Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield is best for you. First cigarette with premium quality in both regular and king size. Chesterfield brings you Dragmen. Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. Somewhere in your city, a man is endangering the lives of your fellow officers. His weapon a ten cent piece. Your job, get him. Years ahead of them all. Chesterfield is years ahead of them all. The quality contrast between Chesterfield and other leading brands is a revealing story. Recent chemical analysis give an index of good quality for the country's six leading cigarette brands. The index of good quality table, which is a ratio of high sugar to low nicotine, shows Chesterfield quality highest. Chesterfield quality highest. Fifteen percent higher than its nearest competitor. Chesterfield quality highest. Thirty one percent higher than the average of the five other leading brands. Yes, Chesterfield is first with premium quality in both regular and king size. Don't you want to try a cigarette with a record like this? Chesterfield. 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 files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. Was Wednesday, May 6th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of robbery detail. My partner is Frank Smith, the boss's cap and diddy. My name is Friday. We were on our way back from the drunk tank and it was 834 a.m. when we got to the first floor, the interview room. Okay, you want to sit down Harris? Yeah. What a head. Either one of you got an aspirin? No, I'm sorry. How about a cigarette? Yeah. Here you go. Here, I'll get that for you. Yeah, thanks. Thanks. Boy, what a head. Feels like I'm going to fall off and roll around on the floor. Last time I got this tank was in the South Pacific. Natives brewed up some stuff, tasted like torpedo juice. Took me three days to get over that. What am I in here for? You don't remember? No, not good. A lot of fog. Seems like the last thing I remember is a lot of sirens, fire engines, cops, a lot of noise. After that, there's a big nothing. What did I do? Well, he called the police department, told them the officer had been shot trying to stop a holdup. Then he called the fire department, told them the Times building was on fire. You're kidding. No, he's not. Boy, I really got it this time, haven't I? Yeah, see, you got yourself a problem. Why'd you do it? I'm trying to think. It seemed like the girl I was with made some remark about L.A. being a dull town. I told her she just didn't know the place. I think that's when I started calling. Hey, that's in the morning papers? I don't think so. Why? I really got trouble if it is. You arrest the girl? No. Thanks for small favors. Why? Either you married? Yeah, he is. Oh, he'll know what I mean. I don't think my wife would be crazy about who I was out with last night. No? Yeah. Wife thinks I was at a sales meeting. Hope she doesn't find out. Hey, where was I when you picked me up? Well, according to the arrest report, you were in a phone booth trying to have the National Guard called out. I got to join something. This is the worst one I've ever pulled. Where do you live, Harris? Apartment over on 9th. Didn't they get that last night? No. All you tell the arresting officers was your name. I didn't give anybody any trouble, did I? I mean, I didn't start a fight, nothing like that, huh? No. You didn't cause any trouble until they got you down here. Down here? I didn't hit anybody, did I? Well, you tried, but you didn't make it. You guys are detectives, aren't you? That's right. How come they send you fellas down here? I cause that much trouble? How long have you been in town, Harris? Since I got out of the service. I think about six years. You said you were a salesman. Who do you work for? Cottington and Michaels. How long have you been with him? Since I got out, I went to work for him right after I was discharged. Ever been arrested before? No. Oh, a couple of traffic tickets, you know, nothing serious. What's all this about anyway? Well, you guys actually trying to prove something more than just a drunk rap. What's the pitch? Well, there's been some fella around town who's been making calls like you made last night. He's been making a lot of them. Well, I've been phony, but we got to send out equipment. Well, you figure maybe it was me, huh? Looks like it might have been. We have to check it out. No, I guess I made the ones last night. You say I did, but that's it. Hey, you mind if I take another cigarette? Yeah, here, help yourself. Thanks. Here's a match. Thanks. Thanks. No, I'm sorry, you guys got the wrong fella. No. You can check me. You'll find out you got the wrong man. Uh-uh. How come this is so important? You must get a lot of phony calls. How come this is so big? A lot of reasons make it that way. Yeah? Don't see it myself. Lots of times I see fire engines go out and false alarms. Doesn't look like it does any harm. Do you remember how many units were with you last night? No. Must have been a lot of them. Well, 15 police cars answered the officers' need help call before they could get a code four out on it. There were five units of fire department equipment there. I suppose that equipment had been needed someplace else on a real call. Yeah, see what you mean. It's not just the equipment being out of service. Every time a unit rolls on a call, there's the chance that somebody's gonna get hurt. That's what you built last night. Look, I said I was sorry. Is there anything more I can tell you? Any chance of me getting an aspirin around here? There's a doctor here. All he had to do was ask for it. We'll check on our way out. All right, come on, Harris. You can go back now. Yeah. Just a minute. What's the name of the friend you were out with last night? You gonna have to drag her into this? We gotta check your story. I hate to have you do that. The story will stand, it isn't that. What is it then? I told you I was married. Yeah. Sketch in the papers, I'm gonna have a bigger headache. Is that right? Yeah, my wife won't understand about last night. Well, that's too bad, Harris. She just won't understand, that's all. How's that? Well, she's present in the Neighborhood Temperance Club. 9.30 a.m. James Harris was returned to his cell to be held to answer charges of violation of Section 4127A, municipal code. Frank and I called the woman he'd said he was with the night before. She verified the story that he'd given us. Further investigation of Harris proved that he couldn't possibly have been the suspect we were looking for. We drove back to the office to talk with Captain Didion. For the past three weeks, both the police and fire departments had been getting a number of false calls, apparently from the same person. The officers on the complaint board told us that they had gotten so that they almost recognized the voice of the caller. They told us that it sounded like a male voice and the caller could be middle-aged. The person had no noticeable accent or speech peculiarities. They'd tried to hold the suspect on the phone when they were certain that it was the same caller, but they'd been unable to do so. Most of the calls the suspect put through were of the emergency type. As a result, we had to send men and equipment to the reported scene, even though we might think that the call was a false one. The calls averaged six a week during the period that the suspect had been operating. In cooperation with the members of the fire department, Frank and I were assigned to try to apprehend the person making the calls. The operation was simple. The individual would call the board, give an address that we couldn't check out, and then describe what had happened. The address given was usually a corner so that it was impossible for us to make verifying phone calls. In each instance, as soon as the suspect would report the disturbance, he would hang up. The operation was simple and untraceable. 11 17 a.m. We finished talking with Captain Didion and left his office. All right, Skipper. I'll check you later. Boy, he's in a great mood this morning, you know. Don't be a blame him. The way this thing's going, we're no nearer to breaking it. Yeah. Joe, it figures the guy who's doing this is going to be around to watch all the excitement. That's got to be the reason he's making the call so he can get his kicks. Well. Well, it figures he's got to be in the crowd someplace. So? Well, let's try to get a hold of the newspaper pictures. Try to check them. Find one person who's at the scene. Might work. You know, some place to start in it. It's hot shot. I get it. Going to have to wait. Bank robbery in progress. 11 26 a.m. We took the call car and started for the bank. Before we arrived, Control One put out a code four on the call. No further assistance needed. Was another false alarm. We completed our investigation and on the way back to the office, we answered an ambulance follow up call two blocks from the bank. A squad car had been on the way to answer the robbery call at the bank. It had been traveling north on Spring Street. An ambulance had been making an emergency trip to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. It had been traveling west on Seventh Street. Both had been rolling code three. Neither one of them heard the siren of the other unit. Neither of them knew of the other's presence. Both had hit the intersection at the same time. The police car, in an attempt to avoid the ambulance, had swerved. It had corromed off the side of the larger vehicle and then plowed through traffic and hit a traffic signal pole head on. The car had hit the pole at the seam of the left front fender and the body. The police unit had been split wide open. The officer on the passenger side of the car had been thrown against the windshield. The other one had been thrown into the steering wheel and then out of the car onto the curb ten feet from the wrecked unit. The ambulance, after being hit, had spun across the intersection on two wheels, hit the curbing and tipped over. Only the fact that it had hit a street light pole had stopped it from going on through the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. It had come to rest laying on its side at the southeast corner of the intersection. The driver of the ambulance had been thrown clear of the truck. The patient in the rear and the attendant with him had been thrown about in the interior of the unit and when we got there they were lying in a mass of wreckage. The intersection was covered with gasoline and oil. A traffic officer was attempting to do what he could for the survivor. Let us through here. Police officers, please let us through. All right, you'll just step back there. I'm sorry, keep back please. Friday and Smith, Central Robbery. I'm sorry, Jake's in traffic. They alive? I don't know, both unconscious, pretty bad. I didn't want to move them. How about an ambulance? I put the call in right away. Did you call in about this oil on the streets here? No, I didn't yet. Well, you better get a call in, don't you think? Have them warn all approaching units, street slippery, have them approach with caution, huh? All right. Thank you. Sure is a mess, isn't it? Doesn't look like they got much of a chance, does it? How about that ambulance? A couple of officers there now. I guess they're looking after them. Let's check the driver. How about it, Joe? Well, that ambulance better get here quick. Yeah? He isn't going to last long. The ambulance arrived and the injured men were removed to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. The police garage sent out a wrecker and the damaged vehicles were removed. The intersection was cleaned of the gasoline and oil, and inside of an hour and a half, the corner was handling traffic as usual. The only indication of the wreck left on the scene was a broken hubcap lying in a puddle of dirty water in the gutter. Two police officers had been seriously injured in the accident. Frank and I checked the immediate neighborhood for witnesses. We found a newspaper vendor who had a stand a block from the scene. He identified himself as George Kennedy. He told us what he knew of the wreck. I saw the whole thing, the whole thing. Yes, sir, if you'd tell us what you saw, please. Well, my stand is just up the street there. You can see it on the corner. Uh-huh. Well, I was checking stock. A lot of new magazines came in this morning, I was going through them, you know, marking them up, going through them. Yes, sir. I was just standing there, fixing up the new magazines, when all of a sudden I hear these sirens. It sounded like they were coming from all directions. I see. Then I saw that there was an ambulance coming down 7th Street. I stopped what I was doing to see where the ambulance was going, then I heard the crash. Terrible. Did you see the accident, Kennedy? Well, not at first, no. I saw it right after I heard the brakes. I didn't really see it at first, you know, just after I heard the brakes. And then I looked up and saw what was happening, and I started to run down there. Uh-huh. Well, the car's all smashed up. Right after that I saw you guys come up, and then the other ambulance. That's about all. Nothing more I can tell you, I guess. Anything I can do to help? Anything at all? No, sir. How about the officers in the car? Are they all right? I heard one of them was dead. Any truth in that? No, sir, both of them are in pretty bad shape. Awful thing to happen. Biggest crash I ever saw. Just awful. Uh-huh. Well, thanks, Kennedy, for your help. Oh, it wasn't anything. Glad to do what I could. Anything else I can do, if you guys just let me know. All right, Kennedy, thanks very much. Oh, not at all. Glad to do it. Sure, terrible thing. No need for such a waste. Yes, sir. If they die, it'll almost seem like there's murder, won't it? Yes, sir. From here it looks that way. Frank and I drove back to the office. We checked with the doctor at the PNF ward at Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. The doctor told us that the injured officers were still in critical condition, and as yet had not regained consciousness. We checked with the complaint board, and the officer who'd answered the call about the supposed bank robbery told us that he thought that the caller was the same suspect we were looking for. With Captain Didion and Captain Hagenbaugh in communications, we worked out a plan to attempt to apprehend the caller. The next time he put in a call, the officer answering the complaint would attempt to keep him on the line with questions regarding the complaint until we could get to the vicinity and start a search for him. We would be notified by a hotshot call immediately. Two days passed without the caller making a move. On Saturday, May 8th, we got a call from Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. Yeah, Doc. Uh-huh. Well, how about the families? They been told yet? Uh-huh. Well, I imagine they're pretty happy about it, huh? Yeah, well, thanks for letting us know. Right, Doc. Bye. Doc call? Yeah. Both officers are gonna be okay. They're doing what they can for him. Hotshot. Now, maybe we can do something for him. Suspect's on the phone now. The caller had told the officer on the complaint board that he wanted to report an attempted robbery at the corner of 6th and Spring Streets. He said there was a shooting as the operator of the store involved had tried to stop the holdup man. The man on the phone had requested police assistance and the dispatching of an ambulance to the scene. The officer so far had managed to keep the caller on the phone while he let us know of the call. Another officer had called the store and verified that there was no holdup as reported. Frank and I left the office and proceeded to the area code 2. We felt that if the suspect heard the siren of a unit, it might alarm him and we'd lose him. We arrived at the corner four minutes after we'd gotten the hotshot. Frank took one side of the street and I took the other. We worked our way down 6th Street, spotting all of the stores with public telephones. It took us a little over three minutes to cover the street for one block east. We met back at the corner and started down Spring Street. As time went on, our chances of the suspect staying on the phone dwindled. Twelve minutes had passed since the suspect had placed the call. I was covering the east side of Spring Street and I was almost to the corner of 7th when I walked into a store to check the phone booth just inside the door. The voice was familiar. It was George Kennedy, the proprietor of the corner newsstand. Sure, I can see you. No, my name don't matter. All that counts is you get an ambulance here right away. If you don't, this poor man is going to bleed you dead. Certainly, he's right here, right in the same room. All right, come on out of there. Hey, what's this all about? Come on out of that phone booth. What, right? You got to tell me what to do. No, don't hang up that phone, Kennedy. You got no business breaking into my phone call. All right, you come out of that booth, will you, right now. All right, stand right there. Hello. Yeah, no, this is Friday. Yeah, we got him. Uh-huh. Yeah, well, as soon as I pick up Smith, we'll be right in. Hold it up, Kennedy! Stop that man! Hey, stop him! Hey, mister, watch your car! You all right, mister? Yeah, did you see where that old man went? No, sorry, mister. He ran into the crowd over there. I wasn't watching him. I thought you were going to get hit by that car. Hey, Joe, what are you doing out in the middle of the street? Well, I had him. It's George Kennedy, the guy with the newsstand. You mean the guy we talked to the other day? That's right. At least we know who we're after. That's a help. Yeah, maybe. We got to get him fast now. Yeah? He knows we're after him. We went back to our unit and got out of broadcast on George Kennedy. After that, we checked the immediate neighborhood, but we were unable to find the suspect. We checked at his newsstand, but the people in the surrounding stores were unable to give us the exact address where he lived. We arranged for a stakeout on the newsstand, then we went back to the city hall and called the city clerk. We asked him to check the records for the license issued to Kennedy. The clerk's office told us they would check their files immediately and call us back. We ran the name George Kennedy through R&I, but he had no previous criminal record. We checked with Captain Didion while we waited for the call back from the city clerk's office. I got it. It's Robby Friday. Yeah? Who? Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Hello. That's all we need. What is it? That was Kennedy. Says he knows we want him and he said we better forget all about it, then we'll never get him. Yeah? Says we might as well give up. You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action. Don't you want to try a cigarette with a record like this? The first choice of Young America, according to a recent survey made in 274 colleges. Chesterfield. The first cigarette with premium quality in both regular and king size. Chesterfield. The cigarette with highest quality, proven by chemical analyses to have higher quality than the five other leading brands. Chesterfield. And first, to give you this report. A doctor has been making thorough examinations of a group of Chesterfield smokers every two months for a full year. And he reports no adverse effects to the nose, throat, and sinuses from smoking Chesterfield. Try Chesterfield. Buy a carton. Much milder Chesterfield is America's best cigarette buy. A local broadcast was gotten out on Kennedy. The city clerk called back and gave us the home address listed on his application for a vendor's license. We checked out the address, a rooming house on 9th Street, and the landlady told us that Kennedy was not at home, that she hadn't seen him all day. She was able to give us the address of his sister, and after Frank and I arranged for a stakeout on the rooming house, we drove over to see the sister. She lived in a small frame house in the Hollywood area. I suppose I knew that it had to happen. I guess there wasn't any way to avoid it. Ma'am. About George, he's sick. I guess you know that. Yes, ma'am. Have you ever spent any time in an institution of any sort, would you know? No. There were times when I thought about it. We used to talk, try to figure out what was the best thing. Somehow we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it, to commit him. You say we, ma'am. What do you mean? Oh, I mean Harold. Harold's my brother. He's the baby of the family. And what the doctor said, I guess, in a way, Harold's the cause of the whole thing. Way back, I mean. Ma'am. Well, I can't deny it. We talked to doctors about George, you know, psychologists. Yes, ma'am. He said that George had a compulsion complex. It came from when he was a little boy. That he resented the attention that the folks showed Harold. It's unfortunate, Harold was sickly when he was little and he needed more attention. I guess George didn't understand. You have any idea where he might be now, ma'am? No. You tried the place over on night. That's where he lives. Yes, Miss Carroll. We checked the place. Landlady said she hadn't seen your brother all day. Oh. Well, if he's not there, I don't know where he could be. No. I wouldn't have the slightest idea. Could you tell us if your brother had any close friends in the city, anyone he might go to? None at all. I'm sorry. I can't be of more help. Well, do you have a recent picture of your brother, ma'am? Well, yes, I think I can find one for you. Why do you want it? We needed to find him, Miss Carroll. Oh. Well, I have one that was taken this year at George's birthday party. I took it with one of those cameras that develop right away, you know. Yes, ma'am. What if you'd be kind enough to get it for us, please? Surely. I think it's in the desk. I'll get it for you. Oh, excuse me a minute. Surely. Hello. Oh, yes. What? Uh-huh. They're here now. I don't know what to think. Yes. Yes, I know, but it's too late for that now. The important thing is to find him before he does something more. Yeah. Well, I'll call you back. I don't want to keep the officers waiting. All right. Bye. That was Harold. He heard about George. Mm-hmm. It's possible your brother might go over to his place? No, that's the last place he'd go. What if he could give us his address, please? Sure, I can give it to you. I know that George wouldn't go there, though. Why are you so sure, ma'am? I told you about the birthday party. Well, George and Harold were there, just a family sort of thing. At least it started out that way. The way it finished was awful. George and Harold got into a big fight. They were always arguing. Uh-huh. What if you'd get that picture for us now, Miss Carroll? Oh, yes, right away. It's here someplace. Harold just said that we should have put George in an institution a long time ago. We should have had him helped. I guess he's right. I guess it's all my fault. Why do you say that, ma'am? Well, it was me that didn't want George committed. I was the one who fought against it. I was so sure that everything would work out all right. Oh, here it is. Yes, ma'am? That's George. He got a paper hat on. He came out of one of those little snapper things. George liked things like that, kid things. I guess he never grew up. Yes, ma'am. Always lived in a dream world. Made it up himself. Thought that everybody was persecuting him, that people were after him. It's so silly it wasn't true. I'm afraid it is, ma'am. What? We're after him. We got the address of George Kennedy's brother, and Frank and I drove over to talk to him. He told us that he didn't have the slightest idea where his brother might be. We called the office and arranged for a stakeout on homes of the sister and the brother in the event that Kennedy might try to contact him. Six thirty p.m. We met with Captain Didion and a psychiatrist from Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. Psychiatrist said that after hearing our report on Kennedy's actions, that he might have a strong compulsion complex. And as a result of events that morning, he could have a violent resentment of any type of authority. Two days passed. We got more leads and we ran him down. They went no place. Tuesday, May 11th, 1251 a.m. I get it. Robbery Friday. Yes, ma'am. Now, when was that? Yeah. All right, Miss Carol. We'll take care of it. Yes, ma'am. By the way, thank you. Kennedy's sister says he just called her. Yeah? Said he was over by Westlake Park and he was going to commit suicide. One oh two a.m. We called the complaint board and told them what had happened. They contacted all available units and asked them to proceed to Westlake Park code two. Frank and I drove to the area. By the time we got there, several units had responded to the call, as yet none of them had seen Kennedy. From the bridge on Wilshire, two men had been watching the lake and up to the time we got there, they'd seen no activity on the surface of the water. One thirty a.m. Frank and I started to go through the park. A heavy fog had risen from the lake and visibility was dropping fast. You see anything? No. Now let's head down toward the lake, huh? Yeah. This way. See, it's getting cold. I should have worn a heavier coat. Hold it a minute. See him? Yeah. Just sitting there. Doesn't see us though. All right. You take him from that side. I'll go this way. Watch it, huh? Right. Who's there? Who is it? I know you're there. Who is it? I got a gun. Are you coming any closer or am I going to shoot? I can see you, you know. I can see you. You get away from here. You get away right now or I'm going to shoot. All right. I warned you. Put that gun down, Kennedy. Yeah, I knew you were there. I knew it. I thought you could sneak up on me and get me and I wouldn't know it, huh? That's what you thought, ain't it? Ain't it? Nobody's trying to sneak up on you, Kennedy. Nobody's trying to hurt you. Yeah, that's what you say, but I know a difference. I know. Who are you? Come on. I know anyway, so you might as well tell me. Who are you? You know who I am, George. Joe Friday. I'm your friend. Now you know that, don't you? Ain't anybody that's my friend. Ain't anybody. Nobody I can trust. Why should I trust you? Come on, tell me. Why should I trust you? You're a cop, ain't you? Ain't you? You know that, George, we met before. You know I'm your friend, too, don't you? No, you ain't. You ain't my friend. You want to take me away and lock me up. It's not true, George. I just want to talk to you. Just sit and talk, that's all. You stay away from me. I'm not going to tell you again. I don't want you near me. Now take it easy, George. No, you ain't going to get me. I'm going to get away from you. Away from all of you. All right, wait a minute. I know all about you. I know you ain't going to get me. I said, Quim, somebody help me. Help. All right, Kennedy, take it easy. All right, come on now. You're all right. You're all right. Come on. Come on, get up here. Now you're all right now. Ain't anybody to understand. Ain't anybody. You OK, Joe? Yeah. I'll shake him. He's clean. I couldn't even get a gun. Couldn't even get a gun. Never could do anything right. Just nothing ever went right. Wasn't anybody that understood. Nobody that knew what I wanted. Nobody cared about me. Nobody cared. You're wrong about that. Huh? We do. The story you've just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On September 21st, trial was held in Department 97, Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the County of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial. Now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Fenomen. I sure hope you were listening real close to what George Fenomen had to say tonight, because it proves what I always tell you. You can't beat the premium quality you get in Chesterfield, regular or king size. I'd like you to try Chesterfield. They're much milder and they have a wonderful taste. The case of George Hoyt Kennedy was referred to the city attorney. Due to the mental condition of the suspect, the case was then referred to the psychopathic detail at Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. After due process in Superior Court, the suspect was committed to a mental institution for treatment. Ladies and gentlemen, we wish to thank the editors and readers of TV Radio Mirror Magazine for their awards to Dragnet, their sixth annual award issue now on sale at your newsstand. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Fance Brasher. Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Herb Ellis, Ralph Moody. Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter Schuman. Hell, give me speaking. For a million laughs, tune in Chesterfield's Martin & Lewis show, Tuesday on the same NBC station. And sound off for Chesterfield's. Either regular or king size, you'll find premium quality Chesterfield much milder. Chesterfield is best for you. Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles. Now, new Fatima has the tip for your lips. Fatima tips of perfect cork. King size for natural filtering. Fatima quality for a much better flavor and aroma. So remember, new Fatima has the tip for your lips. Fatima, see how smooth they are. Remember, Fatima is made by the makers of Chesterfield. Liggett & Myers, one of tobacco's most respected names.
