All language subtitles for Dragnet S02E28 The Big Problem.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en

This is the city...

Los Angeles, California.

I work here.

I carry a badge.

It was Wednesday, May 12th.

It was fair in Los Angeles.

I was working out
of Foothill Division

as community relations officer.

The boss is Captain Shannon.

My partner's Bill Gannon.

My name's Friday.

We were attending a meeting

of a recently organized
citizens group.

Part of my assignment as the
division community relations officer

was attending
meetings such as this.

Our objective... to
gain community support.

The story you are
about to see is true.

The names have been
changed to protect the innocent.

And try to remember this.

It's not my police department.

It's not Chief Reddin's
police department.

It's yours. It
belongs to all of you.

What can we do, Sergeant Friday?

We're only a small
group of people.

There are countless
things you can do.

One of our biggest problems
besides crime is rumors.

Somebody talks about
a bum beef they got

from a policeman, and
it spreads and distorts

until we have hundreds believing
something that really didn't happen.

What can we do about
something like that?

You can stop it.

You can stop it by not
spreading the rumor,

and by getting
the straight story.

Pick up your telephone,
give me a call.

I'll find out what happened,
and I'll let you know.

Tell your friends to
do the same thing.

There's a community
relations officer

in every police
division in this city.

There'll always be
somebody there to listen.

What happens if it's not a rumor
and it turns out the cops were wrong?

What do you do then, cover up?

No, sir, nothing's covered up.

We want a clean
department just like you do.

If you call, and we learn there's been
misconduct on the part of an officer,

you can be sure
he'll be disciplined.

But the important
thing is that you call us.

That's the only way these
rumors can be stopped,

and believe me,
rumors can be deadly.

That's understandable, Sergeant,

but there's one thing that's
bothered me for a long time.

You always hear someone
talking about police brutality.

What is police
brutality? Does it exist?

Police brutality.

A coined term that's
been worked to death.

It's run the gamut from
physical brutality to rudeness,

and it's a damaging term.

People like yourself,
Mr. Andrews,

you hear the term
police brutality used,

and you attach some
gruesome picture to it.

It's a label applied to just about
everything a policeman does,

and I don't like labels.

When the police do
something that's objectionable,

call it what it is...
Rudeness, undue force,

neglect of duty or whatever...

But not police brutality.

It can't be defined.

It's just a label that some
factions of our society

use to destroy public faith in
constituted law and authority.

The police.

Whatever you call
it, the fact remains

that policemen do get
out of line sometimes.

Yes, sir, they do.

Our department has
approximately 5,400 policemen.

That's about 1.8 policemen
for every 1,000 people.

We're spread pretty thin.

As long as we hire human beings,

we'll have some that get out
of line once in a great while.

Policemen are supposed to
be impartial and professional.

At the same time,
let's remember,

they're not machines.

They're men who
have a job to do.

They have families to take
care of, and they have emotions.

You know, it takes a pretty
strong man to hold his temper

when he's spit on or assaulted.

But we expect our
officers to do just that.

Control their tempers.

Sometimes they don't,
and we have to sit on them.

Every policeman is
subject to the same laws

as anyone else,
but on top of that,

the department has
strict rules of conduct.

Any time anyone
makes a complaint

alleging misconduct
on the part of an officer,

the department requires
a thorough investigation.

Man, I've been sitting
here for 30 minutes now

listening to all this jazz.

I came here to see
how to help my people,

not to listen to
some cop tell lies.

They're the Gestapo, man.

They ain't got nothing
more to say to me.

If you'll sit down and listen for a
while, maybe you'll learn something.

Let's listen to what
the officers have to say.

They got nothing
to say to me, man.

If you fools want to
sit here and listen to

some fuzz tell
lies, that's your bag.

I'm a black man,
and I don't have

nothing to do with
the white man's laws.

I'm splitting this
fool scene, man.

Who's coming with me?

You're all fools!

I'm sorry for that
outburst, Sergeant.

I'm sorry, too.

Sorry that he left.

Thursday, May 13th, 8:30 a.m.

Bill and I checked in for work.

Joe, got a couple out here.

They want to see the
community relations officer.

- They're hopping mad.
- About what?

Don't know. Said
they'd only talk to you.

My guess, it's a
personnel matter.

Okay. Send them in.

When did Olsen switch
over to day watch?

Today.

The roster shows
him working nights.

Got to get that
Doris on the ball.

Sergeant Friday,
Mr. and Mrs. Erickson.

Ms. Erickson, Mr. Erickson, I
didn't expect to see you so soon.

I didn't either. The
only reason I came

was because of talking with
you at the meeting last night

I think this is just
a waste of time.

We should've gone
straight to a lawyer

or to the police
malpractice center.

What's the problem?

- The problem is...
- I'll do the talking, Elsa.

You just keep the notes.

Would you be good
enough to sit down?

All right.

I just want you to
know, Sergeant Friday,

we're not going to take
this kind of treatment.

The problem is the
way you cops operate.

We're law-abiding
citizens, not criminals.

That's right.

We're not the kind of people

to be treated like
criminals, either.

Suppose we try to settle down.

Please tell me
what's on your mind.

- It happened last night.
- We were just driving...

Elsa, let me tell it.

We were going home
from the meeting.

That ought to be example enough

for our standing
in the community.

Yes, sir. Go ahead, please.

Well, out of the clear blue sky,

these two cops turned red
lights on us and pulled us over.

I knew I didn't commit
a traffic violation.

Did they write you a citation?

No. They pulled
us over for nothing.

Shining their flashlights
around, asking questions,

treated us like
common criminals.

What did they do? Did
they use offensive language?

Offensive language?
Yes, I was offended.

Talked to us like
we were criminals.

Asking all those questions.

If you mean did they
swear or call us names,

no, they just asked
personal questions.

What kind of personal questions?

Where you going, where you been,

where do you live...
Those kind of questions.

Where did all this happen?

Five blocks from my house.

I live out on the south
side north of Roscoe

on Terrace Place.

What time was this?

About 7:00.

We were coming from
the meeting, like John said.

Yes, from the meeting, but
that was none of their concern.

It's our business what
we do, not some cop's.

I told them so, too.

Here's the names.

I made sure they
gave us their names.

Jeffries and Braven.

Excuse me a minute.

Chuck, this is Friday.

Bring me Jeffries' and Braven's
log from last night, will you?

Thanks.

Did the officers furnish
their names willingly?

Well, yes, I guess they did,

but they questioned us
like common criminals.

All they were
interested in was our TV.

A television set?

Yes. One of them
kept shining his light

in the backseat
where the TV was,

asking me what kind it was,

how long I'd had
it. Just on and on.

How long did the
officers detain you?

About five minutes.

I gave them my driver's license,

and he wrote my name
on a little white card.

- Last night's logs.
- Thanks, Park.

That burned me, too.

What business do they
have taking down my name?

Well, it's all here.

This paper is the activities log

that our officers keep.

This one is Jeffries'
and Braven's,

the officers that stopped you.

7:05 p.m., Roscoe
and Laurel Canyon.

Do you drive a green '66
Mustang, Mr. Erickson?

Yes. I guess they
have it all down there.

They made a big
deal about my car, too.

Mr. Erickson, this is a list of the
top-ten wanted vehicles in this city.

Will you tell me something?

What kind of a vehicle is
number one there at the top?

A green Mustang. So what?

There must be 1,000
green Mustangs in this city.

The occupants of that
vehicle are wanted for burglary.

- Residential burglaries.
- Yeah.

This map is
prepared daily for us

by our analytical officer.

The red marks here
show residential burglaries.

This is the area where you live.

Look at this, Elsa.

Five red dots right
around our neighborhood.

Are you trying to say you
think we're burglars, sergeant?

Elsa!

Not at all, ma'am.
What I'm driving at is,

we should try to look at this
from the officers' standpoint.

How's that, sergeant?

The officers have a job to do,

and a big part of that job
is protecting the public,

and that includes protecting
people from thieves.

The particular area
that you were driving in

has had a rash of
residential burglaries lately,

and in most cases,
TV sets were taken.

Your car matches the description
of the one that's wanted,

and you had a TV
set in the backseat.

But we just had the
set repaired yesterday.

The officers didn't know that
until they talked to you, right?

Well, I guess so.

We don't look like
burglars, do we?

Can you tell me what a
burglar looks like, ma'am?

Point's well taken, sergeant.

I guess all burglars don't
wear little black masks, do they?

No, ma'am. If they did, we wouldn't
have such a hard time catching them.

I can understand all that,

but that doesn't explain
the way they started off...

Suspicious, moving around like
they'd shoot me if I moved a muscle.

Look at it this
way, Mr. Erickson.

Our officers stop and talk with
hundreds of people every day.

In your case, they thought they had felony
suspects when they first stopped you.

They have to maintain control.

It can save them or somebody
else from getting hurt.

They never know what they're
getting into when they stop someone.

Most of the time, it just
takes a few questions

like you were asked
to resolve things.

I can see how important it is,

especially after
seeing that map.

Imagine five burglaries
in our neighborhood.

You've both cleared up
a lot of things in my mind.

I guess the officers were
doing everything right.

- No, sir, not everything.
- No?

No. They made one mistake.

- That's why you're here.
- What's that, sergeant?

They didn't tell you why...

Why they stopped you.

3:35 p.m.

Bill was holding
a training session

for the division
Explorer Scouts.

I had just returned
to the station

after attending a police
community council meeting.

I spotted Officers Jeffries
and Braven having coffee.

I took the opportunity
to talk with them.

Hi, Sarge. How's it going?

Good. Mind if I join you?

Sure. Have a chair.

How are things on the street?

Really jumping. We've got a
burglar carrying away our district.

Say, do you remember stopping a
couple named Erickson last night?

Yeah. How did you know?

They were in this morning.

They bring a beef with them?

That guy was mad
before we stopped him.

Ron here hardly opened his mouth

before the guy let us have it.

Police brutality,
prejudice, the whole bit.

What's he say we did?

Verbal abuse or excessive force?

No. None of that. He just didn't
know why you stopped him.

Why we stopped him?

We've got a burglar carrying
us away in his neighborhood...

TV's, color TV's,
that's all they're taking.

I can't understand why
we can't dig them out.

What's their M.O.?

Between 9:00 and
1:00 in the morning.

Usually pry a rear window
and go out the back door.

If we only had more
time to work the area.

Ten minutes' patrol
and zap, we get a call.

Yeah, radio calls
coming out our ears.

We're only averaging about
two hours patrolling time a night.

Every bit of it's going into
looking for those TV burglars.

You have any description?

I've got a good idea
it's that green Mustang

wanted by North
Hollywood division.

We talked to one of their
units three nights ago.

They have a witness that saw two
suspects burglarize a house down there.

Rear window, color
TV. Same M.O. as ours.

Is that the Mustang on
the top-ten wanted list now?

Same one. North Hollywood had the
same problem we're having with them.

Almost carried them away until
they got a few extra Metro cars

patrolling the area.

But they didn't catch them.
Metro got the area so hot,

I guess they just shifted
operations into our district.

It's like a ping-pong
game sometimes.

It's going to take a real
break to catch them.

I thought for sure we
had them last night.

That's when you
stopped the Ericksons?

Yeah. They were
driving a green Mustang

right in the middle
of the problem area,

and there was a TV
set in the backseat.

Their TV?

Yeah. He had it repaired.

I told him we were
just checking him out.

Couldn't hardly talk
to him, he was so mad.

Whether he beefed or
not, Sarge, I'm telling you,

we played it straight
down the line.

What did you find out about him?

They were clean, lived in the
area, both of them employed.

Good I.D. Just boiled over
'cause we stopped them.

Did you ask them if they'd
seen a green Mustang

driving around
their neighborhood,

or explain what kind
of problem you had

with burglars in the area?

I figured the less we had
to say, the better off we'd be.

I found out what I had
to, and cut it off there.

Any more conversation, and the guy
probably would have just gotten more upset.

But the fact is, they
were clean, right?

Yeah. What's your point?

You were through
asking questions,

and he was through
giving answers.

What most likely irritated
him was giving answers.

Does that make sense?

Sure. Nobody likes to be
stopped and questioned.

I don't think people
mind being questioned,

as long as they
know the reason for it.

If you tell them the reason, you've got
a few more eyes and ears on the street

doing some of
the looking for you.

You think if we tried to tell
Erickson, he would've calmed down?

He did when I told
him this morning.

That's one. What
about all the others

that are so anti-everything every
time they talk to a policeman?

You think telling them
will calm them down?

Some, yes, some, no.

But we still have an
answer for those that don't.

- What's that?
- We tried.

You don't buy that, Ron?

Now that you ask, no.

I figure that's your job.

You're the community
relations officer.

My job's enforcing the law
and keeping crime down.

If I step on a few toes doing
that, I guess it's too bad.

That's my whole point.

Stepping on toes isn't the
best way of enforcing the law.

You said it. You're
out there in that car.

You're the one that needs
the cooperation from the public,

and stepping on
toes, as you put it,

is not only making
it tough on you,

but on every other
policeman on the street.

Let me ask you something, Ron.

Are you proud of the number
of arrests you're turning?

I'd say so. I do my job.

You're wrong. You
only do half of it.

How many friends do
you make in the field?

You know as well as I
do, an arrest or a citation

can often be a
corrective measure.

Treat it that way.

Antagonizing people
doesn't make any sense,

and bucking department
policy doesn't either.

I guess I just don't
think the way you do.

I'm going to tell
you something, boy.

You keep thinking your
way, and I wouldn't want to bet

how much of a future
you've got on the job.

Friday, May 14th, 8:25 a.m.

We checked in with the captain.

The personnel
complaints are down.

Maybe that's not a good
measure, but it's a fair indication.

Yes, sir. Assaults on
officers are down, too.

That's one that really
means something.

I just hope we can
maintain it that way.

If we can't, we'll
try something else,

but right now, we have
to keep the community

relations training
going full steam.

The men are doing a good job,

but I want it better.

I've arranged for that
new training film, Cap.

It's got a pretty good message.

I've seen it. When's it coming.

Some time next week.

I thought I'd hit the
day watch roll call today.

I got a few things
to say to them.

- You got a problem?
- No, sir.

I just want to get some of
them to handle a few speeches.

Anything else, Joe?

I talked to an
officer yesterday.

He had an attitude problem.

I want to see that
it doesn't spread.

Is that so? Is he a hard nose?

If he is, we don't need
that kind of a problem.

I think he'll come around.

If he doesn't, I want
to know about it.

- Yes, sir.
- From you.

8:30 a.m.

We attended the
day watch roll call.

Each day, 15
minutes is set aside

for roll call training.

Part of my job is providing
part of that training.

The subject...
Community relations.

Like I said, there are a
few guys who still think

their job is strictly
throwing hoodlums in jail.

That's a big part of it, but in this
day and age, it can't stop there.

We have to sell the public
on the job we're doing,

and gain their full support.

Selling them should be
on your mind every minute.

Every time you write a
ticket, make a field interview,

or settle a family dispute,

let them know what
you're doing and why.

That gets support, and
without it, we're just not effective.

What does this
support mean to you,

to you as an individual?

It means your job
gets done a little easier.

Sometimes it can mean your neck.

Yes, your neck.

You ever have a
suspect in custody

with a hostile crowd
gathered around,

and nobody would even call
the station and get help for you?

It's happened to me.

It wasn't a very comfortable
feeling, I'll tell you.

That kind of thing used to be
the rule rather than the exception.

It doesn't happen
much these days.

And why?

I like to think it's because
we're making some headway

and becoming more understanding.

You ever work with a
partner that could start a war

just by opening his mouth?

Usually, he says nothing wrong.

It's just his tone of voice.

You've all heard it.

"Yes, sir," or "Yes, sir."

Or they use the terms that
are offensive to some people.

For example, we all know

a Negro resents
being called boy.

So would I, for that matter.

If we use that term,

he's probably going to get
mad and probably want to fight.

What's the sense in
antagonizing somebody

when you know how to avoid it?

Leave them with a
good taste in their mouth,

and don't forget who
you're working for.

It's the people's laws
you enforce, not yours.

Now like I said, we've made
headway with the program,

and we'll continue to.

It's tough enough as
it is to enforce the law,

but every time one of you
leaves your cool at home

instead of taking
it to work with you,

we lose four times
what we've gained.

You risk making an enemy.

You hurt every other
officer on the job.

Well, it's about time
for you to hit the field.

There's one more
thing you can do,

those of you that
got the message.

We haven't got any money, Sarge.

No, no, not money, but
something worth a lot more.

Your time, your off-duty time.

Off-duty time. What's that, huh?

That's the time when
you're not in the radio unit,

on special
assignment, or in court.

Okay, Sarge, what's the pitch?

You all know about the Foothill
police community council.

They're a solid support behind
all of us, and trying to get more.

But naturally, they can't talk
police work as well as a policeman.

That's what the community wants to
know about... police work and policemen.

So, as they say in the army,

I'm looking for volunteers...

Officers to give speeches and
participate in community panels.

We don't have enough people
or money to fill all the requests

on an on-duty basis.

How much time will
that require, Sarge?

Right now, I got 15
requests I can't fill.

If enough of you volunteered

just once or twice a month at
the outside, that ought to do it.

For those of you interested,
I've brought along a sign-up sheet.

But what'll all that get us?

Maybe not a vacation in Paris,

but it will give you an understanding
of how people think and feel.

We ride around in a car.

That car is a shell that
isolates us from the community.

We're on the inside, the
public's on the outside.

We have to try and reestablish the
kind of personal relationships we had

when a policeman
used to walk a beat.

These speeches and panels will be a
substitute for that kind of public contact.

What'll it do for you?

When you understand
how people think and feel,

you're in a better position to know how
they'll react when something goes down.

You're able to judge the
situation just a little better.

When you can anticipate
a situation or avoid one,

it'll save one more policeman from
going to the hospital, or maybe the morgue.

So by attending some of these
sessions, you'll be selling your job,

and at the same time, learning
how the community thinks and feels.

- One question, Sarge.
- Go ahead.

Do you think we can be
effective doing that sort of thing?

You be sincere,
honest, and tell it like it is.

- Yeah?
- You'll be effective.

Now, how many of you red-blooded
volunteers are going to come forward?

4:30 p.m. We had just finished a
training session at the police academy,

and we were
headed for the station.

Any unit in the vicinity,
16841 needs assistance.

253 South Dotson. Code two.

That's only two
blocks from here.

Better swing over
there, see if we can help.

4:32 p.m. We arrived
at 253 South Dotson.

I'm trying to get a uniformed sergeant
on the air, but they're all tied up.

What's gone down?

Got a warrant suspect
holed up in his apartment.

Says we'll have to kill him to get
him out. My partner's covering the rear.

Is he armed?

Don't know. That's
why I didn't kick the door.

He ran inside screaming
he wouldn't go to jail alive.

- The guy doesn't make sense.
- What kind of warrant?

That's why it doesn't make
any sense, him splitting that way.

It's a traffic
warrant. $50 bail.

Let's see what we can do before
the whole neighborhood turns out.

That's it, number 22.
His name's Billy Jones.

Here's his driver's license.

Yeah, that's the same man

who walked out of that
meeting the other night.

Great. This guy's about
as objective as a wet towel.

We pulled him over
for running a stop sign.

License was expired,
so I ran him for warrants.

Any record?

No record, just
a traffic warrant.

He was irritated
about getting stopped,

but didn't really blow up until I
told him we had to go to the station.

That when he split?

Yeah. I told him we had
to make a weapons search.

He started screaming no
white cop is going to touch him,

and took off like a rabbit.

Shall we take him now?

He's not going anywhere.

Let's try it the easy way first.

Jones, this is Sergeant Friday.

I want to talk to you.

I'm not coming out, man.

I know how you
cops treat people.

You ain't gonna get
me down to the station.

Jones, what are you
getting so worked up about?

You didn't pay a ticket, so
you got a $50 traffic warrant.

Is that worth all of this?

That warrant's from
the white law, man.

You get me down there to
that jail, and I get beat up.

- That's all I know.
- Now listen, Jones,

I want you to think
about it for a minute.

A traffic warrant's
an order of the court.

You get booked on it, you
can bail out in five minutes.

That's just more of the
white man's lies, man.

You gotta get me down
there and keep me locked up.

I don't know how I'm going
to convince you, Jones.

Look at it this way.

We can't just walk away and
leave you in there, now, can we?

I don't know, man.
That's your bag.

No, it's your problem. You know
if you don't come out, we come in.

- I lose either way.
- Not quite.

If you come out,
it'll be the easy way.

If we come in, how are
you going to stop us?

Just don't try it, man.

In other words, I can
assume you got a gun.

- I got no gun.
- I don't know that.

I'm telling you I got no gun.

Then you might as well make it
easy on yourself and come out of there.

Wait a minute. If I come out,

how do I know I can trust you?

I guess you don't.

You got to take a chance.

We have no reason to hurt you.

No matter what somebody's
been feeding you about the police,

you've been told wrong.

We're hired to protect everyone,

and whether you believe
it or not, you're included.

There's a dozen of your
neighbors standing outside,

waiting to see how
you're going to act.

If you got any pride in
yourself or your community,

you'll walk out of that
room on your own.

Man, how can I believe you?

You're the Man.
That's all I've been told.

- The Man is bad.
- That's what you've been told.

It's about time you started finding out
things for yourself, then, isn't it, Jones?

Man, I just don't
know. I just don't know.

All right, we'll
make it easy for you.

You walk out of that room on your
own with your hands in plain sight.

Will you do that?

- And if I don't?
- Try it our way.

Come on, Jones.

Come on.

Just keep those hands
where we can see them.

Didn't mean no trouble, man.

- I was scared.
- It's all right, Jones.

Turn around.

Okay, but I ain't got no gun.

I tell you, I ain't
got no gun, man.

I ain't got no gun.

All right, I walked out
of the room on my own.

What's that buy me?

What did you think it'd buy you?

I guess I've got a resisting charge
now for locking myself in there.

Well, you walked
out on your own.

I did.

That's the way
we'll put it down.

- Just that way?
- Just that way.

I want to tell you I
still don't believe you.

I know cops.

How well do you know them?

Well, now, what do
you know about that?

The suspect pled
guilty to 21801 V.C.,

illegal left turn, and
was fined $12.50.

On the recommendation
of the arresting officers,

the charge of 148 P.C.,
resisting arrest, was dismissed.

In a moment, the chief of
police of the city of Los Angeles,

Thomas Reddin.

What you have just
seen on this program

in no way purports to
pose all of the problems

and only a small
part of the solutions

to police community relations.

But what you have
witnessed is true.

The incidents were taken
from many we have on file.

If your police department is to
do an effective job of serving you,

there must be mutual
understanding and tolerance

between the citizens
and the police.

Join in the community
relations programs in your city.

Get to know your
police officers better.

Let them get to know you.

You'll be helping your city,
your country, and yourself.