In the gripping episode The Big Net from Dragnet, detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith are thrust into a tense investigation involving a series of violent purse snatchings in Los Angeles. Fourteen women have fallen victim to a brutal attacker who robs and beats them, leaving each victim with a different description of the assailant. This inconsistency complicates the investigation, as the police struggle to identify a clear suspect. The situation escalates when one victim is hospitalized in critical condition after being pistol-whipped, raising the stakes for the detectives and the community.