for the same amount, $91.10. The checks were drawn on real companies, but on banks where no account existed. Examination of the forgeries by the crime lab and by handwriting showed that the checks themselves were not genuine. The signatures on each of them varied. The typewriter used to fill in the payee and the date was different in each instance as was the check protector used. M.O. bulletins carrying pictures of the checks and lists of the companies that they were drawn on were gotten out to all supermarkets and check caching agencies in the city. None of the precautions we took did any good. The gang continued to operate. Each of the victims was questioned, but the descriptions of the suspect that they gave us was different in each instance. Examination of pictures of known check forgeries using the same method of operation netted us nothing. The stats office had made several runs on the information we had, but they were not able to come up with any new evidence. George Brereton up at Sacramento was contacted and he furnished a solicit of possibles. These were all checked out and several arrests were made clearing up other forgeries, but our crime suspects were still free and the police were still investigating. Wednesday, 4.15 p.m., Frank and I came back from Captain Welsh's office. Well, now we know how to skipper field. Now, can you blame him? No, I guess not. We're doing all we can. If the people who run the stores won't look at the bulletins, there's nothing we can do. We're breaks are bound to go with us pretty soon. They gotta start sometime. I get it. Forgery Friday. Oh, just a minute, ma'am. No, he's not here. He's not here right now. Can I take a message? Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am. No, he's not working today. Yes, ma'am. Well, if you give me your number, I'll have him call when he gets in. All right. That's 9-8. Yes, ma'am. No, no, it's right in the message book. Now, he'll see it. That's right. Yes, ma'am. Mm-hmm. Now, he'll look at the book when he comes in. Well, you're more than welcome. Yes, ma'am. Bye. Problem? No, she just didn't believe that Fergie would get the message. Yeah, I know. Sometimes, Faith has the same thing. Sergeant Friday? Yes, that's all. Hi, B. Come on in. I'm sure you'd be in. You know my partner Frank Smith, don't you? Beatrice Dowling? Yeah, we've met. Sure, I haven't seen you in a long time. Sit down, B. Here. Oh, thanks. There you go. What can we do for you? What has it that? How's it been going? Pretty good. Got myself a job when I got out. Things are working good for me. How long has it been now? A year ago, last January. Well, is there anything we can do for you? No. Might be the other way around. How do you mean? I never got a chance to tell you, Sergeant, how much I appreciated what you did for me, what you said in court. Well, we just told him the truth. I know, but he's done a lot harder with me if he hadn't been on my side. I know, I know, I want to. All right, what do you got? You know how it is, when you get out of jail, you need a lot of people in the business. They all got a deal for you, something to put you back on your feet. Yeah, I know. Same thing happened with me. I stayed clear of it, though. I never went near him. I'm not going to con you a couple of times. It's pretty hard, but I'm on the road and I'm going to stay there. Well, it's good to hear. Yeah, you get rumbles. You know, things come up. I got one the other day. More than a rumble. Well, it's you right away. Figured there's a way to pay you back. Well, what is it? Met a guy in a bar, a little place near where I work. Usually after work, I stop there and have a beer. Well, I wait for the traffic to clear up before I go home. Well, the night... I thought come on and started talking. Nice looking guy. We got to talking about different things, nothing big, things. You know how you do with a bar. You're asking what I did for a living, how things were going, like that. And he wanted to know if I'd like to pick up a few extra bucks. Yeah. He said he wanted me to cash a check for him. I told him I didn't have the money. He didn't make any difference how small the check was. I didn't have a loot. Then he sprung it. He didn't want me to cash it myself. Said he wanted me to take it to the store and get it cashed. Said he'd give me half what the check was for. Well, why didn't he do it himself? Well, I asked him the same thing. That's when he told me, since I heard it, I figured it might be something for you. He said the check was stolen. After we took her out of the hospital we all heard that she had been on here for seven years, since she was three years before. She'd been sentenced to the California institution for women at Corona, California. Frank and I had a small part in the investigation that resulted in her conviction. During the trial we testified that her cooperation had aided us in apprehending the rest of the gang and allowing us to clean up the entire operation. Since she'd been paroled, we'd lost track of her. But on those occasions, when we talked to a parole officer, we found that she was living up to all of the conditions of her release. That's the sugar, will you, Sergeant? Yeah, yeah, I'll be. You don't use it? No, no thanks. How about you, Mr. Smith? No thanks. I'll take a bite, too. How about this guy? What did you tell him? Oh, so I just think over the deal and let him know. Did you get a chance to see the checks? A couple. Took him out of a wallet and he's cold. I didn't get a good look at him, though. Uh-huh. How about the man himself, please? You ever seen him before? I don't think so. You know why I picked you? I've been trying to figure that one myself. The only thing I can think of is if the bartender there knows I fell once, he might have given the word. You got any records that you know of? The bartender? Yeah. I don't think so. That's the talk big, but I don't think he's ever done big time. Mm-hmm. You set up anything about meeting the man with a check? Not definite. Told him I'd think it over. Asked him if I decided to do it with the offer, still be open. Yeah. He said it would. Said to look him up. At the same bar? Yeah, but I could get in touch with him there. Any special time? I'm going to name one. I want you to know I wasn't even figuring to go through with it, not for a minute. And he told me the checks were stolen. I thought right away about you. But you might want the information. I never figured to get mixed up in it. Well, we'll buy it. What are you going to do about it? Try to find out where the checks came from. Well, you were talking to this guy. Did you use the name at all? No, not right out. Well, we were sitting there, another fellow came in and talked to him. I heard the other guy call him Cecil. Well, how about this other man? Do you know him? No. Never saw him around the bar? No, I never did. Luckily, there's something I don't understand. If you stop at this bar all the time, how come you haven't seen the Cecil before? Looks like he's a regular customer of the place. You don't believe me, do you? I'm just trying to get it straight. I told you before, I only go in there about 5.30. I'm only in the place maybe 15 minutes, and I leave. A lot of time when people are coming in and out that I'm not there. I see. Listen, I'm trying to give you guys something for free. You don't want it? Don't worry. You're not going to hurt my feelings. No, it's not that. But you Frank and I have been on a thing for the last four months here. It's been giving us a lot of trouble. Yeah. Well, that's it. I think it's worth anything. We're going to check it out. Does Cecil give you any idea where he got the checks? He said they were stolen payroll checks, all made out and ready for endorsement. Well, if they're made out, what about identification? He said he had that. Oh, I'd need to put the checks through. Did he show you any of it? No, he just said that he had it already. All right, B. I wonder if you can come back to the office and check through the books for us, see if you can spot this Cecil. Oh, sure. I'd be glad to help out. I've got a bill we can leave. I don't want to bring this up, Sergeant. Yeah, what's that? I hope you'll understand. I'm not trying to get out of line. Well, go ahead, B. They know me in this spot. Oh, Cecil knows me. What would happen if I went ahead of the deal? You mean make the connection for us? Yeah, line him up. Find out how the gas's working. And you move there and make the pinch. Well, we can't ask you to do that. It's not your idea. I just figured it might be easier all around. You and Mr. Smith will be right there as soon as I get the information, and it's up to you. Well, I'll have to check that with a skeptic. We'll find out what he thinks of the idea. It might be pretty dangerous. I thought of that, too. Only one thing bothers me. What's that? Some place along the line. I'm going to have to tell this joker that I don't go through the deal. He's going to find out I'm working with you. Well, he does. Be there. We returned to the office and made arrangements to meet Beatrice Dowling the next day. Frank and I got the name and description of the bartender at the place where the Dowling woman said she'd been approached. We ran it through R&I, but we were not able to find a record for the man. The next morning, we met with Captain Welch and told him of the idea. He agreed that it appeared to be the only way we had a stopping and suspect. We contacted Ms. Dowling and made arrangements for her to be kept under constant surveillance. The same day, Thursday, July 12th at 5.20 PM, she entered the bar. Frank and I were parked down the street in our car. How about it? See the doorway? Well, all we do now is wait. Yeah. Here, you want a cigarette? Frank, I want one. Oh. Samantha, you got a cigarette? Yeah. You got one on your hand? Just somewhere in here, sure. Here you are. All right. I'll sure be glad to get home. Yeah. Frank and me had a big argument last night. You remember that? I remember now. Oh, I came home. I guess about 7.30, I'm out of there. Right after dinner, I got ready for bed. That's when I saw it. I should have known right from the start. Shouldn't have known what? Well, Faye fixed Swedish meatballs for dinner. Again, huh? Right then, I should have known. That's what had happened. You know, she always figures it'll soften me up, so I won't mind. But what did she buy this time? A new bedroom set. King-sized bed, Joe. Mattress, springs, a couple of those new rubber pillows, you know, those bouncy smelly ones. I took one look at him, and naturally, the roof went off. You mean she bought the whole thing, huh? She refurnished the whole room. Costs a lot of money, didn't it? That's what I thought. I was pretty sorry about it, too. And we had a few words, and I guess it was pretty bad. Time I got calmed down, she was asleep. Then I saw the bill. Didn't believe it. You wouldn't either, Joe. It wasn't big at all. All right. Yeah. I sure slept good. I think I could make it, Joe. What's that? You know how I'm always talking about sleeping for a week? Yeah. Well, the way I slept last night, I think I could make it. You know something that you like to try? How are you going to have to wait to try? Take a look down there. The bar, Beatrice coming up. Oh, yeah, a couple of guys with her. They're acting kind of funny, aren't they? Yeah. The weather's shoving her around. There's only one reason for that. They find out about us. Frank and I followed the three people down the street. A half a block from the bar, they got into a black old mobile sedan and pulled out into the line of traffic. We kept them under surveillance while we drove to the downtown area. We called communications and got a rolling make on the car. It was registered to a Cecil Maddox, 2482 North Alexandria, in Hollywood. We requested that Maddox be checked through R&I, and we found that he'd been arrested twice before on charges of grand theft, and they'd served one term at San Quentin and one term at Folsom Penitentiary. At the corner of Broadway and Clay streets, the trio pulled into a parking lot and they left the car. Frank and I parked our unit and followed them into a stationery store. From the street, we could see Maddox talk to a salesman while the other man walked up to a display of typewriters. He took a slip of paper from his pocket and apparently tried the machine. But the time he was finished, Maddox had gotten through talking to the clerk and they used the same piece of paper to try a check protector. During this operation, Beatrice Dowling stood by and waited for him. Finally, the three of them left the store and walked two blocks east to a large market. There, we saw Maddox hand the Dowling woman an envelope. After that, she entered the store and came back a few minutes later. Frank and I were about 10 feet from the pair of checkmen when the woman returned. Beatrice. How'd it go? Thank you, Ben. Here's the money. OK, let's go to a bar. We'll make the split. Half this is mine, huh? That's the way we set up. Let's go. Come on, Frank. All right, Maddox. Hold it up. Cool. What's this all about? Police officers. You're under arrest. For what? Go ahead. Spell out the beef. How's forgery, fifth? I don't know. You won't hang it on me. Don't book it, mister. You'll get short eyes. The wrong beef. Sir, there's no point. I'm sorry. I did my job. But I really did. I did my job. I didn't know I'd get to the point. I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry. Why do you think you don't believe me? What is the point? Because you don't believe in your daughter. I don't believe in my daughter. You have to kill her, sir. I'm sorry, sir. You're under arrest. Don't worry. You'll find out who the investigation is. You'll find out who it is. Why do you think you don't believe in your daughter? I don't know. It's not about the money. What's with the money? I'm not sure. It's not about the money. Then, then, go out. Because we want you to do I get the stuff back put it on the table Got anything nothing you want you let us figure that one on the table Hank a chief Chang Package a gum and keys. That's it. All right now the coke pockets cigarettes lighter Some more chains and parking stuff inside pockets to nothing there you'd be interested in inside pockets So let's take a look the true name Cecil James Maddox Yeah, who's this stuff belong to I don't know anything about it driver's license or security card oil company credit card He's don't belong to you do they take a good look cop. You see my name on them We found them in your pocket cleaner must the list all come off at Maddox. We got your nails And you know it you got to show me like these other envelopes here same thing on all of them Now where'd you get them I told you I got a sloppy cleaner Frank you want to check see if Fergie's back. Yeah, sir. You got any money in the wallet Couple bucks take it out. Sure. I'll give it to you keep it in your hands. Give me the wallet You find anything interesting in there not split it. Yeah, sure How about these checks where'd you get them? I forget you better start remembering mystery Trying it just isn't working out pretty important that you do I think I found them where I don't remember You turn up with $500 with the checks and you don't know where you got them. I haven't got the slightest Oh, what about this receipt? What's it for? I don't know it's in your wallet. You must have put it there Look at the back phone number on it. Maybe that's where I kept it No phone number here, but then I can't tell you where I got it I guess I've been carrying it around for a long day to the couple of months ago That's a long time. Look, what are you trying to prove with this innocent pitch? You know, we got you going in we're gonna make a forgery complaint stick now Why are you trying to make it harder? I don't think you can trip me for the beef There's a couple of officers over to your apartment now They come up with a press you use to print up the checks and the identification you've had it Mr. If they find the press right only one big hole in the fairy tale that so I haven't got a press I don't know where I got those checks I think I bought them you try to take me to court on that kind of evidence and you'll make the front pages a dumbest cop of the Year You wait here Maddox only one door and you're in front of that. I'm not going to sit still Yeah, how's it going? Not too good. He won't cop on. How'd you do? I talked to Fergie and went over Maddox apartment Yeah, I didn't find anything We went back into the interrogation room when we talked to the suspect. He didn't admit nothing We talked to Raymond Johnstone, but he refused to cooperate with us The thorough search was made of their car, but we failed to turn up anything new We contacted the printer who'd made up the receipt blanks He checked his records and was able to give us the address of the place that had ordered him Officer's Ferguson Regan Frank and I drove out to the place. It was a cheap hotel located on the seventh We checked at the desk park and showed him the receipt He told us that two men answering the descriptions of the suspects had rented a room two months previously We went on to say that there was a third man with a pair and that he was in the room at the time We asked about luggage and the clerk said that the trio had moved in several large trunks We got the room number and while Ferguson and Regan covered the rear of the building Frank and I went up to the room Down this way. That's right. What do you want? I'll talk to you. I'm kind of busy right now. What's it about? Please officer? You got no call to bust in here. I'm not doing anything wrong. Why'd you try to keep us out? I just don't like cops running all over the place Where's that door go bedroom, but there ain't nothing in there that concerns you. I'll take a look you stay out of there What's this all about anyway? What are you cops trying to build? What about it Frank take a look come on handling over here press and everything I do a little printing for the neighborhood people It's nothing to concern you you do work for the Department of Motor Vehicles to what these drivers license blanks. What are they for? Who tips you what who told you about the plan who told you make any difference you bet it does all the difference in the world I don't know what they told you, but I'm not gonna take the beef alone. I'm not gonna take it alone So yeah, you go back and tell Cecil and Ray that they're going with me I'm not gonna carry this by myself. You tell them that will you sure only deal anyway I sit here with the press all the checks anything goes wrong on the one that stands for it. They're out with the money One-sided that's what it is. They get the kicks. I get the work one-sided. No, not this time. You're all gonna come out even Cecil James Maddox Raymond Richard Johnstone and Paul Milton Hadley were tried and convicted on 18 counts of forgery They received sentence as prescribed by law Forgery is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment for not more than 14 years in the state penitentiary You have just heard dragnet the authentic story of your police force in action and starring Jack Webb a presentation of the United States Armed Forces radio service