I'm going to get some food for the day tour. Jack, please. Yes? Could I talk to you just this please? Well, I... You're Mrs. Loftek, aren't you? Yes, Mrs. Loftek. Well, it's been a long time. You've still got the store? Oh, sure I got it. When Joe Dada thought maybe I'd sell it, but I couldn't get nothing for a little store like that. I got the store. How much did five cents candy, ten cents sodas mean in newspapers? Well, what can I do for you, Mrs. Loftek? It's my boy George. You remember my boy George? Yes. He got arrested. Where? Upstairs, with the pictures. What for? Captain? Yes? They're about to turn out. Do you want to talk to them? Yes, I'll be right there. Oh, you're busy, Captain. Oh, you sit right down here, Mrs. Loftek. I'll be back. Oh, yes, sure Captain, sure. I walked out into the mushroom and stood behind the desk. The bell rang. In March, the platoon for the day tore. Patrol Sergeant brought them to a halt. He reported a platoon inspected. The desk officer ordered the roll call. Martin, Gryffindor, Rose, Shaw, Sutton, Thompson, Babishino, Zalek, Captain Wojtkowski. Well, a couple of things, men. We've had an alarm from the Harlem Valley State Hospital. An escaped metal case. His name is Lester C. Trey, age 58, 5 feet, 10 and a half inches, 165 pounds. Gray hair, blue eyes, light complexion, medium build, and he walks with a slight limp in his right leg. They say this fellow used to hang out and bar and grills on Second Avenue in the 70s before he was confined. You sector men and you men on post there keep your eyes out for him. Now, I don't like to talk about this. I'm not going to mention any names because I don't want to embarrass anybody. But get your house tax paid up. Those of you who are delinquent will have fourth width sent to your home. All right, Sergeant, coach the platoon. Platoon, stand, halt. Left face. Forward, halt. The men who would patrol the precinct on foot and in cars for the next eight hours walked out the door and onto the street. I looked over entries in the blotter. Then I walked back around the desk toward my office where Mrs. Rustek was waiting. 21st Precinct, Sergeant Klein. All right, 671. All right, Mrs. Rustek. I don't want to take up your time, Captain. That's what I'm here for. What was your boy arrested for? I don't know, robbery. Tell me what happened. I was asleep two or three o'clock this morning, I don't know. Somebody was knocking on the door. I thought George. I thought he forgot his keys. It was two men, not policemen, detectives. They said, where's George? I said, I don't know. He isn't home yet. He sleeps on the couch. He isn't home. They said, could we wait? I didn't want him there, but I said, all right. Then they want to look at George's things. I don't know. I told them I got no right to show them. Ask George. All right, they said. And pretty soon George come home. Maybe 3, 3, 4 o'clock. There wasn't any trouble. No, no trouble. George showed them his things, and they said it would be better to come here and talk. George said, go back to sleep. I'll be home right away. I thought they just wanted to talk, so I went back to sleep. Who told you he was being held for robbery? I woke up, and he wasn't there. So I came here and asked the man out there. The desk lieutenant? Yeah, the lieutenant. He said, go upstairs to the detective. Was George upstairs? Yeah, in a little office with one of the detectives who came last night. They were still talking. I went in and I said, what did you do, George? He told me, go home, Mark. Get out of here. What was the name of the detective who arrested him? Oh, it's Tumi Katusi something. I don't know. How old is he? 17, 17 in January. He was 17, or he will be 17. He was in January. I don't know. Captain, they came, they took him. He's a good boy. He goes to school. He worked after. Let me see what I can find out. Give me Lieutenant King upstairs, will you? He's a good boy. He wouldn't do anything like robbery. 21st squad, Detective Cully. This is Captain Cannelli. Is Lieutenant King around? No, sir. I don't expect him back until 1130 or 12. Listen, Cully, who squeals is that? George Rostek being held for robbery. That's my squeal, Captain. Well, what's it look like? We've got him made in three muggings. The last one was about 1 o'clock this morning. Definitely him? He had the man's wallet in his pocket when we arrested him. The man's in the hospital with two broken ribs and a kick in the face. There was another wallet in the lady's pocketbook in his drawer at home. Those are the other two. What does George say? Nothing, Captain. He's about the meanest, furliest kid I've seen all year. He won't tell me the right time of day. What are you going to do with him? We're waiting for the other victim, the man and the woman. When they get here, we'll have a lineup, and we'll take them down to court. Any particular reason you're interested, Captain? Well, his mother's here. Oh, yeah. He wouldn't even say hello to her when she was upstairs. She's had her hands full with everyone, all right? Yeah. Well, thanks, Tony. Anytime, Captain. Yes, he's charged with robbery, Mrs. Rusty. I don't believe it. I don't. They say he mugged three people. Mugged? What's mugged? Beat them up and robbed them on the street. One last night, he's still in the hospital. Not my George. I don't believe it. He's been in trouble before, hasn't he? He's a good boy, Captain, a very good boy. What are they going to do? What happens now? They'll take him down to court this morning. Not for a trial? No, to felony court for a hearing to set bond. He needs a lawyer? Wouldn't be a bad idea. Oh, I don't know a lawyer. Do you know somebody, Captain? I can't recommend anyone, Mrs. Rusty. Oh, Mrs. DiPronio from the hard west. Her oldest boy is a lawyer. I'll ask her. What time in court? Where? Well, I've got to get through here first, but they'll go to felony court, 100 Center Street, in the criminal cause building. You sure it's not the trial they want to send him away? All it's for is to set bail. How much does their cost? You'd better get your lawyer, Mrs. Rontick. You can ask him all about that. Oh, all right. I don't know, Captain. I've raised him good. I sent him to school and to church. Been hard since I buried his father, but I sent him. He's a good boy. You get your lawyer. I know they're very busy, Captain. Just one more thing. You know me, you know Joe a long time, and I know I'm a good lawyer, too, and I know I'm a good lawyer, too. I don't know how to tell you. I don't know how to tell you. I don't know how to tell you, Captain. I don't know how to tell you, Captain. I'll do my best for him, Captain, my best. Yes, I'm sure you do. Please, one favor. If I can. Go upstairs. Talk to him. Say something to George. Ask him why. I want to know why he did this. Come in. Captain. The patrolman Farrell has your car outside, Captain. He wants to know whether you're going to patrol any this morning. If not, he'll take it down to motor maintenance, have him look at it with a sticky valve. Well, excuse me, Captain. Yes, thanks for stopping in, Mrs. Rosting. Just talk to George. You'll see. He's a good boy. He's a very good boy. That's all right. Bye. Oh, what did you say about my car, Sergeant? Farrell's got it outside, sir. If you're not going to patrol this morning, you'll have to take the sticky valve. I was off all day yesterday. Why didn't you take it down there? Beats me, kid. Why don't you tell him to... Just a second, yes. 21st precinct, Captain Cannelli. Who? Oh, hello, Eddie. Yeah, sure. I've got it down on my calendar. Wednesday, 4 p.m. Clinton playground, softball field, Comets versus Eagles. The roof doesn't fall in on us. I'll be there to see at least part of the game. I'd sure like to. Thanks for calling to remind me, Eddie. Okay. Tell Farrell to come in here and talk to me about the car. Yes. Oh, and there's a communication from the chief inspector's office. Yes. We're getting three brand new rookies for the night tour today. Tell McArdy I want Sergeant Burns to put them on six posts tonight. Put them someplace he can keep an eye on them. Yes, sir. Right away. My operator, patrolman Johnny Farrell, came inside and I told him to drive down to Motor Maintenance Service Station number one at 16th Street and Avenue C and get the valve repaired. I finished up the morning's paperwork and looked over the departmental records of the three new rookies who would report at 4 p.m. for the night tour. At 10 o'clock, I walked upstairs to the 21st Detective Squad to keep my promise to Mrs. Lostek. Most of the men were out, as they should have been, making investigations on squeals assigned to them. The on-duty detective sat at his desk typing out a UF-61 report. A woman, obviously an narcotics addict, was on the bench in a corner waiting for detectives of the narcotics squad to come and talk to her. The door to Lieutenant King's office stood half open. Detective Jim Tully, who was inside, saw me come into the room, walked out to greet me. Hello, Captain. How are you, Tully? Dragging. No sleep. I promised the mother I'd talk to that Lostek boy. I've known him for years. You can talk to him, Captain, but he won't say anything to you. I know kids. I like kids. I got one of my own, his age, but this one, brother. Well, what does he say about these deals? He's not even sorry. He'd do it again. If you can figure him, Captain, you win the prize. He tried to pull away from me. I had to put the cuffs on him. You talk to your lawyer, man. Oh, hello, Matt. I didn't think you were here. Just got back, Captain. Oh, is this Lieutenant? Yeah, go ahead. His mother asked me to talk to him. Sure. Hello, Joe. I need to see another cop. I'll listen to you. You're not in here to do what you want to do. Okay, Jim. I'm not in here because I want to be, either. George, this is Captain Cannelly. He's the commanding officer of this precinct. So? And I'm a friend of your mother's. What's that supposed to get you? Listen, boy, you're looking at a rough deal. There's no sense making it any rougher. What else could I make it? What do you want, mister? I told you I'd talk to enough cops. I've known your mother for ten years, George, and I knew your father. Good, hardworking people. That's the trouble with them. Slaves. Nothing but slaves, not a brain in their heads. Your father's dead, and he's just as smart now as he was before. You think you're so smart? Well, three of you standing around trying to find out something from me, aren't you? We don't have to find out anything from you, boy. We've got your right. You mug three people on the street in this precinct alone. We found that one man's wallet in your pocket. I picked it up in the subway. He lost it. It ain't? Well, tell me how you got the property that belonged to the other two. How did that wind up in your drawer? That's what I know. This guy put it there to get something on me. No, listen, you're not happy enough taking the money from them. You had to knock them down and kick them all over the sidewalk. You're the one kind of guy we don't want around here, George. We're bringing every mugging victim in from the 19th and 23rd to have a look at you, boy. And if what I think is true, we'll just about clear the books. Yeah, clear them all up. Seventeen years, and you've already done more damage than the average guy we get in here. We're doing seventy. There are no juvenile anymore. You can get the books thrown at you, George, and I'm going to help do the throwing. You can get back and tell my mother how nice they treat me around here. Give her a written report. Why don't you be sensible about this thing, George? Get it straightened out. Be a little help. Help for what? Come in. Whitey's back with the victims, Lieutenant. The woman, too? Yeah, pretty. All right, let's have a line up. Who've we got? There's a couple of fellas, eighteen or nineteen, down in the cells, car thieves. All right, get them up here. Give them a hand getting it set up, Jim. Yeah, Lieutenant, you bet. Where's Whitey? What happens, huh? Look, Captain, if your friend and my mother's telling them to take these bracelets off, huh? Look at this, they get me chained to the chair like an animal. Look at this. Would you rather be locked up? They'll come off when you settle down. We can take them off now, Captain. What is this, a new deal? The people you kicked around and robbed are here, George. We're going to have a party. Yeah? You're the guest of honor. The purpose of a criminal investigation is to arrive at the truth through the accumulation of evidence. Because a police officer is at the scene of a crime only in rare instances, he cannot depend upon his own direct knowledge for the truth. In cases of robbery and assault, the greatest amount of help in arriving at the truth comes from victims and witnesses who can usually identify the assailant on sight. The process of identification is very exact and painstaking for two reasons. First, to protect the suspect against erroneous identification if he is innocent, and second, to establish the fact beyond all question if he's guilty. Come in. We're all set for the line up, Lieutenant. Where are the witnesses, Jim? Close the hall. Hold them there for a minute, I'll tell you. Yes, sir. Would you like to stay around for this, Captain? No, thanks, man. All right, George, on your feet. Why? Get up. Now, look, we're going out in the squad room. There's a couple more fellows we're holding out there. They and you and two young detectives are going to line up. And this woman, this Mrs. Brown and the man with the claimant are going to come in one at a time. They were both mugged on the street. What we want to see is can they pick out the one who mugged them. Mr. Frame-up, it's all fixed. Is it? I guess it was all fixed that you had Mrs. Brown's pocketbook and Mr. Cramer's wallet. It's your house. Well, that's possible, isn't it? Look, George, the truth has to come out. Why don't you save everybody a lot of time and trouble? Why don't you save your advice? All right, come on. Okay, let's have the line up. Yes, sir. All right, you boys, step over here. Where do you want to go? Over here. Come on. Well, what do you say, George? You can't duck it if you're the boy. Come on, George. All right, get lined up over here like I told you. That way ahead. Yes, sir. Come in. Oh, sir, Lieutenant, there's one or two more men to stand up there. I don't want any mistake about this. Whitey, Max, give us a hand with this, will you? All right. One of you on each end. All right. All right, keep it quiet. Okay, George, this is your party. Get wherever you like. What difference does it make? Go on, pick your spot. It's all a put-up job anyway. Great kid, Captain. Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, if I stand up straight and don't jab her. Hold on. Captain Cannelli's on for you. All right. Excuse me, man. Yeah, sure, Captain. What about the set, Lieutenant? Okay. Captain Cannelli. Sergeant Klein, Captain. All right, Whitey, Captain, Mr. Brown here. Branch kill the line there. Yeah. He wants some information about a woman who fell down the subway stairs on April 6 and has a claim against the city pending. Did you get out the aided case, Con? Yes, sir. He wants to talk to the officer who was on the job and the... Open that door over there. Oh, well, who was the patrolman? Iceman, sir. He worked a late tour last night. All right, Sergeant. Tell Mr. Ross to wait in my office. I'll be downstairs in a few minutes. Yes, sir. All right, come in, Mrs. Brown. Yes, sir. Come off this way, please. This won't go on, Willie. I have an appointment. No, I don't think so. Quietly. Quietly. This is Captain Kennelly, Mrs. Brown. How do you do? Hello. I'm Lieutenant Keene. Hello. You see those men standing over there, Mrs. Brown? Yes. Could you identify any of them as the man who robbed you? Oh, well, it's an awful thing. I want you to be sure. I don't want any mistakes. Oh, there will be a mistake. I'll be sure. Once you look them all over, good, every one of them. All right. Look them over twice, you have to. Look twice, then we'll... If you see the one, tap him on the shoulder. Now? Yes, now. All right. Tap him on the shoulder. Who are you? Mr. Winner, all right. All right, hold them. The other victim is here, too. All right, the rest of you, all right. What do you think this is? Quiet down. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man. You know that? I had a cut in my heart. My back was sore for a week, a week. What do you want me to do, break down and cry? That wouldn't be a bad idea, George. I'd think a lot more of you if you did. After the second victim had identified George Rostek as his assailant, I left the detective squad and walked down the stairs through the back room to my office. Mr. Rostneel of the Corporation Counsel's Office of the City of New York was waiting. He explained to me that a woman who slipped on the subway stairs was making what appeared to be an unfounded claim for damages against the city. I arranged for the patrolman who answered the original call to give his immediate and full cooperation to the Corporation Counsel's Office. Meanwhile, the robbery suspect, George Rostek, had been taken by detectives to New York Hospital, where he was also identified by his latest victim. I was still at my desk when Detective Tully returned from the hospital with George Rostek with instructions to book the suspect on three charges of robbery and assault. The act of booking is the first step in the judicial process leading to trial. The charges and the circumstances of the arrest are entered in the arrest record by the desk officer in the muster room. I sat at my desk and watched the procedure through the open door of my office. Rostek, H-R-O-S-T-E-K, George. Any middle initial? No. No middle initial. Age? Seventeen. Occupation? What are you, a student, George? When I work at it. Student. Robbery and assault. Three times. He's going down to 240 to be mugged and printed and then to felony course. Yeah. Let's see what you got on you, George. Anger test. Tom. 50s, 70s. 78s, 70s. What's your name? It happened faster than they could be told. A citizen, a woman, had opened the front door leading to the street, apparently to make some inquiry or register a complaint. She held the door open while talking to a friend who remained on the sidewalk. The 17-year-old suspect saw his chance and made a break for the door. We were all out the door and onto the crowded street a few feet behind him, but he was young and fast and he knew the neighborhood. He ran across the street, down the block, and disappeared between buildings. Within minutes, there were over 30 uniformed officers and detectives on the job. The search continued late into the afternoon. No luck. An alarm was put out by CB to every precinct in the city of New York. The store owned by his mother and the flat in which they lived were both put under surveillance. Detectives were sent to talk to all his known friends. By 6.15, when I signed the blotter and left the precinct to go off duty, there was still no sign of him. Nor was there when I called in twice that night and three times the next morning. When I came back on the job at 3.45 in the afternoon, Lieutenant King was waiting in the muster room for me. Hello, Captain. Oh, Matt, you look deep. I am. No sign of him, huh? Nothing. Let me talk to you about it, Captain. Yeah, sure. We think the mother knows where he is. Yeah? Hello, Sergeant. Captain. 21st Precinct, Sergeant Klein. Yeah. All right. 9-8. What's going on, Sergeant? Nothing much, sir. A few messages. I left them on your desk. Right. We're sure she knows where he is. Did you talk to her? Yes, sir. She's a pretty bad liar, but she keeps on lying. He's not in the house or the store? I've had men watching both of us since. A lot of people go in and out of that store. What's the point, Captain? Somebody that went in knows where George is and told her. What do you want me to do, talk to her? Yes. You've known her a long time. Maybe she'll open up with you. She'll open up with me? Sure, Matt. I'll talk to her. Nothing to lose. Nothing, Captain. Nothing except sleep. We've all lost plenty of that already. I signed the blotter, read the communications and reports, and turned out the platoon for the night tour. At 445, I had Patrolman Farrell drive me over to 2nd Avenue to the small candy store run by Mrs. Lostick. I got out of the car and told him to wait. As I crossed the sidewalk, I spotted Detective Jim Tully standing in the doorway, 100 feet or so down the block. He had been on the job 48 hours straight. It was his prisoner. He wanted him back. Hello, Mrs. Lostick. Captain, hello. Well, it looks like George is in more trouble. He's a good boy, Captain. I tried. I did my best. It's not my fault. Nobody's blaming you. A soda? Would you like a soda? No, no thanks. I'll take one. It's hot out. Where is he, Mrs. Lostick? I don't know. Not even a glass of water? No. I'll have something myself. Chocolate smashed the way I make it. George, I don't know. Maybe I didn't raise him right. Maybe I don't give him what he needs. When Joe was alive, maybe I spent too much time in the store with Joe, not enough raising George. Now since I buried Joe, I have not even a little bit of time for George. He was in trouble, sure, kid trouble, just kids fooling around. But I tried. You can't say I don't try. And I love him. He's a good boy. Lieutenant King tells me he thinks you know where he is. No, I don't know. Don't ask me. I don't know. It's in the neighborhood some place, isn't it? I don't know. Hello, Mrs. Lostick. Have you got movie grammar magazine? Right in back of your top shelf movie glamour. Where? Top shelf, you see. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Can I have two dimes and a nickel and change, Mrs. Lostick? Here's the telephone. Yes, sure. Is that fine, George? No, not yet. Oh, excuse me. That's all right. Well, I'll use the telephone. Don't you worry about him, Mrs. Lostick. He's smart. They won't get here. Yes, very smart. Me too, I'm very smart. How is your new soda, Captain? Positive. An ice cream? No. You tell me, Captain. You tell me what's best. If we don't get him soon, Mrs. Lostick, he's finished. He's young and he's got a chance to get straightened out. A good chance to get straightened out. If we don't get him, he can't do anything but get worse and worse. The good boy is very good. Worse and worse. So bad he'll never get straightened out. There'll be more muggings. He'll get a gun, he'll kill somebody, or get killed himself. Himself? No. That's the way it'll be. The next charge will be murder. The line was busy. So wait and try again. I'll stay on the phone all the time, what's the use? Thank you, Mrs. Lostick. Bye. Where is he? I don't know. You want him to get straightened out, don't you? I don't know, but he does, Jones. Yeah? He's been coming in for money to buy him food. He's hiding in a club room someplace, a club room that the boys have got. I put money in the magazine, five dollars. Thanks, Mrs. Lostick. Captain? Yes? He's a good boy, Jones. A good boy. I hope he turns out to be. I looked both ways on the street. I saw a girl who turned north and was walking slowly away from the store. I followed her until I got to the point where Detective Jim Tully was waiting in the vestibule. Jim? Hello, Captain. That girl, yellow dress and blonde hair? Yes, sir. George is hiding in the club room. Stay with her. She'll need you there. Thanks. Who told you the mother? Yep. I don't get it. She was a clam without a twig. Because George is a good boy. Get going, you'll lose her. Yes, sir. So it goes on around the clock through the week, every day, every year. A police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood merry-go-round. Anyone can catch the brass rings, or the brass rings can catch anyone. 21st Precinct, Sergeant Klein. Yes, sir. What's the address? 205? 209. Inside? In front of the shoemaker. Where's the problem at? Where'd the men at? What kind of a gun? Incidents portrayed on tonight's 21st Precinct occurred last year. Names were changed to protect the interests of persons involved. 21st Precinct is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, an organization of more than 19,000 members of the police department, city of New York. Everett Sloan and the role of Captain Cannelli, Ken Lynch as Lieutenant King, featured in tonight's cast were Barbara Wheat, Elaine Ross, Linda Watkins, Lawson Zerbe, Bob Reddick, and George Petrie. Written and directed by Stanley Miss. Produced for CBS Radio by John Ives. Art Hanna speaking.