In the Dragnet episode titled The Big Housemaid, detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith are assigned to a burglary detail in Los Angeles. They are alerted to a peculiar case involving a woman who has been posing as a housemaid and stealing valuables from the homes she cleans. The stakes are high as they must stop her before she can cause further harm to unsuspecting families. The episode opens with the detectives returning from lunch, discussing a call from Frank's wife about an elderly woman named Mrs. Vesper, who has reported theft in her home.