1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,000 The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. 2 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000 You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a homicide detail. 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,000 It's New Year's Eve in your city and you're on special duty. 4 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Thousands of people crowd downtown streets. One of them is a killer. Your job, find them. 5 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. 6 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,000 For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, 7 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:51,000 you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. 8 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:58,000 From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. 9 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,000 It was New Year's Eve. It was cold in Los Angeles. 10 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,000 We were working the night watch out of homicide special duty. 11 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,000 My partner is Ben Romero, the boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives. My name is Friday. 12 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:18,000 I was on the way back from dinner and it was 8.35 p.m. when I got to room 42. Homicide. 13 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:24,000 Joe? Hi, Barney. How was it outside? It's cold. 14 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Not keeping people at home though. Did you check the crowds? Yeah. 15 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:34,000 Been watching it from the window here. Seems bigger than last New Year's. Crazy. 16 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,000 You're on with Ben and me tonight, is that right? Uh-huh. 17 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 Thought I was going to have it off. Wife had a little house party planned and everything. 18 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 Well, that's too bad. Maybe next time, huh? Yeah, that's what I said last New Year's. 19 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:50,000 I guess we better start moving. Yeah, where's Ben? He went down the hall a minute and said he'd be right back. 20 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,000 I better take my top coat off. Yeah, I would if I were you. 21 00:01:54,000 --> 00:02:01,000 Nothing for us in the book, is there, Barney? I almost forgot Jack Conley called having a little party out of his house. 22 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:06,000 He wants you and Romero to drop around when you get off. Said he'd call back. 23 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Hi, Joe. Hi. You about ready? Yeah, let me grab my overcoat. 24 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:16,000 I just tagged back some notifications. Switch ports lit up like a Christmas tree during a miller bit. 25 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:23,000 Just like last year, they're starting off strong. 415-507. Calls coming in with a dozen. 26 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,000 I'd like to see it just once. People celebrating New Year's without tearing up half the town. 27 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:35,000 I get it. I'm gonna sign Friday. Oh, yeah, Jack. Yeah, well, Barney just mentioned it. 28 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Well, we'll try and make it. You know how things are tonight. Yeah, we'll try. Sure. Thanks a lot. 29 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:46,000 But Jack Conley, Ben, on his way home, he wants us to drop by his place. We'll get off early tonight. 30 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Not much chance of that. You ready? Yeah, I am. You, Barney? Let's go. 31 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:00,000 Guess you can't tell. You might get a break. The crowds are starting in pretty early. 32 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Good chance of a break and go home right after midnight. That should get us off early. 33 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,000 That was the idea last year, wasn't it, Ben? Yeah. What time did you get off? 6 a.m. 34 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Together with Sergeant Barney Lucek, Ben and I left the city hall and started a cruise to the southern end of the central area. 35 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:26,000 As any police officer can tell you, New Year's Eve for him is one of the hardest working nights in the year. 36 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,000 This one was no different for us. Within an hour, we'd had more than a half a dozen calls to check out. 37 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,000 Street fights, drunken driving, disturbing the peace. 38 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:40,000 The usual complaints that you'd expect to get when a community of three million celebrates New Year's Eve. 39 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:46,000 9.43 p.m. We were cruising in the area of Alameda and Macy Street. 40 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:54,000 Unit 72R at Wilshire and Geneva, 311. KMA, 367. Roger, 72R? 41 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:00,000 Unit 112 at 83 Naylor Avenue. See the man, keep the peace. KMA, 367. 42 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:05,000 No stopping them, huh? I know it's a big night. Smoke, Joe? No, no thanks. 43 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:10,000 Attention all units. All units in the vicinity at East Main and Darwin and Officer Neatel. 44 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:17,000 That looks like we got one, huh? Yeah. All units in the vicinity at East Main and Darwin and Officer Neatel. KMA, 367. 45 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,000 I guess we better handle it, huh? Why? The next one on the left, Ben, we can go out, darling. 46 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:27,000 I know. I better call him. 80K to Control 1, 8OK to Control 1. 47 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:32,000 What's the matter? Well, I guess they're busy. 80K to Control 1, 8OK to Control 1. 48 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Standby 80K. Attention all units. All units in the vicinity. The call to East Main and Darwin is now a shooting. 49 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,000 I guess you better push it, Ben. Got it down to the floor. 50 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:52,000 All units in the vicinity. The call to East Main and Darwin is now a shooting. The call is now code 3, KMA, 367. 51 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:58,000 That's it coming up, Ben, East Main. Yeah. There's a crowd there on the corner. I guess you better pull up here, huh? 52 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:05,000 All right. Come on. 53 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:11,000 Over by light pole, Ben. Joe, an airline on the sidewalk. You want to check the crowd, buddy? Yeah. OK. 54 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:16,000 Let us through here, please. Can we get through? Excuse me. Look, will you please get back? Move back, please. 55 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:22,000 All right. Come on. I want you to just move along. Just move along. Move along. Give us a little room to work. Thank you. 56 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:34,000 Ben? Yeah, Joe? Have a look here. Huh? No. That's Jack Connolly. Ben? He's dead. 57 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:41,000 His full name was John Patrick Connolly, serial number 367. He was one of the veteran officers in Central Homicide. 58 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:47,000 He lay face down on the pavement, one of his legs straddling the curb stone. He'd been shot twice at the base of his skull. 59 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:53,000 There were four more bullet wounds in his back. Ben got to a phone, called Homicide, and told them what had happened. 60 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Two dozen cruiser cars and more than a half a hundred men were immediately dispatched to the scene of the killing. 61 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:03,000 They circled the area for a dozen blocks around and started a door-to-door search for the killer. 62 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Suspicious looking pedestrians were stopped at every street corner in question. 63 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,000 Ten thirty p.m. The ambulance arrived and Jack Connolly's body was taken to the morgue. 64 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Along with Thaxter and Brian from Homicide, Barney Lucek, Ben and I continued checking in the immediate vicinity of the killing. 65 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,000 We found no one who'd admit that they actually saw the shooting. 66 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Half a dozen people in the crowd told us that they heard the shots and they saw Connolly fall to the pavement. 67 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:33,000 They'd also seen a man standing behind Connolly turn and run down the street right after the shooting. 68 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:40,000 No one had followed him. The man was described as medium-billed, wearing a dark suit and a dark hat. That's all I could tell us. 69 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:45,000 Eleven twenty-five p.m. Ben and I met Barney Lucek back at the car. 70 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Morning. Did you get anything? 71 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,000 Checked out every store in the neighborhood that's open. Not much. How about you? 72 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,000 It was the same. Pretty thin. 73 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:57,000 Brian and Thaxter turned up a newsboy down the street. He told him he saw the guy in the dark suit running down the street. 74 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,000 Thought he saw the guy come out of this bar here. 75 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,000 We heard that too, Barney. We talked to the bartender. He didn't recall the man. 76 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:08,000 I almost forgot. I checked with the office. Mrs. Connolly's been calling in once in a while. Her husband is. 77 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:09,000 Oh, yeah. 78 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:14,000 I asked personnel to hold off notifying her. I thought it would be you fellas who want to tell her. 79 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,000 You knew Connolly pretty well, didn't you? 80 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,000 Yeah, a long time. 81 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,000 Family, man? 82 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Three kids. 83 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:24,000 Hmm. If you fellas don't want to tell her, I'll call personnel back. They can do it. 84 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,000 No, it's all right. I'm sorry. 85 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:36,000 Eleven forty p.m. Ben and I got in the car and headed out for the home of the slain officer, Jack Connolly. 86 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,000 The house was on Ralston Avenue, just a few blocks from where Ben lived. 87 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:44,000 We parked the car and started up the front wall. The lights were burning in the living room. 88 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Lousy job. 89 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:51,000 What? 90 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,000 I said it's a lousy job. 91 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Yeah. 92 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Better try it again, huh? 93 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,000 I heard it. Somebody's coming. 94 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,000 Hi, Joe, Ben. 95 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Hello, Betty. 96 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Hi, Betty. 97 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,000 I'm sure glad you can make it. Everybody's here. Come in, come in. 98 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,000 Okay. 99 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,000 Thank you. 100 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:19,000 I'm still waiting for that wandering husband of mine. If he's not here by midnight, he's going to be in the doghouse for sure. Here, let me take your coat. 101 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000 No, Betty, that's all right. I wonder if we could go back in the kitchen. We'd like to talk to you. 102 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,000 Smirna, can't you stay long? 103 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,000 No, not too long. 104 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:28,000 Oh, that's too bad. Well, come on back in the kitchen. I'll get you something. 105 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:33,000 Maybe you can drop back later on. Jack should be here by then. He better be. Come on in. 106 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,000 By the one of you seeing Jack? 107 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,000 That's what we wanted to talk to you about, Betty. 108 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,000 What? 109 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 You want to sit down, Betty? 110 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,000 What is it, Joe? Tell me. 111 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Well, he had an accident. 112 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000 Where is he? I want to go see him. How bad an accident? 113 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Pretty bad. 114 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:54,000 I want to go see him, Joe. If he's hurt, I want to see him. Couldn't be that bad, could it? 115 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,000 Yeah. 116 00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:02,000 Oh, please, Joe. Please, not dead. Tell me, Joe, please. 117 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,000 I'm sorry, Betty. 118 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,000 Dear God. Oh, God. 119 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Why don't you give me a hand here, Joe? 120 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Yeah. 121 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,000 Why does she... 122 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,000 It'll be worse when she comes, too. We better get a hold of the family doctor. 123 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,000 You know, we're going to have to wait. We'll never get through now. 124 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:16,000 Huh? 125 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Phone lines are probably jammed. It's midnight. 126 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,000 Oh, yeah. 127 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Happy New Year. 128 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:34,000 12.30 a.m. We finally got a hold of Connelly's family doctor, and he told us that he'd be over as quickly as possible. 129 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Some of Ben Connelly's relatives at the party said that they'd look after things until the doctor arrived. 130 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Ben and I left the house and drove back to the scene of the murder. 131 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:47,000 The house-to-house check of the entire area was still going on. There was no trace of the killer. 132 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,000 At 2.30 a.m., a low fog moved in over the city. Traffic began to thin out a little. 133 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:57,000 The street crowds disappeared. 2 a.m., the search went on. 134 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:06,000 A little before 2.30, a patrolman on foot located a taxi cab driver in the neighborhood who claimed that he'd seen a man answering the killer's description just after the shooting. 135 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:10,000 Ben and I went down the street to talk to the driver. He sat behind the wheel of his cab. 136 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:19,000 He was specially equipped with shortwave radio to handle calls directly from the taxi company's dispatch office. 137 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:24,000 Glad to pass it on for whatever it's worth, officer. It happened just a minute or two before I picked up my last fare. 138 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,000 What time is that? Do you remember? 139 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:32,000 I'm remembering too, and I got it right here on the way, Bill. 140 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:42,000 Yeah, yeah, here we go. 9.48 p.m. I was parked just where I am now, same old stand. I picked up a fare, drove in the North Main in Sotelo, and I came back here. 141 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,000 My cab broke down, lousy distributor. I've been waiting for the repair truck ever since. 142 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:51,000 Well, just what was it that happened before you picked up that fare here? Was it 9.48? Is that right? 143 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:56,000 Yeah, 9.48, yeah. Well, I was going to say it was just a minute or two before that. I was parked right here. 144 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,000 This guy comes running down the street through the crowd. He was really running too. 145 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,000 Yeah, go ahead. 146 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:09,000 He was almost past me when he stopped all of a sudden, turned around and looked at me. I thought he wanted a cab, so I opened the door for him. 147 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:16,000 He just looked at me and said, never mind, or something like that, and then he took off down the street. Maybe he was just a little goofed up, I don't know. 148 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Can you remember what he looked like? 149 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:23,000 Oh, about your bill, I guess. Medium, had a hat on, dark hat, dark suit. 150 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,000 Did you get a look at his face? 151 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,000 Yeah, he's about 28 or 30, dark complexion. 152 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Anything else you remember about him? 153 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:34,000 No, not for sure. He looked like a hundred other moochies down around this neighborhood. 154 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:40,000 Just listen to those calls come in, huh? New Year's Eve and I draw a lame cab. 155 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Well, there's nothing else that you remember about this man that you think might help us, huh? 156 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,000 No, you got it all, Sergeant. Just acted a little queer, that's all. Goofed up, probably. 157 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 Did you see which way he went when he took off? 158 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,000 Right down the street, that way. Lost himself in the crowd. I couldn't be bothered. 159 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:59,000 How about when he came running down the street towards you, and you happened to notice where he was coming from? 160 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,000 Matter of fact, yeah, that was just after I heard those gunshots. Of course, I didn't know there were gunshots, Sam. 161 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,000 Yeah? 162 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,000 Looked to me like he came out of that joint up there, right near where the cop was shot. 163 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Which joint was that? 164 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 The 228, that bar up there. 165 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Well, it wasn't much, but it was the only lead we had to go on. 166 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:23,000 Seven persons in the vicinity at the time of the shooting had volunteered the information that the killer had been a recent customer at the 228 club. 167 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,000 The neighborhood tavern. 168 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:31,000 The owner and bartender of the club, a Ralph Stevens, had been questioned twice that night by different officers, 169 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:36,000 and he twice denied that there was any possibility that the killer could have been a patron at his bar. 170 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Stevens' denial didn't make any more sense than the killing itself. 171 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:47,000 We made arrangements to have the cab driver we interviewed come down to the city hall to check through our mug books for the suspect. 172 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:53,000 By 10 a.m. the next morning, the body of the slain homicide officer, Jack Connolly, had been posted. 173 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,000 Four bullets were taken from his back, two from the base of his skull. 174 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Russ Camp ran the slugs through ballistics where they were identified as having been fired from a.38 caliber Colt special revolver. 175 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,000 11 a.m. 176 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:11,000 We drove back to the 228 club where we talked to some of the customers who'd been there the night before. 177 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:17,000 Three of them told us that they'd seen a man answering the general description of the killer in the bar shortly before the shooting. 178 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:22,000 Ben and I went back to the stock room at the rear of the bar and talked to the owner, Ralph Stevens. 179 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,000 Look, how long does this thing have to go on anyway? I told you everything I knew last night. 180 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,000 We know that, Stevens. Doesn't seem to jive with what the rest of the witnesses saw, though. 181 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:39,000 Maybe you'd better take it up with them. I don't know anything about it. I got work to do, and you're in my way there. 182 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,000 Excuse me. 183 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,000 How come you're so sure that the man we want wasn't in your place last night? 184 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:50,000 I'm not on trial here. You asked me what I know, and I told you. You don't mind I got work to do. You mind moving over there? 185 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,000 We'd appreciate it if you'd cooperate. 186 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,000 All right, if you want to know the truth, you're not good for my business here. Cops never are. 187 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000 Coming around asking questions, customers don't like it. It's no good for business, no good at all. 188 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:06,000 A cop was killed last night right outside your front door, and half a dozen people say that the guy who did it was in here drinking. 189 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,000 I run this place, it's mine. I say the man wasn't in here. 190 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000 Still like to know how you're so sure. 191 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:17,000 I'm getting a little tired of this. I don't have an office down at the city hall to lounge around in. I got work to do. How about leaving, huh? 192 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,000 You want to get your coat? We can talk to you downtown. Come on. 193 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Now, before I call my lawyer. 194 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 Go ahead and call him. Where's your coat? 195 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000 Why do we have to have trouble? I haven't got any beasts with you. 196 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,000 No trouble, Stevens. We have to get to the bottom of it, that's all. 197 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:30,000 I'd like to have you cooperate. 198 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:36,000 Maybe the guy was in here last night. He came in a couple of times, that's all. I didn't want it to get out. Bad for business, those things. 199 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,000 Can't afford it, keeps customers away. And the man was in here last night, is that right? 200 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:45,000 I wasn't trying to cover it for him. I hardly know him. I just didn't want it to get out. I got a right to protect my business. 201 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Who is the man? 202 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 Harry Talmadge. He's a hophead. If he did it, it probably wasn't his fault. 203 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:50,000 How do you mean? 204 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,000 He was hyped up last night, he used his heroin. He probably didn't mean to shoot. 205 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,000 Where do we find him? 206 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,000 I wouldn't know if this is right, old address. 207 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,000 What is it? 208 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000 Fairview Hotel, try there. 209 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:10,000 11.35am, New Year's Day. We got in touch with Barney Lucek and Tom Bryan from Homicide, and they drove downtown to check at the Fairview Hotel for the suspect. 210 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:15,000 Ben and I finished questioning the owner of the 228 Club and we went back to the office. 211 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:19,000 11.58am, Barney Lucek and Bryan got back. 212 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,000 Barney, what have you got? 213 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,000 Fairview Hotel in South Grand, was that the one? 214 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Yeah, did you find it okay? 215 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Yeah, I talked to desk clerk. 216 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:30,000 Talmadge registered there? 217 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,000 Yeah, he was. Checked out two months ago, no leads. 218 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:50,000 You are listening to Dragnet, a series of authentic case histories documented from official files. 219 00:15:50,000 --> 00:16:06,000 12.00pm, New Year's Day. After we found that the suspect Harry Talmadge had checked out of the Fairview Hotel months before, Ben and I went back to the office and ran his name through R&I. 220 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,000 The information given us by Ralph Stevens, the owner of the 228 Club, was apparently correct. 221 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,000 The record on Talmadge showed that he was a confirmed user of narcotics. 222 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:22,000 He served two brief terms for illegal possession of narcotics and another short term in the county jail for petty theft. 223 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,000 We got out of broadcast and an APB on Talmadge. 224 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:33,000 We checked out all his known friends and relatives, the places that he frequented, hotels, boarding houses that he stayed at, no leads. 225 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:39,000 With the help of Lieutenant Walters and narcotics detail, we finally found the trail most likely to lead us to the suspect. 226 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,000 The peddlers who were suspected of supplying Talmadge with narcotics. 227 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,000 They were kept under a 24-hour watch. 228 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,000 Three days passed, no results. 229 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:55,000 January 4th, 9am, Ben and I went to the funeral and burial services for the murdered officer, Jack Conley. 230 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,000 11am, we got back to the office. 231 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:05,000 I don't know why, Joe. I just don't cop in the funeral. Not a cop's funeral anyway. 232 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 No, I don't blame you. His wife looked a lot better, didn't she? 233 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,000 Yeah, she did bang up good considering. 234 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,000 Merrill, Joe? 235 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:14,000 Hi, Barney. 236 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,000 What'd you say, Barney? 237 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,000 That young fella you told me about, he phoned you, Ben. 238 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,000 Oh, is that right? Did you give him the information? 239 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,000 Yeah, he wanted to know all about taking the police department examination. 240 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Now, who's that? 241 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000 One of my neighbor's boys, a nice kid. He wants to get on the force. 242 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,000 I told him to apply at room five, city hall, any weekday. He could make an application then. 243 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:31,000 That it? 244 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:32,000 Fine, Barney, thanks. 245 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,000 Well, they got the recruiting campaign going on? 246 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,000 Yeah, all this month. Taking applications from all over the country. 247 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,000 I'll get it. 248 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:45,000 Homicide, Friday. Oh, yeah, Walters. Just a minute. 249 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:51,000 Okay. A-L-D-S-O-N, Donaldson. Okay, fine. Thanks a lot. 250 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,000 Lou Walters in narcotics might be something. 251 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:56,000 What's that? 252 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Well, he got a line on one of the mules who used to push heroin to town. 253 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,000 He's got the name of Donaldson. He's been sounded out. He's ready to talk to us. 254 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,000 This Donaldson was close to town, man? 255 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Well, supposedly, yeah. 256 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,000 You know where town that is? 257 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 Well, let's ask him. 258 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,000 Ben and I left the office and drove to the address on South Alameda where Donaldson, 259 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,000 a friend of the murder suspect, was supposed to be staying. 260 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,000 Turned out to be a cheap hotel in the Skid Row district. 261 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,000 It was next to one of the rescue missions down there. 262 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,000 We finally located Donaldson across the street. 263 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,000 He was standing on the sidewalk along with four or five other men. 264 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000 They were listening to a small Salvation Army band playing outside one of the beer joints. 265 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:44,000 I hardly miss any of these sidewalk meetings, Sergeant. Like them. 266 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Band music. Even listen to the sermons. Do me a lot of good. 267 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,000 I understand you're not pushing junk anymore, Donaldson. Is that right? 268 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 Do you want to call me big, Sergeant? 269 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,000 Name's really John, but everybody calls me big. 270 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:58,000 All right. 271 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,000 No, I haven't been pushing junk. Not for months. All through with it. 272 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,000 Well, when's the last time that you saw Harry Talmadge? 273 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,000 A couple weeks ago. I'm not much for Harry anymore. 274 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:14,000 Like I say, I've been regular at these sidewalk meetings, hearing the sermons. 275 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,000 Changes the way a fella does things, you know. 276 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:18,000 Yeah. 277 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Man's got to turn good sometime during his life. Not getting any younger. 278 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:29,000 58. I figure it's time I stopped living by the word. 279 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,000 Say, that's nice music, isn't it? 280 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Yeah. Do you have any idea where we might find Talmadge now? 281 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,000 I might have a few ideas on it. I don't know. 282 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:43,000 Let's say, I guess neither one of you fellas you snub. 283 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,000 No, no, no, snub. 284 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:45,000 Don't bother you, does it? 285 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,000 No, go ahead. No, it's all right. 286 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:56,000 I know the last boarding house Harry stayed at, if that'll help any. Place on a tough street. 287 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,000 I can give you the address. 288 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,000 Well, is he still there, do you know? 289 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,000 I don't think he is, no. Matter of fact, I'm sure he's not. 290 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:08,000 Wish Harry'd come around and see me. Like to get him interested in these sidewalk meetings. 291 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Getting listening to the sermons might help him. Did an awful lot for me. 292 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Yes, sir. Will you say that you saw Talmadge about two weeks ago? 293 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Well, not quite two weeks ago. It was a day after Christmas. 294 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,000 He came down to my hotel and wanted some money. I couldn't give him any. 295 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:31,000 That's when he told me he was moving. Going to some rooming house up around the city hall section up there. 296 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,000 Did he mention any address? 297 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:38,000 Not that I recollect, no. That sure is nice music, isn't it? 298 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,000 Well, how about some of his other friends, Biggs? You think they might be able to help us? 299 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:48,000 Well, Duke might help you. Harry and old Duke are still great friends. Duke sees them more than I do. 300 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Where do we find Duke? 301 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:55,000 Well, you know the Penny Arcade down in South Main, right down from the train depot there? 302 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,000 Yeah. 303 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000 That's where Duke works. He's a janitor there. 304 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:05,000 I've been trying to get Duke to come to the sidewalk meetings, too. He sure could stand it, old Duke. 305 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 Well, thanks very much, Biggs. 306 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:15,000 Not at all, Sergeant. Always glad to help out. Now look at that now. All out of snuff. 307 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:20,000 Say you couldn't see your way clear, could you? 308 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,000 There you go, Biggs. 309 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:26,000 That's your Christian of you, Sergeant. I'll handle this just like a personal lawman. 310 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,000 That's all right, Biggs. Don't say anything about us talking to you, though. Not to anyone. 311 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 No, sir, I won't. You can trust me. Say, when you see Harry, give him a message, huh? 312 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,000 Well, what's that? 313 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:42,000 You tell him to come and see me. I want him to show up at these meetings, hear the sermons. 314 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:52,000 It could change everything, Sergeant. It could give him a new life, new soul, brand new soul for Harry. Think of that. 315 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,000 Yeah, I could use one. 316 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:02,000 3 p.m. Tuesday, January 4th. We drove down to the Penny Arcade on South Main. 317 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:09,000 Harry tells me his friend Duke wasn't there. The manager of the place gave us his home address, and we checked it out. 318 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:16,000 Duke wasn't there either. We staked out at the place for the rest of the afternoon. Duke failed to show. 319 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:21,000 At 6 o'clock that night, Barney Lucek and Brian from Homicide came out and relieved us. 320 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Ben and I had dinner at Johnny Cokin's, and then we went back to the office. 7.20 p.m. 321 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:33,000 Want to grab that, Joe? Yeah, I got it. Homicide Friday. 322 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,000 Lucek, Joe? Oh, yeah, Barney? 323 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,000 Tell me his friend just showed up here. We're talking to him now. 324 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,000 Will he tell you anything? Yeah, he's got a pencil. You better write this down. 325 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:46,000 All right, wait a minute. Just a second. All right, go ahead. 326 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:50,000 1727 West Hoover, apartment 3. 327 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 That was 1727 West Hoover, is that right? Yeah. 328 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,000 Apartment 3? Well, what's the pitch? 329 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,000 Harry Talmadge. Duke says he's there now. All right, Barney, thanks. Bye. 330 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,000 Okay, slow. 331 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Lucek? Yeah. What's he got? 332 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000 Harry Talmadge. Supposed to be at this address. 333 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:16,000 Ben and I got in the car and drove out to the West Hoover Street address where we met Lucek and Brian. 334 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:22,000 1727 was a small, two-story apartment house, Spanish stucco in style. 335 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,000 Apartment 3 was at the rear of the first floor. 336 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,000 All right, Lucek, you want to pick up Brian and you cover the back. 337 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,000 Right, Joe. 338 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,000 Come on, Ben. Let's go. 339 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:46,000 Get us up the stairs, huh? 340 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,000 Number 3. Okay. 341 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,000 I'll cover you. 342 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:03,000 No sound inside. 343 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,000 Door's open. No, it's not open. 344 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,000 No, it's empty. 345 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,000 You want to try the bedroom? I'll check the kitchen. 346 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,000 All right, Joe. 347 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,000 Joe, in here. 348 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,000 All right, tell me. 349 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,000 Watch it, Ben. 350 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Got a gun, Joe. Grab it. 351 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,000 You're a cop. 352 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Come on, drop it. Drop it. 353 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000 My arm. I got it, Joe. 354 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,000 All right, come on. On your feet. 355 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,000 All right, jamming, backing. 356 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,000 All right, come on. Hold still. 357 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,000 38 revolver, Joe. Cold special. 358 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,000 All right, how about it, Tommy? 359 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,000 It's mine. What of it? 360 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,000 Where's your coat? I don't know. 361 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,000 Why'd you kill him? 362 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Because I wanted to. That's all. He was a cop. 363 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Is that your only reason? 364 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,000 I told you he was a cop. What's the difference? 365 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,000 There's a big difference, mister. 366 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,000 Why? I killed him. It's just one cop less. What's the difference? 367 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:20,000 It's family, they'll tell you. 368 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,000 The story you've just heard was true. 369 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,000 Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. 370 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:29,000 On March 26th, trial was held in Superior Court, 371 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,000 Department 86, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. 372 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:44,000 Here are in a moment the results of that trial. 373 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Harold Wesley Talmage was found guilty of manslaughter by jury trial 374 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,000 and was sentenced to the state penitentiary. 375 00:25:51,000 --> 00:26:00,000 He was paroled after serving six years in prison. 376 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,000 You just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official fires. 377 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,000 Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, 378 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,000 Los Angeles Police Department. 379 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, 380 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:21,000 is brought to Dragnet portions transcribed from Los Angeles. 381 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:30,000 Stay tuned for Counterspy, more good mystery on NBC.