25th Precinct, Sergeant Waters. Yeah? Who is it, his wife? Do they live there? Well, can't somebody stop him from beating her up? What's the address there? Yeah. Yeah. You are in the master room at the 21st Precinct, the nerve center. A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken pursuant to that call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct. All right. I'll send the officers right over there. Yeah, don't worry about it. They'll be right there. 41st Precinct. It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the nine-tenths of the square mile between 5th Avenue and the East River wouldn't know if you asked them that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their homes, their persons, and their property is the job of the men of the 21st Precinct. The 21st, 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants, and four lieutenants, of whom I'm the boss. My name is Kennelly, Frank Kennelly. I'm captain in command of the 21st. I was working my night tour, 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. After midnight, 33 patrolmen were assigned to regular posts, which they walked on foot. Ten others were assigned as operators and recorders in the Precinct's five sector cars. These men were under the direct supervision of three sergeants, Sergeant Tierney on telephone switchboard duty in the station house, Sergeant Rosen on foot in congested districts, and Sergeant Waters on radio motor patrol in a sergeant's car operated by patrolman Mercado. The sergeants were directly responsible to Lieutenant Gorman, the desk officer on the job. One of the functions of the sergeant on radio motor patrol is to respond to every call within the confines of the Precinct broadcast by the Manhattan Communications Bureau. The reason for this is twofold. To provide adequate supervision at the scene of an occurrence and to ensure the immediate response of sufficient manpower in the event the occurrence is of a more serious nature than the original call that the police indicated. At 8.05 p.m., a radio call was broadcast for sector car number three, a disturbance in the hallway at 762 East 74th Street, a four-story old law tenement. As sometimes happens, the sergeant's car was closer to the scene and the first to arrive in the block. Next to the end of the block down there. Yes, sir. It doesn't look like there's much to it, Sergeant. Supposed to be inside the hall. Okay. Let's go. Yes, sir. I don't see anything. Come on. Nothing. Are you sure? Yeah. Did you call the cops, lady? Yes, it's with me. What's the trouble? Him, the crazy one, third floor to the rear. Yeah. He was beating her and kicking her and pulling her up the stairs. Who? His wife, the poor thing. It's all quiet now. They must have settled it. Well, he probably settled it by killing her, that's how he's said to be. He's crazy. He's crazy enough to kill her. What's her name? Gerard. Mr. and Mrs. Gerard. He never seen anything like the way he beats up that poor woman. Is any of the other neighbors here? I don't know whether they did or not. I don't know whether they care even. All I know is that I'm tired of it, sick and tired of it. It comes home crazy and beats her to an inch of her life. Tonight's in the hall. It's bad enough in their own flat, but tonight you have to do it in the hall. There's only one flat in the rear on the third floor? Yes, that's all. Just one apartment. He ought to be locked up for good, that man. Or better sent back to the insane asylum. That's where he belongs. Why is he there? Well, I wouldn't say a thing like that if he wasn't. Oh, he's that way all right. He don't like my pot. I think he poisoned one once. I think he poisoned Cynthia. I swear it with him. Yeah. Well, it seems to have quieted down now, but we'll go up and talk to him. Ask him if he didn't poison Cynthia. That is a knife that I guess Becky does. What's your name, lady? Mrs. Esher. Mrs. Hall and Esher. E-S-H-E-R. He had no business poisoning Cynthia. No business at all. All right, Mrs. Esher. You get back inside and we'll take care of it. You send him back to that insane asylum now. That's where he belongs. You send him back there. All right, just close the door. We'll see you in a minute. I will, but don't you forget. You too, young man. We won't forget. All right, as you promised. OK. It's going to be a great debate who's the psycho in this case, Sergeant. Yeah. Put your light on the mailbox there. Yes. Well, if he's got the right name, Gerard. Right for real. Let's see what they have to say. Well, you know something, Sergeant? I don't think that cat was poisoned at all. I think it committed suicide. Yeah. Maybe you got a point. Mr. K. That's right, Sergeant. What? He's here. Sergeant. Who is it? Colleen and Mike, sir, Sergeant. All right. Doesn't look like there's anything much to it. Stay down there. Yes, sir. Come on. Yes, sir. Oh, watch those, those roller skates. Oh, that's a good way to get your neck broken. Get to leaving skates in a dark hall. Yeah. OK. Okay. The baby carrots are bad enough, but at least he can't miss seeing the baby carrots. That's it, I guess. Here's the... Well, it's quieter than that. Yeah. That Mrs. Usher's probably got an oversized imagination. There's someone. Who is it? Mr. Garage? Yes? We're police officers. We want to talk to you. About what? I can't yell in a hall. Open the door. No, I'm not going to open the door. Now listen. There's a complaint you have to make. What complaint? You are causing a disturbance in the hall. We want to get it straightened out. Open the door. You better go away and leave me alone. Where's your wife? Is she in there? Just go away, will you please? Is your wife in there with you? I'm warning you now, go away. Look, Mr. Garage. Go away! Get out! I'm telling you! Man, that's a lot of work. I'm going to go and get the baby carrots. Man, they're against the wall. Come on up here, police. Leave Mica there. I want you to go away. Go away, right now. Mr. Mercado. You've got to go away. Yes, sir. Go on downstairs and ring in. Tell them we've got a psycho with a gun here. Yes, sir. Wait a minute. Yes, sir. Send Mica through the basement or around the building to get into the rear courtyard. I want to make sure the sky doesn't go out the window back there. I'll get going. Okay, sergeant. Mr. Garage. You'd better go away. I mean it. Was that shooting up there? It's pure work. What do you say about coming out here and talking, Mr. Garage? Oh, no. Nothing going. What have you got, sergeant? Stay close to the wall. Yes, sir. Hold it there. I warned you to go away. I warned you! What's the trouble, sergeant? I think it's in his head. That's what I'm saying. What's the trouble, sergeant? I think it's in his head. That's what I'm saying. What's the trouble, sergeant? I think it's in his head. That's what I'm saying. The neighbor downstairs said he was beating up his wife in the hall. He called in. We knocked on the door and he's been shooting through it. Now listen. I think his wife's in there. I don't want to hurt her. Yes, sir. I want you to go up to the roof and come down the fire escape. Don't go near the window. I just want you to sit there and see that he doesn't go out that way. Okay, sergeant. Stay away from that window until we find out what's with the wife. I get it. I get going. Just sit tight there. Yes, sir. Mr. Gerard. Are you still there? The sergeant will leave. Why don't you open the door and talk to me? Get away from the door. Don't you touch it. I'm not touching it. Is your wife in there with you? She's no better than you are. The sergeant does this to make me trouble. He makes me trouble from the minute I wake up in the morning. Yeah. Well, sometimes wives can be like that. It's not only sometimes. She's like that all the time. All the time. You don't know what I go through. You don't have any idea. She makes me so mad. I just feel like killing her. Just like killing her. Now, look, Mr. Gerard. It's not going to get you any place talking like that. What's going on up there? Who is that? Police officers, lady. Just your dog stay inside your flat. What? Just your dog stay inside your flat. This is the police. Oh, all right. Who is that? A neighbor. Just as bad as anybody. Those neighbors don't give you a minute's peace. Not a minute's peace. And they're always taking her side. I don't like them to take her side. What's between a wife and a husband is their affair. Don't you think? Yeah, I think so. You've got to make them respect you. Because if they don't respect you, you're just like right under their feet. I wouldn't go that far, Mr. Gerard. Sometimes neighbors are good to have. I'm not talking about neighbors. I'm talking about wives. My wife. You've got to make them respect you. Well, look, supposing I come in and we'll talk it over. No. I don't want to talk it over. Come on, now. Open the door. Get away from there. I don't want to have to kill you. Open up and we'll talk it over. I'm warning you. Come on. You can't say I didn't warn you. No, I can't say that. And it won't do you any good to count the shots by fire either because I've got a pocket full of bullets and the gun is always loaded. And the gunner had a lot of bullets. You can put that down in your book. What's your wife doing, Mr. Gerard? What? What's your wife doing? That's none of your business. Is she in there? Of course she's in there, like you think she'd be. Sergeant? Who is it? MacArthur, Sergeant. I'm right here. You want me up there? Hold yourself down there at the front door. Get the people out of the hall. Okay, Sergeant. Who are you talking to? Another police officer. Oh. Is your wife close to you there? She's right here, yes. Right here in the living room. I'd like to talk to her. No, I couldn't let you do that. Why not? I couldn't let you do it, that's all. I'm sorry about all this. I don't like to cause anyone trouble. All you've got to do is open the door. But I guess I've got a good excuse. I was in the state hospital, you know. Oh, were you? That's for people who are sick. A person can have a sick mind. This is, he can have a sick heart or a sick lung. He's ill, and he can get better. Did you know that? Yeah, I know it. That's exactly what the doctor told me, and I'm glad you realized it. Not many people realize that. I want to talk to your wife, Mr. Gerard. Why do you want to talk to her? I just wanted to tell her not to worry. I want to tell her that you won't hurt her anymore. What? I want you to promise me you won't hurt her anymore. I promise you. I give you my word of honor. All right. Now how about opening the door? No, I couldn't do that. And don't you try it either. I warned you before, and I'm warning you again. I won't try it. You better not. You want to know what's good for you? The only thing is I'm worried about your wife. You don't have to worry about her. I killed her. Uh, a minute ago you said she was right there. But she is right here, right here where I killed her. Ah, you wouldn't do a thing like that, Mr. Gerard. I did it. I just couldn't stand it another minute. She could have realized that I have feelings too. After all, she can't see me like that. Somebody's got to respect you or you're amount to nothing in this world, nothing at all. And they try to make you dead, dead under their feet. And I'm tired of all that. That comes a day when a man has got to assail himself. Yeah, Mr. Gerard. And this is sure your day. You are listening to 21st Precinct. A factual account of the way police work in the world's largest city. Now back to 21st Precinct and Captain Tinelli. Within a few minutes, a radio motor patrol car from the adjoining sector, detectives and an emergency service car equipped with tools and tear gas responded to the scene. Men were placed on every floor of the building, on the roof, on the fire escape, and in the rear courtyard, all on the instructions of Lieutenant Matt King, commanding officer of the 21st Detective Squad. When the second call went out over the radio, I was in the office of a public dance hall on York Avenue discussing with the manager complaints of rowdiness we had received concerning some of his patrons. The call was heard by Patrolman Fowl who was waiting downstairs in the car. He came into the manager's office and gave me the information. I rang into the station house and after Lieutenant Gorman, the desk officer, gave me whatever information he had, we made the run. There were now six department vehicles on the scene and the sidewalk was crowded with curious civilians. Three men were on the job keeping the crowd moving as I walked into the building where Patrolman Mercado was posted at the door. Hello Captain. Mercado? Where's Lieutenant King? Upstairs? No sir, he's down here in that flat back there. He's talking to the woman who called him with the original complaint. Oh, yes. What about the wife? Well the man keeps saying he killed her. Alright. Is that where Lieutenant King is? Yes sir. What's the date Captain? About three or four years, I couldn't say exactly. Max, hello Captain. The landlord would know how long he's been here. Oh the super. This is Mrs. Helen Escher, Captain Connelly. Is that you? How do you do? Mrs. Escher, you know for a fact that he's been a patient in a mental institution? Well his wife told me herself. Oh herself? Where's he work? Do you know that? I think it's down in Walsetties some place for an insurance company. He doesn't have much of a job, a little clerk or something like that. He was the one that brought in most of the money. He was always taking time off and being sick and things like that. Hanging out at the bar and grill down at the corner there. I knew something like this was going to happen. I could just feel it. No matter what he did to her, the coolest thing even, she would brush it off and go right on being civil to him. His sickness, she said. Well you see what loyalty got her, don't you? Yeah, not much. I'm telling you he was beating her within an inch of her life on the stairs. I just couldn't stand by and see her take it like that. I just had to call the police once and for all. All right, Mrs. Escher. Thank you. You really think he murdered her in cold blood like that? He said he did. Oh man, he should have been put away long ago. Long ago. That's what she gets for trying to be loyal. I told her. She can't say I didn't tell her. Well, we better see what we can do about him. You be careful now. Don't let him kill you too. Don't try not to. Okay, Captain. Glad to have met you. Thank you. All right, you two come with us. You stay down here. Right, sir. How many shots has he fired, ma'am? Four, Captain. Mercado? Yes, sir. He's upstairs with us. Yes, sir. He fired four shots. He told Sergeant Waters he had a pocket full of ammunition. Did he shoot his wife? We don't know how he killed her, if he did. Carter and Sergeant Waters were here within two minutes after the call was put out. I see. Hello, Captain. Gail Bender? Hello. Next floor, Captain. The couple was in their flat already. Sergeant Waters heard no shot. I don't want anybody hurt over this, man. I think we can take him without anybody getting hurt. Good. That's it. First door up there. Stay close to the wall, Captain. Hello, Sergeant. You men hold it there. Okay, Lieutenant. Have you been talking to him, Sergeant? Yes, sir. Think he wants to come out now? Given no sign of it. Mr. Gerrard. Mr. Gerrard. What have you got out there? More policemen? Look, Mr. Gerrard. And you've got policemen on the fire escape, too. You're making a big mistake, you know. You're forcing me to kill someone else. I don't want to kill anyone else. It's going to be your fault. Everything's going to be your fault. Well, how about unlocking this door and coming out? Then no one else will get hurt. You know I'm not going to do that. You'll have to do it if you want to get your wife to the hospital. I didn't say I wanted anything like that. My wife is dead. No use taking her to the hospital. You better go away. Leave me alone. Captain. Yeah. He wasn't kidding. I see all four shots came through the door. Yeah, he meant it all right. Sergeant. Yes, sir. Come here a second. Okay, Lieutenant. Keep your eye on the door, Macado. Yes, sir. I'm getting a little impatient with this guy. Well, that's better than getting shot. Yes, sir, it sure is. How much do you think it would take to kick that door inside him? Not much, Lieutenant. One good boot at the last. Unless he has an extra bolt on it or a chain. Well, what's he going to do while I'm kicking the door in? I'm thinking about having the ESD men crack that window from the fire escape, dropping a gas shell in there. If he does any shooting, it'll be toward the fire escape. We could have the door open in the meantime. Sounds all right, Lieutenant. When he starts shooting, how am I supposed to know whether he's shooting toward the door or toward the window? No. What do you think about the wife? You think she's dead in there? He keeps saying she is. I believe him. Go up to the roof. Take a look at the situation on the fire escape. Okay, Captain. Yeah, sure. Better get back on the door, Sergeant. We'll talk. I want him to talk to you. Okay, Lieutenant. All right, Sergeant. All right, Captain. All right. These guys can be a lot more trouble than a red-hot gunman. Yeah. Well, you don't have to worry about hurting a gunman, man. And you know you have to take a chance. That's the only way. That fellow sure is a little fight. Yeah, he is. You mean keeping those people behind the doors? Yeah, Lieutenant. Tell me, how long was he confined, man, you know? Best information we can get, he was up there nearly four years. Why'd they let him out? The first question I'm going to ask. Now watch it. Take a step down onto the roof. Yeah. Back that way. The window of the room he's in opens onto the fire escape, huh? Yeah, sir. Huh? Maybe we'll be able to work it. I think so, Captain. Now watch it. Yeah, I'll go for it. You've got a blank brick wall facing this building. Wild shots won't hurt anyone. No. Who's down there? It's Cole Interloper and two emergency servicemen. Are they staying right in the window? Yes, sir. This is the fire escape. Cole. Yes, sir. Come on up here a minute. Yes, sir. Have they been able to get a look into the room from the window, man? They've got the shade drawn down to the bottom. The window's locked. Oh, I see. The only thing they can see is that there's a light on in there. Nothing else. Yes, sir. Hello, Captain. Cole. What's the situation? No change, Lieutenant. It's all right. We're going to try something in a few minutes. Yes, sir. We're going to drop a couple of gas shells through the window. In the meantime, the front door will get kicked in. Okay, Lieutenant, fine. It's getting pretty cold out here. Here's how we're going to do it. One ESD man down there has a crowbar. The other one's got the tear gas. Yes, sir. Right now, we'll use the crowbar to knock out the window and drop the shell in. As soon as it takes effect, we'll hit the front door. Yes, sir. And I want everybody out here to stay undercover. They'll probably be shooting this way. Don't try to come in the window. Not until you feel he's under control. I don't want any dead heroes. Yes, sir. All right. Well, I'm back down there, Cole. Let you know when we're ready. Right, sir. I'll see you here. Okay, man. You know the word. Yeah. I think I ought to stay out here with these men. You handle the situation in the hall. Is that all right, Captain? Okay. That takes pretty close timing. Well, I think all you have to do is know where to set before you break the glass. I'll send a man up to pass the word, okay? Okay. All right, man. I'll see you. Captain. Yeah. Yeah, man. Got to be fast. It will be. Okay. Captain. I'm coming down, MacCarlo. Why is the ring in the house, sir? The semantronman told me to tell you that Inspector McBride is on his way. Oh, and the PC has been notified. They'll probably be all over by the time they get here. Anything doing in there, Sergeant? I had a couple of wars with them, I saw them. Nothing new, Captain. Well, okay. Here's the story. Yes, sir. When they break the window on the fire escape and drop in a tear gas shell, we'll kick in the door. Okay? Yes, sir. I guess it's got to be okay. You think right about at the lock ought to do the trick? Yes, sir. That ought to do it. Unless, like I said, he's got a slide bolt with a chain on it, too. Come on. You talk to him. See if he's still at the door. Yes, sir. Mr. Gerrard. Mr. Gerrard. What is it? Don't you think we've been out here long enough now? How about opening the door and talking to it? I'm talking to you, but this can go on all night, you know. McConnell. Yes, sir. We don't want to be long. We can go on up to the roof. Tell Lieutenant Kingwif that any time he's ready. Now, what do you say? Yes, sir. Now, how about it? We've been out here long enough, and so have you. No, not me. I'm going to stay here forever. Forever. That's a long time. I know it. I know it's an awful long time, but I'm going to stay here. OK. So can we. That's your business. Get set, Sergeant. Yes, sir. I'm set. I'll wait for the glance. All you have to do is go away and leave me alone. I'm not bothering you. I don't bother anyone. No one at all. Just go away. That's all you have to do. There it goes. Get away from there. Hold it. Get away. I'll tell you. Not yet. Not yet. What are you doing? What's that? Hold it. Yeah. What are you doing to me? Get that out of here. Get it out. What are you doing? I want it done. Here they come. All right. Better get started. I'll put it on. I'll put it on. Come here. Let me go. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Get him down. Let me go. That's it. Let me go. All right. Get the gun. I got it. Get the cuffs on him. Here. Come on. Give me that. Give me that gun. Give me that hand. I've got it. Let me go. All right. That's good. That's good. Come on. Get him up. Come on. Get him up. Let's go. You didn't have to. You didn't have to do it. OK. This is good. You could have just come here alone. All I wanted was a little help. All I wanted was a little peace. That's all. Just a little peace. I guess you said all right, Captain. Oh, God, she's dead. That's what I've been telling her. Can't anyone believe me, not even when I'm telling the truth? All right, Mr. Gerard. They don't believe me. And they don't respect me. Nobody. Nobody at all. So what am I going to do? I don't know what I'm going to do. You don't have to worry about what you're going to do, Mr. Gerard. It'll all be done for you. Twenty-first briefing, Sergeant Waters. Yeah? How'd they break in? Yeah? Yeah. What's missing? Oh, yeah? What's the name of the armament? Oh, he does, huh? Is CB putting out a call on us? Yeah. Okay. All right. Let me know about that. Okay. Now I'll notify the detectives and let you know. Yeah. All right. And so it goes. Around the clock, through the week, every day, every year. The police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood miracle round. Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone. Twenty-first precinct, a factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city, is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolman's Benevolent Association, an organization of more than 20,000 members of the police department, city of New York. Everett Sloan and the role of Captain Kennelly, Ken Lynch as Lieutenant King, Harold Stone as Sergeant Waters, featured in tonight's cast were Ethel Everett, Frank Moss, Bill Quinn, and Eric Dressler, written and directed by Stanley Niss, produced for CBS Radio by John Ives. Our time is speaking.
