Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Dragnet.
Dragnet, the documented 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 violence.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force
in action.
It was Monday, July 6th.
It was sunny 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.
It was 8.23 a.m. when we got to the corner of Walton Avenue and Adams Boulevard.
A used car lot office.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you can't come in here.
We're police officers.
Oh, well, Frank Smith?
That's right.
My partner is Sergeant Friday.
How do you do?
My name's Binyon, John Binyon.
How are you?
I thought the door was locked.
Didn't want anyone to come in until you fellas got here.
Are you the owner?
Yeah.
Did you put in the call?
That's right.
When I found out I'd been robbed.
You won't tell us what happened?
I sure do.
Only one trouble.
What's that, sir?
Not much I can tell you.
Opened the door this morning, same as usual.
Came in, hung up my hat, and sat down at the desk.
Wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong, but I promised my wife I'd type her jingle
first thing when I got here.
What's that?
A jingle.
Wife works all the contests and papers, magazines, you know.
Oh, yeah.
She writes them in longhand, then I have to type them.
That takes up my time, but it makes her happy and keeps peace in the family.
Yeah, you want to go on?
I sat down at the desk, opened the door on this side.
See?
Yeah.
Reached in to pull the typewriter up into position.
No typewriter.
It was gone, huh?
Yeah.
Knew something was wrong.
I'd used it yesterday just before I locked up the place.
I see.
I looked around to see if anything else was missing.
The adding machine and my desk fountain pen are gone, too.
Now, how about the outside?
Are there any cars missing?
Yeah.
One.
A 1953 Dodge.
I was saving the real bad news to last.
All right, we'll need a description to color the model engine number.
Mm-hmm.
Knew you'd want it.
Got it all right here on this card.
Here you go.
Better call us in, huh?
Yeah.
Late in print in the lab, too.
Right.
You can use either phone.
Thank you.
Can you give us the serial numbers on the typewriter and the adding machine?
Had to talk to Mabel first.
She has them filed someplace.
That's your secretary?
Yeah.
Mr. Dayall.
Well, now, as far as you know, then, you told us about everything that was taken.
Yeah.
Were these windows locked when you came in?
Yeah.
Never opened them.
Don't have to.
Places air-conditioned.
You say the front door was locked, huh?
Yeah.
Extra keys gone from the board, though.
Well, those will be right out tonight.
What were you saying about those keys?
Want to step over here?
I'll show you.
Now, these are the keys for the cars on the lots.
All labeled.
Here's where the keys for the Dodge were.
This hook had the extra key for the front door.
Binyan, how many keys are there for the office?
Three.
I have one.
Mabel has one.
The other one was on the board.
How long has she worked for you?
Mabel?
That's right.
About eight years.
If you think she had anything to do with this, forget it.
I'd as soon as accused my own wife.
I don't understand that, Binyan.
We'll have to talk to her.
All right.
I'll call Mabel and have her come down.
We'd appreciate that.
I know she didn't have anything to do with this.
I'll give you answer on that.
Anyway, I've read in the papers recently where there have been other burglaries like this.
Yeah.
My money says it's somebody with experience.
Maybe.
You must have some idea who's doing it.
Well, we're working on it.
In other words, you don't have much to go on.
Not a lot.
Doesn't sound too good for me.
I mean, my chances of getting my property back.
We'll do what we can, sir.
I know, but if you don't have any leads, if they don't make any mistakes, there's much
you can do, isn't there?
It seems to me the thieves always have the edge.
Yeah, it begins that way.
They always start before we do.
Crews from the crime lab in Lainton, Prince went over to the office.
John Binion's secretary came in, but after questioning her, we decided she had nothing
to do with the crime.
She went through her desk and told us that a check made out to her employer was missing.
Binion called his bank and they promised to notify him if the check was cashed and returned
to them.
We got the serial numbers on the adding machine and the typewriter and we notified pawn shop
detail.
Bullets were also sent to secondhand stores.
The latest burglar was similar to others that we'd been investigating.
The thief's MO was no different than we had on file and to date we have been unable to
make any recovery.
We talked to informants, but they could give us no leads to the identity of the burglar.
The report from the crime lab was the same as on all the other thefts.
Entry had been made through the door.
The lock had not been forced, indicating either the use of a key or some instrument to pick
up the lock.
Late in print, failed to find any usable fingerprints.
Tuesday, July 14th, 10.31 a.m.
I got it.
Burglary Friday.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
With your name?
Do you have it now?
All right, we'll be right out.
Right, bye.
Binion called from his bank.
Yeah?
I think he turned the lead.
What do you mean?
Stolen check was cashed.
When we got to John Binion's office, he showed us the check.
We compared the endorsement with his signature and it proved to be a good forgery.
The check had been cashed by a Sylvia Karns.
Frank and I drove to the address.
It was a small bookstore at the corner of Cypress Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard.
Miss Karns was shown the check and we asked if she remembered who had given it to her.
She said, no.
John Binion.
Not too good on people's names.
Let me take the sales clips for that day.
I should have a record of what he bought.
Excuse me for a moment.
I forget names.
When I look at the books they buy, most of the time I can remember the person.
Mm-hmm.
Here they are.
You always write the name on cash sales?
Yes.
It's a good way to build a mailing list.
Mm-hmm.
Here it is.
John Binion on the 8th.
Let's see.
Mm-hmm.
Now can you remember anything about the man?
I might.
May I have the slip, Mr. Fratty?
Here you are.
From Blackboard to Back Bay.
Oh, yes.
This is by a country school teacher.
He gave up the little red school house to become a private tutor.
He tells about some of his problems and how he dealt with them.
It's quite amusing.
Yes ma'am, but does it remind you of anything about the man?
No.
Let's see what else he bought.
Locks down through the ages.
I never read that one.
I guess it's about locks.
Mm-hmm.
Now I'm beginning to remember.
Yes ma'am.
He said locks were a hobby with him.
Does that mean anything to you?
Yes, it might.
Can you tell us anything about the man's looks?
Well, I'll see.
I guess he was about your size.
Me, ma'am?
No, he wasn't quite as...
Well, he looked more like Mr. Fratty.
Yeah.
How about his coloring?
Had dark hair.
Straight.
Mm-hmm.
Did he have any marks on his face that we might use to identify him?
Not that I recall.
Could you tell us anything about how he was dressed?
I'm afraid not.
Other book was The Window Without Curtains.
Mm-hmm.
Now that reminds me of something.
What's that?
His voice.
Yeah.
He's almost too precise, too perfect.
Did you notice any accent?
No.
Is there anything else you can tell us about his looks?
No.
What kind of identification did he show you?
A driver's license.
That was made out to John Binion?
That's right.
I copied the name, the sales slip from it.
Mm-hmm.
That's the only identification he showed you.
Yes, I didn't ask for any more.
He seemed to know a lot of the business people in this neighborhood.
I know.
Mentioned them by name, said he lived near here before he got married.
I see.
You know, I've been in business for six years.
This is my first loss on the check.
That right.
Oh, he's been so careful.
This man, though, he seems so honest, so polite.
Mm-hmm.
He's rough on me.
I have to suffer the loss.
Check list for $30.
He only bought $10 worth of books.
I gave him $20 of my own money.
It's a real loss, I can tell you.
Yes, ma'am.
There's one thing in your favor.
What's that?
He's going to feel it more than you will.
From what Sylvia Kearns told us, we knew that our suspect was also a forgery artist
or he had connections that could furnish him with suitable identification.
Assuming the suspect might still live in the neighborhood, we spent the rest of the day
questioning people in the area.
They failed to come up with any leads.
The next day we started to canvas again.
The manager of a small hotel told us that a man named Paul DeRoe was living there
who could fit the partial description we had.
In the manager's company, we went upstairs and looked through the room.
Hey, Joe.
Yeah.
The picture on the wall, some kind of certificate, too.
Looks like it's written in German.
Want to take a look?
Well...
That looks like Dutch to me.
You see there?
The guy's wearing a.45.
Looks like he's carrying an American car by.
He's not wearing any kind of a uniform.
What are you trying to prove?
The certificate probably says what it's for.
Yeah, maybe.
Let's find out if this is DeRoe in this picture here.
Mr. Bleeker, will you take a look at this and tell us if it's DeRoe?
Yeah, sure.
What do you say?
I was younger here, but I'd say it's him.
All right, thank you.
Frank?
Yes, ma'am, Joe.
Better see if Miss Carnes can make an identification from this picture.
Yeah, take a look at this.
Just turned it.
Found it up there on the shelf, wrapped in an oil-skinned tobacco pouch.
Yeah, torsion bars, vibrator ballpoint pick.
It works.
Looks like good steel, too, doesn't it?
Well, I guess we got the right room.
Unless they all come with burger kits.
Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank.
Frank and I continued to search the room.
Besides the burger kit, we found three books with the same titles as those bought with a stolen check.
Sylvia Carnes identified the pictures being the same man that had passed the check.
We called the ops and asked them to run the name and description of Paul DeRoe through R&I.
A local and an APB were gotten out on the suspect.
Frank and I went back to the hotel and decided because of the physical setup of the lobby, it would be better to wait in the suspect's room.
The manager took over the desk and we arranged for him to notify us with one long ring on the phone when DeRoe asked for his key.
Three hours went by.
9.13 p.m.
That's it.
Yeah.
All right, hold it right there.
Oh.
Get the light, Frank.
Yeah.
Who are you?
Police officers.
That's right.
Who are you?
Paul sent me up here.
Paul DeRoe?
That's right.
Where is he now?
Why do you want to know?
Come on, lady.
Where is he?
Waiting for me.
Where?
Outside in the car.
Is he still waiting?
I don't know.
What do you mean?
He left me off at the door.
There wasn't any place to park.
All right, go ahead.
He was going to drive around the block and pick me up.
What kind of a car is he driving?
Well, I'm not sure.
You rode in it, didn't you?
Yes.
Well, don't you know what kind it is?
I didn't pay any attention.
Well, what do you mean?
Well, he drives in many different kinds.
We took the girl, Darlene Potter, with us, and we went down to the lobby.
She was instructed to go out to the street and meet DeRoe.
Frank and I followed her.
There was no car waiting outside the hotel.
On the chance that he might have parked and was waiting for the girl, Frank went up the
street and then crossed to the other side.
I walked down the street toward our car.
DeRoe failed to show up.
We went back to the hotel and asked the manager to call us when the suspect returned, and
then we took the girl down to the city hall.
During the trip, she maintained she didn't know what make car he was driving.
She said he told her that he was an automobile salesman, but he also worked as a private
teacher.
We ran her name through R&I, but we found no record.
The run on the name Paul DeRoe had failed to turn a package.
Laiton Prince was requested to go over DeRoe's room, 10.02 p.m.
We continued to interrogate Darlene Potter.
How long have you known DeRoe?
I told you before.
Three months.
Who did he say he worked for?
He never said.
Where did he teach?
Private home.
Can you give us their names?
No, I can't tell you.
You don't know?
That's right.
He just said he taught.
Never said where.
What did he teach?
Language.
What language?
French, I think.
You haven't told me what this is all about, but I'm sure there's a mistake.
Paul wouldn't have to do anything wrong.
Why do you say that?
He's too intelligent.
Well, it doesn't look that way right now, does it?
Paul's a hero.
What else do you know about him?
His background.
Where is he from?
I'm not sure.
I think he said something once about going to school in Paris.
Is he an American citizen?
I just assumed he was.
He never said anything different.
Can't you tell me what he's done?
We'd like to talk to him about some burglaries and some car thefts.
Paul wouldn't steal?
Well, maybe so, ma'am.
We've got good reason to think he did.
Well, there's some mistake.
It doesn't fit with the kind of person he is.
What do you mean, that?
It might not make much sense to you.
Well, give us a try.
Paul was in the war.
So?
Yes, maybe you saw the picture in citation in his room.
Yeah, we did.
What about it?
He fought with the Dutch Underground Forces.
He told you that, didn't he?
Yes.
He only talked about it once or twice.
I think he was in that group.
I don't remember the name, but they went in and organized the resistance forces before the invasion.
Uh-huh.
You're pretty sure Paul is the man you want?
Looks that way, yes, ma'am.
Hard to believe.
But there's a reason for it.
I guess he took a lot of chances during the war.
Must have changed him.
He hasn't changed.
Further interrogation of Darlene Potter convinced us that she knew the suspect only as a friend.
When we drove her home, she gave us a more recent snapshot of Darrow.
The next day, copies were made and distributed to radio patrol units.
Frank and I went back to the hotel to make another check of the room to try and find something that might lead us to any of his friends or associates.
We found a list of names and addresses under a desk blotter.
The first four people that we talked to all told us the same thing.
They said that the man known as Paul Darrow was a private tutor for their children.
The only address that any of them had for him was the hotel.
At two of the homes, we were told he came to teach on Wednesdays.
One party said he came on Saturdays, and the other one said he came on Tuesdays.
4.03 p.m.
We identified ourselves and were admitted to a home on Chatham Drive by a Mrs. Grace Findlay.
Won't you gentlemen be seated?
Thank you very much, Miss.
What was it you wanted to see me about?
Well, Miss Findlay, we'd like you to look at this picture and tell us if you recognize this man.
Here you are.
Certainly.
Why, yes, that's Paul Darrow.
I wonder if you'd mind telling us what you know about him.
Well, I'm not sure I understand just what you mean.
Well, is he a friend of the family?
Yes, in a way. He's the children's French teacher.
Uh-huh.
He's not in trouble with the police, is he?
We'd like to talk to him.
I hope it isn't serious.
Well, it might be, Miss Findlay.
Serious enough to have him put in jail?
Might be.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
He's been so wonderful with the children.
Uh-huh.
He's the third teacher we've had.
Somehow they never liked the others, but they're just crazy about Paul.
You're certain he's done something wrong?
We'd like to find him and get his side of the story.
Now, do you have a home address for him?
Yes.
Does he know you're looking for him?
We wouldn't know that, ma'am.
That's strange.
How's that?
Well, I was thinking if you're looking for him and he knows it, it's odd he'd call here today.
You talk to him today?
Yeah.
Where is it easy to give the children their instruction?
Yes, ma'am.
He said he'd be here at five o'clock.
With Mrs. Findlay's permission, Frank drove our car into the garage, and then we waited for DeRoe to arrive.
While we were waiting, Mrs. Findlay told us that when DeRoe had applied for the job,
he'd showed her several letters of recommendation from families in the East.
Because of his intelligence and her children's instant liking for him,
she hadn't made a check on his background.
She went on to say that she had noticed him driving several different makes of cars,
but she couldn't give us a description of any of them.
Five o' six p.m. The front doorbell rang.
That must be him. I hope there's no trouble.
All right, you wait here, Mrs. Findlay.
All right.
Don't worry about it.
Now, hold it right there, DeRoe, police officers.
This is hardly the reception expect.
All right, move over. Put both hands up against the door.
We use the same method.
Frank.
Now, just clean this up.
I could have told you, gentlemen, that I'm not in the habit of coming to a client's home carrying a gun.
All right, turn around and get your hands behind your back.
Couldn't we dispense with the handcuffs? This is rather embarrassing.
Well, you'll get used to it.
I was thinking about the children. I don't want them to see me like this.
You should have thought about that sooner. Better get the car, huh?
Right.
I imagine this is about the check I cashed.
A few other things.
I worked with the Americans during the war.
Good so?
I learned a good many things about them. Very resourceful, brilliant, and eager to help the less fortunate.
You forgot one thing, didn't you?
What's that?
They don't like to be robbed.
We contacted the office and had them send another team out to pick up the car DeRoe had driven and take it down to the police garage.
On the way down to the city hall, the suspect told us he'd been in this country about six months.
He refused to talk about anything except what a great country he thought America was.
Frank went to check with DMV on the suspect's car and I took DeRoe to the interrogation room.
It's wonderful. It's the only place in the world to live.
Yeah, well, all right, DeRoe. We got the idea you're sold on this country.
Now let's get on to cases and talk about the reason we're here. How about it?
It might as well be now as later.
All right, fine. You want to start by telling us what you did with the stuff?
I spent the money. The books are in my room.
What about the other things you stole?
Well, there must be some mistake. I didn't steal anything.
Well, you cashed a forged check, didn't you?
Yes, I admit that.
And the check was stolen?
It's possible, but I didn't take it.
You expect us to buy that, DeRoe?
That's entirely up to you.
Where'd you get it?
If I said I found it, could you prove otherwise?
That won't be necessary. We can nail you on a forgery wrap right now.
That's what I had in mind. I had no desire to be connected with anything else.
Well, you seem pretty anxious to pick up that tab.
Well, it's only right I took a chance and lost. I'm willing to settle for my mistake.
Yeah, well, that's real big of you, but I got a hunch we'll be able to tag you with more than a 470.
So, let me see you, man.
Yeah.
What have you got?
Well, I'm not sure now we got the right guy in the car, sir.
What?
I checked with DMV. The car DeRoe was driving is registered to a Seward car company.
I called him.
Yeah.
He told me he works for them.
We continued to question DeRoe, but he refused to admit any knowledge of the burglaries and the car theft.
He was booked on suspicion of 470 PC and taken to the main jail.
The next morning, the owner of the bookstore identified the suspect in a show-up.
We questioned him again, but he failed to admit anything but the check forgery.
9.23 a.m. Frank and I return to the office.
You got a hand at the guy. He's cool.
Yeah, but he's too ready to buy in on that 470.
Yeah.
Contact the book.
All right.
Here's a number for you to call, Joe.
Is there any name on it?
Yeah, someone named Eilard.
Give any reason for the call?
No.
Hello, I'd like to speak to Mr. Eilard, please.
This is Sergeant Friday, police department.
That's right.
I see.
All right, sir, we'll be right out.
You want to give me that address?
347.
Right. Thank you.
The fellow runs a garage, saw the spread on our suspect in the morning paper.
Yeah?
He says from the description they gave, DeRoe was in his garage.
Uh-huh.
Brought a car in to be painted.
Frank and I drove out to the garage, and when we showed DeRoe's picture to Frank Eilard,
he identified him as the man who had brought in a nashed sedan to be repainted.
We checked the engine number and found it listed as stolen.
We went back to the office.
I hear that after the eye-kick bag.
Did you read it?
No, I just picked it up.
Yeah, listen to this.
Paul J. DeRoe, alias Paul Dawson, alias Peter Duncan, true name Philip Paul Dorrance.
Got much of a record?
You'd have to take a day off to read it all.
Hmm.
Served terms for burglary and GTA.
He's been at all the best hotels. Joliette, Sing Sing, Atlanta.
Born and raised in this country.
What about that war record?
Joliette, 1938 to 1946.
How do you like that?
Well, he sure went to a lot of trouble.
Having his picture taken and that getup and that phony certificate.
The way that picture looked, all those trees in the countryside.
Sure looked like Holland to me, didn't it to you, Joe?
Well, that's our big trouble.
What do you mean?
We never been to Holland.
We went back to the main jail and had the suspect brought to the interview room.
He still denied any connection with the burglaries and the car thefts.
1216 p.m.
With my war record, I don't have to be subjected to this.
Now look, we got you made on the check and it won't be hard to prove you stole that car.
Your story falls apart like a four dollar suit.
I have great admiration for the Americans.
Yeah, you've been telling us that.
I managed to escape situations more difficult than this during the war.
I was trained for it.
Yeah, you told us.
Of course there was some difference then.
We were all on the same side and fighting for the same things.
You know you're doing a lot of talking but you're not saying anything.
I'll tell you what you want to know.
You do that?
Yes.
Well, all right, go ahead.
I will.
But first I'd like to tell you about the shoes.
Why what?
Shoes.
What about them?
I fought with the Dutch underground.
Now for a man to fight, two things are important.
Is that so?
A gun and a good pair of shoes.
Mm-hmm.
Many of us who wanted to fight had neither.
One of your OSS men contacted us and said we would get them.
And one night a plane came over and dropped containers by parachute.
Yeah.
The man kept his promise.
We got guns, the fine carbines, and we got shoes.
When daylight came, I looked at mine very closely.
They had stamped on them, made in America.
Yeah.
And that's when I made up my mind.
You did?
Yes, I decided that someday I would come to the United States.
Mm-hmm.
I knew if I wasn't killed, I'd come here.
Yeah, it's a wonderful story, isn't it?
Yes, and I regret that I'll lose my chance to become a citizen.
They may even deport me for this.
No farther than the nearest jail.
Now please don't make light of my predicament.
I admit I made this one mistake.
Oh, come on, look, settle down, will you?
I can buy a better story than yours in any magazine.
All right.
I didn't want to do this, but I insist that you call the Dutch consulate.
They never heard of you.
Well, there must be a mix-up of some sort.
Somebody must know me.
Yeah, sure, every prison warden in the United States.
You've got a record little reach from here to Holland,
but that's the closest you've ever been.
Your real name's Philip Dorrance.
The only war you ever fought was in the prison library over the daily papers.
You've been in and out of every joint in the country.
Now there's more.
Do you want the rest of it?
No, I guess that's enough, isn't it?
I might as well admit it.
I'm a burglar and a car thief.
You left one out.
What?
You're a liar.
Paul Michael Dorough was tried and convicted of burglary in the second degree,
three counts, grand theft auto, three counts, and forgery, one count.
He received sentence as prescribed by law.
Burglary in the second degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary
for a period of not less than one or more than 15 years.
Grand theft auto is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years.
Forgery is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary
for a period of not less than one or more than 14 years.
Dragnet, the story of your police force in action
is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
Music