 The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Dragnet! He's assigned a narcotics detail. The body of a man has been found in a public park lake. Physical evidence indicates he was killed by narcotics. Your job? Check it out. It was Monday, July 9th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out on narcotics detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Shy. My name's Friday. We're on our way out from the office and it was 10, 23 a.m. when we got to room 42. Homicide. You got a name line? It's good to kick. Yeah, never worked for me. What do you got for it? No, wait a minute. I'll get the pictures. All right. We got it late Saturday night. Just got the results of the audits this morning. Thought maybe you and Frank would be interested. Now, here, let me cure the table. What is it? Oh, here. The way we got the story goes together like this. A couple of kids on their way home from a late show walked through MacArthur Park. Must've been about 10, 30. There? Stopped to the side of the lake for a minute and they saw something in the water. Went down to check it, found the body of a man. Yeah. Here's a picture of where we found him. Contacted the park authorities and they called the police. Tell me car answered and they called us. You know who he is? No idea on him. Made him through his prints. Names. Walter Duomer appears to be his true name. Got several aliases. Somebody's background. Been picked up for just about everything in the code. Copied his rest record. Your first arrest when he was 14. Yeah. Piled him up ever since. He added up, he spent over half his life in prison. Wait, look, he died someplace else. How'd he feel that day? Oh, here. This is a picture taken of the path leading to the lake. See here, the tracks? Looks like he was dragged down the gravel path and then dropped into the water. See that, Joe? What killed him? Had us for a while. No evidence of violence that could have done it. In his record, there are half a dozen people in town who'd like to take care of it. Copy of the autopsy report. I'll explain why we thought you might want a piece of it. What? Died of narcotics poisoning. Went over the dead man's effects without coming up with any additional information. From the report of the coroner's office, we knew that Gilmer had died of narcotics poisoning. We were not able to tell the type of the narcotics used, but it was listed as either heroin or morphine. During the past three months, the Southland had been flooded with an inferior grade of heroin. From chemical analysis, we knew that it was being processed in Mexico. We'd been in touch with Mexican authorities, but in spite of our joint activity, the drug continued to cross the border and it continued to be circulated. Arrests of mules and pushers had been made. Suspects had been interrogated, and all other leads had been checked out, but we were still unable to come up with the key people in the operation. The death of Walter Gilmer gave us a possible lead. We couldn't be sure that he died of the low grade drug, but it was worth looking into. Working with Sergeant Jack McCready and Danny Galindo of Homicide Detail, we pulled Gilmer's package and we went over all of the available information on him. We made out a list of his known friends and his associates. All of the places he was known to frequent were checked. For the next two days, anyone who had been seen in Gilmer's company was talked to. Apparently, we were at a dead end. Thursday, July 12, 11, 14 AM, Frank and I got back from talking to an informant. There was a note in the book to call McCready. McCready there? Yeah. Oh, Jack, Joe Friday. Mm-hmm. Well, where is he now? No, we'll be right over. Thank you. What's it got? One of Gilmer's friends says he was with Gilmer when he died. Frank and I left the central police station and walked over to the city hall. By the time we'd gotten there, McCready had pulled the suspect's package and had what background information there was on the man. The three of us talked to him in the interrogation room. For the record, what's your name? David Flack. How old are you? 26. Is still your address? Yeah. How well did you know this Walter Gilmer? We ruined the guy. How long? A couple of years. According to your package here, you've had several arrests for being a user, isn't it, right? You got the paper. Told us you were with Gilmer when he died. Now look, there you go again. What? I said I was with him when he was sick. That's all. We got together Saturday night, had dinner, and Walt didn't feel so good. He shoved off, said he was going home and get some rest. It's the last time I saw him. He went home to get some rest. Go ahead. With what? There ain't no more to say. You guys asked me, remember? We talked to the manager of your apartment house. Real goof, ain't she? She said you and Gilmer came in together Saturday night, puts the time about 8.30. So the two of you stayed there until about 9.30. Then she heard you come out of the elevator with Gilmer. She's got real big ears. That's what she says. Goes on to tell us that she went to the door of her apartment, looked out into the hall. Says she saw you carry Gilmer out of the apartment building. I carried Walt out? That's what she says. You know how big Walt is? We got an idea. Well, you know I couldn't carry him any place. God weighs me about 50 pounds. I ain't that strong. The landlady is willing to testify to it. Yeah, she talks a lot. She's going to talk you right into the joint. We find Gilmer an hour later dead. You're the last person seen with him. It's going to fit you real good, Flack. From here, it looks like you're right for a 187 charge. You figure you can hand me down for murder, huh? Worth a try. Yeah, but can you make it go? We think so. Now, one thing's going to loss it up. Yeah? I didn't do it. I had no part in it, none. You better tell us then, huh? If I give it to you, it'll make a difference. Depends on the words. Go ahead. Where do I start? The beginning will do. Yeah. I guess Saturday afternoons is as good as any. We'll listen. Oh, Walt got himself a new connection. Said it was a good one. For heroin? Yeah. Got a good buy and a couple of bendels. Said it was a real good deal. You know where? No, he wouldn't tell me. He just said it was his, and that when I needed some stuff, he'd set it up for me. You're on H2, huh? Yeah, why lie to you? A couple of days in the tank will bring it out anyway. Yeah, I'm swinging a pretty good habit. How much? Shooting three a day. All right, go ahead. Oh, Walt had a fix about four in the afternoon. We were going out for dinner. Walt said he had enough Hs so he could take one for free. After that, we went out, got something to eat. Walt didn't eat much. Said he felt way out, didn't hardly eat at all. Yeah. Went back to the apartment, sat around, talked. Tried to get him to tell me where he made the connection. He just laughed and said it was the best thing he ever fell into. Didn't he give you any idea? No, not a smell. All right. Well, pretty soon, he said he didn't feel so good. I thought maybe he'd need another papa. Asked him if he wanted me to cook it for him. He said no. Said he just wanted to get some air. Told me he couldn't breathe too good. Just lay there on the bed, grabbing for air. I asked him if he wanted me to call a doctor, get somebody up there to fix him. He looked pretty bad. Yeah. Told me he didn't want anybody just to leave him alone. About an hour later, I checked with him. I wanted to see if he felt any better. He was dead. You took him out of the apartment then? Yeah, I got scared. I didn't know what had happened, but I could see you guys laying it on me. What'd you do? Took him out to the park, got him in the backseat of the car, and took him out there. He sat in the car for about 50 minutes, waiting for a couple of kids to leave. I was sitting on the bench near their talk, and I had to wait for them to leave. Yeah. After they'd gone, I'd drag Walt down the water and dumped him in the lake. What about his identification? Took out of his pocket. Figured he'd give me a couple of days to try and grow an alibi. Figured it'd take that long for you to find out who he was. You just left him in the lake then, huh? Yeah. Drove back to the house and tried to figure what to do. Think of somebody who'd grown me an alibi. You haven't got any idea where Gilmer made the connection, huh? No. You know where he went Saturday afternoon? No. He left the place about 10 in the morning. I didn't see him until about three or maybe 3.30. He was holding pretty good then, real happy, laughing it up all over the place. Oh, Walt, he had a real good laugh when he was feeling good. I still can't get it straight that he's dead. Gilmer have any close friends that you know of? A couple, not more than that. Want to give us their name? I guess, as long as they don't find out. They meet any new people he told you about? If he did, he didn't say nothing. I'm sorry, I'd sure like to help you. It's a lousy trick making Walt think he was getting such a good deal than having to turn out like this. It's a lousy deal. He was real happy because he thought he scored real big, got it real cheap. Told me he hardly paid anything for it. Well, he had it wrong, didn't he? Huh? He was overcharged. We continued to talk to David Flack. From him, we got additional names of people Walter Gilmer had dealings with. We also got the addresses of bars and restaurants the dead man was known to have frequented. In our interrogation of Flack, he was unable to give us any leads as to where Gilmer might have bought the lethal narcotics. Thursday afternoon at 4.21 PM, Flack was taken to the main jail to be booked in on suspicion of violation of the State Narcotic Act to felony. Frank and I went back to the office and talked with Captain Shaw. We told him what had happened, and we reviewed the progress we'd made in attempting to apprehend the leaders of the Narcotic Ring. After talking over all the possibilities, it was decided the only way we had of getting to the higher ups in the operation was for one of us to go underground. It was decided that I would act the part of a buyer from Northern California and try to make the contact with the members of the ring. I was given a quantity of marked bills and fictitious identification before I left the office. Frank and I worked out a method for communication, and I went home to change my clothes. I went home to change my clothes. I left all of my police identification there, and the next morning I began to be seen in the bars and restaurants where Walter Gilmer was known. For the first week, it went slow. The people involved were cautious of all newcomers. On Saturday, July 21st, I had breakfast, and then I walked over to a small place on East 7th Street. Not open for business yet, Joe? No problem. I had some time to kill. Thought I'd do it here if you got no beef. No, sit down. Just get the booze up from downstairs. And you want something, a coke, maybe? Yeah. Got one that's cold. Yeah. I could put a shot in it, if you want. No, it's all right. It's too early. Bars don't like it if I pour before 10. How's business? Not bad. Guess it's a little slow all over. Yeah. How's it going with you, Joe? Slow. How long you figured it'd be in town? Only got a couple more days. I gotta get back up north. Never heard you say what you did. I fill a job in promoter. Anything like price fights? No. Anything I can make a buck on. What are you working on now? I got a deal. Yeah, I guess you'd rather I didn't get too nosy, huh? Yeah, it might be better that way. Uh-huh. Words out, you're trying to make a buy. What's that? I say, words out, you're trying to make a buy. That's all? Yeah, that's what the word is. Where's the thumb? Around. No place you can point to just around. I understand it's H. Now, what do you think? I don't know. Just tell me what the word is. Uh-huh. I understand you're a good friend of Walt Gumer. Yeah, I know him. We didn't live together. I know him. Nothing about Walt. Never find out what killed him? I don't know. I don't read the papers much. Was it in the papers? Yeah. Uh, rumble is he got some bad stuff. All right. I told you, I don't know. Well, I guess if you're a friend of his, you'd like to talk to his connection, huh? Well, it doesn't make any difference to me when we're the other. You ain't sore about Walt Gumer. I told you, I knew him. I didn't know him good. Just enough to say hello. That's all. They were rough the way it went. Call the cheerleader. Well, I'll see you around, Al. Maybe you gotta leave, huh? I told you, I only got a couple more days in town. Well, uh, maybe I can give you a hand. Yeah. Depends on what you're after. I got a lot of friends around. I might be able to do some good. How are you gonna work that? How much you want to buy? What's that? Come off it, Joe. We got the rumble on you. You're down here from Sacramento. You're here to make a buy. Simple question. How much you want to take back with you? If I wanted to make a connection, I'd be able to make a big. Enough to handle your action. I want a couple ounces. I don't sell cut rates. Now you're holding that much, aren't you? No, I can line it up for you. What do you take your piece? Off the top. I make the deal for him. Oh, no, no go. I don't know how you work things here, but I only do business with a gun. Well, this one don't work that way. Well, let's forget the whole thing. Wait a minute. Hold it, Joe. I deal with a gun and the buy's off. I'll check it. Is it good stuff? The best we got to offer. That's not much of an answer, is it? It's good. Why don't you know? Why don't you know? We'll wait here. I'll make a phone call. I know, I know, but this is important. Got a guy here who wants to buy a couple of shirts. Now, a large size. Uh-huh. As far as we know, he is. I talk to you about it. Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. Now, I said he won't buy them from anybody else. Yeah. That's what I told him. He said he's got it. Uh, just a minute, I'll check. Uh, you be here about seven tonight? Huh? You be here tonight about seven? Well, we can make the deal, sure. Yeah, yeah, he can make it. All right. Yeah, yeah, I know. I told you, we checked. He's all right. Uh-huh. Yeah, all right. Goodbye. The deal's made. All right. Be here at seven. Make it sharp, huh? Okay. Thanks, boss. I got in touch with Frank, and I filled him in on what had happened. For the first time in several months, it appeared as if we had a concrete lead to the operators of the dope range. It was arranged to keep the bar under surveillance, but not to take anybody into custody until a buy had been made. I went back to the room I was running, and I waited. I left at 5.30, had something to eat, and at five minutes of seven, I walked into the bar. The place was crowded. There wasn't an empty stool, and most of the boots were taken. I edged up to the bar and caught the bartender's attention. Hiya, John, you're early. No, you said seven sharp. Yeah. We're gonna do business? Uh, we'll get out from behind the bar. Yeah. Back here, John. There it is. No, John, this is a boss. All right, I figured a little different. Yeah, everybody does. The woman sitting in the booth was in her late 30s or early 40s. It was hard to tell. She had dark hair and blue eyes. The suit she was wearing was gray, and it looked expensive. After the bartender introduced us, she told him to bring a drink, and then she motioned me to sit down. Your name's Joe Frisee. That right? Yeah. I'll tell you what's an action. Now, he gave you the story. How do I know? You're a legitimate dealer. You don't. Joe, you want me to go out on a limb and turn over two ounces of heroin for you? I'm willing to pay for it, lady. Where's it gonna go? Up north. A lot of ground. It's back to me. You got the route to get rid of it? They're waiting for it now. Oh, and then I should tell you I haven't got two ounces. Well, and I'm wasting my time. I can get it. How soon? How quick do you need it? I want to leave town a couple of days. I'll tell them now. You're working alone? I don't see how that figures in the price. You're wrong. What? H we've got goes for $4.50 an ounce. That's pretty high. The best we can get? Should be. You want to make a deal, the price comes down. No, I can't swing more than two ounces. Even if the price has dropped? How much? To $3.50. No, that doesn't fit. What's the angle? If you're on your own, you must get a little tired, so you'll have to carry the load by yourself. Maybe. I was thinking maybe you'd like a partner. You? That's what I had in mind. No, go. Why? Oh, a lot of reasons. Mainly because I don't need anybody. Then it's going to cost you $4.50. Well, I figured that going in. When do you want this stuff? Tomorrow night will do. You have to be late. We've got it coming in then. Where? The price doesn't include that. Okay. Where do I pick the H up? I'll call you. I'll give you the time and the place. Well, if it's high grade, I might want some more. You can pay our price. You'll get it. It's all right. I'm making a big mistake, Joe. That's all? Yeah. I got L.A. sewed up good and tight. It's a good distribution. All the product I need. You got to know it. We put them together. We could both come out real well. No, I told you before. I don't need partners. You might be wrong, Joe. What? You might already have one. I barred and gave the bartender my phone number. He said he'd call me as soon as he had any information. I left the place and walked over to Fifth Street. At a corner restaurant, I put in a call to Frank and I filled him in on what had happened. It was set up that he and Sergeant Roxy Luccarelli would keep me under surveillance all the following day. In the meantime, the woman, Dolores Page, would be watched also. I went back to the hotel where I was staying and went to bed. At 3.30 a.m., the phone rang, and the bartender, Alf, told me to get dressed and meet him in front of the hotel right away. He said we were leaving town immediately to make the narcotics buy. I tried to call Frank and fill him in on what had happened, but I couldn't reach him. I got in touch with the office and left word regarding the meet and then went downstairs to wait for Alf. At 3.45 a.m., Alf drove up to the entrance. I tried to stall as long as possible to give the men from the office time to get there, but finally we left the hotel before they arrived. In the car with Alf and myself were a man who introduced himself as Earl and the woman, Dolores Page. We drove down to the beach and turned south on Highway 101. We continued down to San Diego. At 6.30 a.m., we checked into a small hotel and Alf, along with Earl, left to make the meet and the buy. I tried to find out where they were going, but they refused to give me any information. Dolores Page and I waited for him to come back. I was unable to contact the San Diego authorities, telling them what to watch out for. Apparently, I'd lost contact with Frank and Luccarelli. The only hope now was that someplace along the line, the Page woman and her associate would make some kind of a mistake. We waited at the hotel until 12.15 when Alf and Earl returned. Where's Earl? Downstairs in the car. How come you're so late? We got hung up on the other side of National City. Customs inspection. We went through the car. Find anything? No, there was just something wrong about the whole deal. What do you mean? It looked like they were waiting for us. Like somebody had tipped them off, we were coming through. What makes you think that? The way they acted. Other cars had just looked over. Ours, they went all the way through, took the seats out, checked the tires, even climbed underneath. I'll tell you, somebody tipped them off. They were waiting. I understand that. We've been working it a long time without no hitch. All of a sudden, you come along, we got trouble. What are you trying to build? Just that it's funny that it happened now the first time you're here. Are you trying to say that I got something to do with the shake down? If it fits, wear it. Now you listen, you two-bit punk. I got more to lose than you have. I'm paying top price for this product. I got customers waiting now. You come breezing in here and try to lay one of your own mistakes on me and I'll break your back. You talk like a man 12-foot tall. I don't have to be that big about you. All right, knock it off. You two-beefers aren't going to do any good. They didn't find anything. Got no call to figure it was a tip-off. No reason at all. Now let's get out of here. Tell your boy to get off my back. Don't worry about it. There won't be any more trouble. Better not be. Because I'll spell it out for you. Is that right? There is and I'm going to cause it. Three of us went downstairs and got into the car. We started to drive back to Los Angeles. From what I could find out, the narcotics buy had been made in Mexico, but the heroin was not in the car we were driving. We continued up the coast. Just south of Oceanside, California, we began to follow a large bus. As we drove, I noticed that Alph was being careful to keep the vehicle in sight. At San Clemente, the bus pulled into a small roadside restaurant for a rest stop. We parked immediately in back of it. Alph got out of the car and approached the bus. He walked up to the rear of the vehicle, reached under the rear bumper, and removed a small package wrapped in waterproof material. He checked the contents, and then he walked back to the car. Get it? Yeah, right where we put the stuff. Get in. Let me have it. Here. Here it is, Joe. Got the money. You want to wrap it up right here? No reason not to. Why don't we wait? We'll get back to town. It'll be easier there. You got any special reason to wait? No. Got the money? Yeah. Then why wait? Well, let me see what I'm buying. Here. All right. Best we can buy. You don't have to taste it. What are you trying to pull? What? What are you trying to sell me? This stuff's no good. You're not going to stick me 450 for this junk? You made the deal. And I'm leaving it. I want no part of it. It's a little late to come up with that. I will be. Get out of the car. Leave him alone, Al. We've done it your way all along. It hasn't worked out from here. And I'm going to call it. You're doing it wrong, Al. You let me worry about that. Get out, mister. Go on. I'll wear it, too. Let's take a walk around the back of the building. Go ahead. So you're going to tell me and come up with the money, too? Is that it? Keep walking. You know you're not going to get away with it, don't you? You keep buying those fairy tales. Maybe we can make a deal, Al. Yeah? If you get the money, it doesn't make any difference about me, does it? What do you mean? No, wait a minute. I suppose I give you the money. You've got it clean. You don't have to rouse me then, do you? Maybe I'll like showing you around. I never did figure you on our side. Why? Because you knew Walt Gilmour. What happened to him doesn't make any difference to me. It don't read good, Joe. Right from the beginning I didn't figure you. What do you mean? You set the deal up, didn't you? It looked like some fast change. It didn't count on as much McGill. It's not worth it. All this talk about Walt. What's he got to do with it? He was working with us pushing. Got too wise. Thought he could do it without us. So you gave him a connection with bad age. Is that it? That's it. The Lord's isn't going to like it. You know that, don't you? The wheel just passed out of her hands. Come on. Let's get it over with. All right. Where to? Back there. We've been right behind you since you left. They go. Yeah? How'd you work that? Well, I got the message. You left at the office. We had a tail on the page woman. Picked up down south. How about her and another fellow back there? Foxy's got him. Let me have your handcuff for you. Yeah, here. Bartender? Yeah. He copped out to giving Walt Gilmour the bad junk. Huh. That takes care of it then, huh? Yeah. Come on. Get up. Come on. Get up. Well, I'm glad this one's over. Yeah. Well, you don't look any of the worse for wear. All right. Sure. You didn't really have anything to worry about. Is that right? Well, sure. You don't mind me telling you that, do you? It's a good thing you weren't two minutes later. Huh? I might not have heard you. Marie Page and Alfred Giles Harnett were tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. David Alcott Flack was tried and convicted of using narcotics. And Earl Tyler Rocklin was tried and convicted of possession of narcotics. They all received sentence as prescribed by law. Murder in the first degree is punishable by life imprisonment in the state penitentiary. Possession of narcotics, first offense, is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year. Using narcotics, he is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year. Harnett, the story of your police force in action is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.