Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Tragnet.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned to burglary detail.
For the past several weeks, a gang has been breaking into neighborhood stores.
Routine investigation fails to turn up any kind of a lead.
Your job, find one.
Tragnet.
The documentary drama of an actual crime.
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 transcribed from official
police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Tragnet is the story of your police force
in action.
It was Tuesday, March 20th.
It was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of burglary detail.
My partner is Frank Smith.
The boss is Captain Bernard.
My name is Friday.
We were on our way out from the office and it was 9.47 a.m. when we got to the third
floor of the Bell Alarms Hotel, room 314.
It's sure dark.
Want to try it again?
Yeah.
Sounds like somebody's moving around.
Who is it?
Your Jed Nagel?
Yeah, why?
Police officers would like to talk to you.
I ain't done nothing wrong.
There's no reason to rouse me.
You want to open the door?
All right.
Come on in.
I just got up.
Yeah, you alone?
Yeah, there's nobody else.
Frank?
Yeah.
That's the bathroom.
I told you that there wasn't anybody else here.
Well, you don't mind if we look around, do you?
I do too mind.
I don't like you cops coming around.
They're going to ruin my reputation.
People in the building are going to think you're friends.
Well, now I'll tell you, we won't tell them if you don't.
What do you want anyway?
We got a report that you were down on East Fifth last night.
Is that right?
Well, I don't know.
All last night's kind of foggy.
I don't remember where I was exactly.
Do you remember being downtown?
I told you I didn't.
Why?
What are you trying to lay off on me now?
The place is clean, Joe.
I told you it was.
Now you want to fill me in on what this is all about?
All right, we'd like to know what you were doing downtown last night.
Well, how do I know?
I had it rough last night.
Anybody else along with you?
No.
Not that I remember.
You remember being near the Palace Liquor Store?
No, not right off.
I might have checked in, though.
I threw a lot of business there away.
Why all the questions?
Is there something wrong?
We'd like to have you tell us.
What I'd like to help out, but there ain't nothing I can do.
We got a field interrogation report that you were in the area.
Police car stopped and shook you down.
Is that right?
Ain't nothing new.
I'm always getting stumped.
Ever been arrested?
A couple of times.
What charge?
Drunk.
At all?
Yes.
Never stood anything heavier than drunk.
Ever do any big time?
No.
A couple of months of cast-egg.
Went up to, you know, take the cure.
Didn't hold on, did it?
Well, no.
Never mind.
You, uh, you don't happen to have an aspirin, do you?
No, we don't.
How about your friend here?
He said we didn't.
Oh, that's too bad.
You know, I sure could use one.
Mind if I take a look in the bathroom?
There might be something in there to take care of my head.
Sure, go ahead.
We checked your record before we came up here.
That right?
Yeah.
Find out anything?
Enough to know there's a warrant on you.
For what?
It seems you got two wives back in Texas.
They're both looking for you.
All right, now come on.
Get your clothes on.
Yeah.
You want to tell me what this is really about?
When?
They didn't send two plainclothes cops down here to take me in on a big image.
Hodge, what's the real pitch?
There was a burglary last night.
I wondered if you had anything to do with it.
Burglary?
That's right.
Not me.
I haven't got the guts to get into something like that.
That's what caused all the trouble with my women.
What's that?
Oh, I'm all the time telling me I should get off the dime and do something morning, noon,
night, all the time running off at the mouth about how I was lazy.
You can't expect a man to take much of that.
Come on, get your clothes on.
You going to send me back to Texas?
We don't know what's going to happen.
We just have to take you in.
Gee, I sure hope I don't go back.
Women's nothing but trouble, Mr. Nothing Else.
You remembered.
Must not bother you much.
Huh?
You married two of them.
Jed Nagel was taken to the main jail and held for the Texas authorities.
A check of his actions on the previous night showed that he couldn't have committed the
burglary.
1130 a.m.
Frank and I checked the burglary.
We're going to have to get him out of here.