Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: The Big Man, Part Two (EP1496)

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Dragnet: The Big Man, Part Two (EP1496) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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free for two weeks. Just search for Great Detectives of Old Time Radio and
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the Kendle Store. But now it's time for today's episode of Dragnet with the
1:32
Big Man, Part two. The original aired eight January the nineteenth of nineteen
1:38
fifty. The story you were about to hear is true, only the names
1:51
have been changed to protect the innocent. Dragnette. You're a detective sergeant.
2:07
You're assigned to Narcotics Bureau. For seven months, You've been working with federal
2:12
and state agents and breaking a narcotics ring. You've apprehended the small fry next
2:17
in the line, the big man. Your job get him. Dragnet the
2:29
documented drama of an actual crime. For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation
2:34
with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
2:37
side of the law through an actual case, from official police files, from
2:42
beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your
2:46
police force and action. It was Wednesday, July ninth. It was warm
2:52
in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out a narcotics bureau.
2:55
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief Detectives. My
2:59
name's Friday. Was on the way into work and it was three fifty eight
3:02
pm when I got to Room twenty four, Narcotics Bureau. Hi, Joe,
3:07
feel better, I'm not quite as tired. Ben and Costella think was
3:10
a long haul narcotic from Arow. Okay, big him, I'll tell him.
3:17
Meeting for five minutes. Jeep Brown drove. Okay, I want to
3:20
pick up my stuff in the Captain first, Hi, skipper, look a
3:27
little better Friday. Get some rest. Yeah, a couple of good meals.
3:30
That's the trouble with the Flats gang. They never know what to eat.
3:32
Sit down, Joe, I want to talk to you. We got
3:35
a couple of minutes before your meeting. You'll probably be getting this all up
3:39
and down the line from here, and I just want to let you know
3:43
that we thank you and all the men in the operation to a fine job.
3:46
My part wasn't much. You did more than I did. No,
3:47
we all worked, but you had the dirty end of it. Good job.
3:53
Use your equipment you need it now. Oh you know. Thanks fans,
3:57
your ID cads. You got six shells. That's all about. That's
4:00
s thank you, you're back at it. Yep, here's one for you.
4:06
Look at this. What's that you got? Mug shot of a girl
4:11
picked up in a narcotics raid last night. A pretty girl, long blonde
4:15
hair, beautiful eye. She looks young high school girl she was when that
4:19
picture was taken nineteen forty seven, she was sixteen. Yeah. Look at
4:24
this one, yeah, same girl. Yeah, that's the way she looked
4:30
at eleven thirty last night when we picked her up. She looks fifty nineteen
4:33
years old, three years on heroin. She might as well be dead.
4:36
She is eight o'clock this morning. Let's go, It's time for the meeting.
4:43
You just looked at the best reason I know of for getting Belmont.
4:46
She get her stuff from Belmont. Costello was pushing to her. He got
4:49
his stuff from Belmont, the only one. Well, let's go. I
4:53
will you anybody it brief you on the Costel interviewed Joe. No, no,
4:59
not yet the chief. Gentlemen, come on in. You men all
5:11
know each other? Yeah, Craig, Kevin White, I think you're men.
5:15
No, police woman? Yes, how are you Florence? Hello?
5:18
Visual Beckman, State Narcotics. How do you do? Yeah? Bill,
5:21
Craig's in charge federal narcotics. Hello, how do you do? All we
5:25
got into Belmont procedure. Let's see how we stand on the Castela case.
5:29
So why do you want to fill everybody in an information we got from rough
5:31
Costello? Yes, sir. After his arrest Monday night, we interrogated Costello
5:38
for about four hours and fronted him with the package he sold a Friday here
5:42
other stuff. Crime lab ran it through about a third of an answer heroin
5:45
fair quality Mexican stuff. The man we picked up with Costello, Tony Morris,
5:49
was questioned as well. He corroborated Costello's story. What did you get
5:53
from him? Well, he told us he had a great deal of information
5:56
on the big man in the operation Belmont, that he wouldn't tell us,
5:59
that's saying, unless we made a deal with him. What kind of a
6:01
deal he wanted everything? But we finally agreed that the only thing we might
6:05
possibly work out was his prison term. We called in the U. S.
6:10
District attorney. We talked to another four hours how to workout. District
6:13
attorney told Costella the only thing he'd do for him was to have his prison
6:16
terms run concurrently rather than consecutively. Not much to pay for what we got.
6:21
Costello gave us enough to enable us to start moving on Belmont right away.
6:25
We've had this Emore confirmed. We've got a list of most of his
6:28
pushes. I wouldn't get to him any definite plan. Gee, oh,
6:31
wife and I have been talking over here with Craig and Beck worked out what
6:35
we think might be a pretty good plan, Craig, do you want to
6:39
lay out how your men are going to hand it From the federal end,
6:42
We'll work from out of town to the center. Here we check his context
6:45
across the state lines. We've already choiced his connections to the east New York
6:47
Sidic. We'll keep working that in Beck about your state narcoticsman. We work
6:53
inside the state line. Here, we've already checked out part of his operations.
6:57
We've located sources in San Francisco, Vegasfield President also our south of San
7:00
Diego, Lower California. We'll draw all those ends up, Tike, keep
7:03
moving, you fellows who both give us a hand. If we need a
7:05
system, that's right, fine. Why what are we going to do locally?
7:10
It's going to be a case of taking what we know and finding out
7:12
what we don't know. Putting the two together seems to me to be a
7:15
case of watching the man at all times. Bellmont shouldn't be able to blow
7:17
his nose without one of our men knowing. It's going to be a tremendous
7:20
under Chicken. You're all the tough job of the shadowing narcotics man. The
7:25
pigity hypersensitive, they recognize anything out of the ordinary at once, and for
7:28
that reason, it can't be a one man operation. Everybody's got to work
7:31
or undercover won't work this time. They're no doubt alerted, so we'll work
7:35
it from another angle. When we start, we've already started. Belmont lives
7:39
in Manhattan Beach. His houses under surveillance has been since yesterday. I can
7:43
impress upon all of the the importance of not letting Belmont out of your site
7:46
for an instant when arcotags buy could be made in thirty seconds. If we're
7:48
not there at the instant, we lose him. Do we have anything a
7:51
doll as to win? He might be ready to deal again nothing. Nobody
7:55
seems to know. Belmont's exact operating time could be any time, and in
7:59
order to prosecute him, we've got to be there when the narcotics are in
8:03
his possession or under his control. So we start to live with him and
8:05
stay as close as we can without being tabbed until there's a buying. That's
8:09
it. Captain White has all the assignments for our local mental Okay, we'll
8:11
watch him. We'll stray close to him. If he makes a move,
8:13
be there. The meeting lasted four hours. During that four hours, a
8:22
plan was formulated which we hoped would end in the successful apprehension of the number
8:24
one man in Pacific Coast narcotics traffic, Arthur Z. Belmont. How do
8:31
you watch a man is every move for twenty four hours, day in,
8:33
day out, without his annoying How do you watch a man whose very existence
8:37
depends upon not being watched, who is expertly schooled in every trick and device
8:41
of police surveillance, whose method of operation will change with the slightest disturbance of
8:46
his daily routine. And if that mo changes, You've lost him. Thursday,
8:50
July tenth, in the small Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach, population
8:54
ten one and seventy two, three very ordinary events took place. Public nurse
9:00
began a house to house survey. She asked the simple question, have you
9:03
ever been vaccinated for smallpox? She started canvassing twenty seven blocks from the home
9:07
of Belmont. Policewoman Florence Caswell. Two Japanese gardeners new to the city of
9:13
Manhattan Beach began soliciting work. I started asking for jobs thirty eight blocks from
9:18
the home of Belmont. Sergeant ten Fujakuni and Patrolman John Kagawa, a team
9:24
of surveyors driving a station wagon marked with the seal of Los Angeles County,
9:28
began taking linear measurements for the proposed enlargement of storm drains in the area.
9:33
They started fourteen blocks from the home of Belmont Lieutenant John Bigham, Central Narcotic
9:37
Sergeant Ben Romeroland myself, okay, man, bringing the rod, let's knock
9:43
off for lunch? What do you want to eat? John the wagon rare
9:48
to take the transfer with his kids, might pick it up. Okay,
9:50
I got it. I can't keep for sand down on my shoes. Might
9:54
as well get used to it. We're a long way from home. Nine
9:58
years on the job. Is the first time I ever brought my lunch into
10:01
paper. Sack knows, Joe's might change your whole way of living. When
10:05
I sitting in the front, I'm getting back. Tell us how to look
10:13
the local paper? No. I had and beat sentinel down the bottom page
10:18
one in the box. Read it, you see it's good? What is
10:24
it? Joe? Read that loud? Well? It says preliminary work on
10:26
storm drains started. Surveyors. Well, it goes on to say that surveyors
10:31
have started taking measurements for the new drains. The Captain whites Idea had the
10:35
story planet even got a release from the Planning Commission. It won't hurt us
10:37
a bit, man, you said, lunchtime. I've got enough here for
10:41
the whole department. Poor hard boiled egg. See what kind of sandwich is
10:48
not? True? Devil day? That's here? She even put them on
10:54
egg bread. I hate egs. It looks like the captain driving up the
10:58
street, tim having a city car, Chief engineer. How's it going?
11:07
Digging all right? Slow? How'd your lunch? What do you got?
11:16
Deviled egg sandwiches? Got plenty? Can't stand him? All about having cheese?
11:22
Yeah? Thanks, there you go. How's everybody else doing? Very
11:28
slow? It takes time. Got to keep taking our time if we tip
11:31
it before we got close enough Belmont so his wife. How long are we
11:35
going to have to keep our distance? Not much longer. We can't take
11:39
a chance of starting everybody out right on top of Belmont. It might look
11:41
funny to him, anybody else will be okay. The average present in your
11:46
operations might look normal, but we can't afford to try to get it by
11:50
Belmont. That way with the hop cutter. You never know. It's not
11:54
something I said. We don't know. We just can't take any kind of
11:56
a chance. That's what I mean. You might have died right on Belmont
12:00
front lawn and he's never got wised. We wouldn't want to risk it.
12:03
Belmont went out of his house today, young ago quite a bit. Left
12:07
his house at nine thirteen am, went down to the shop right market,
12:11
bought a half found a bacon, two doten eggs, loaf of bread over.
12:16
Sergeant Hodges waited on him. He's clerking in the grocery department. Then
12:20
he drove over to his neighborhood gas station, got a full tank of airphone
12:24
and two portsable oil thirty wait. Drove home back at nine forty two.
12:28
Are still there? Yeah, by the time you guys were back at it
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him right, Okay, Ben one, grab some of the gear. Yeah,
12:39
hi, Joe, give me a leftover bread crosswaiting. I'll give him
12:41
a seagull. Yeah. Sure, there you go. Well, foot by
12:46
foot, we're getting closer to Belmont. I hope nobody tips it. Nobody
12:50
should unless you don't trust those girls. We surveyed the city of Manhattan beach
12:56
for five weeks. Policewoman cas Well posing as a nurse, Continent canvass and
13:01
everybody concerned with a job of standing watch over Arthur's z Belmont carried out their
13:05
routine. Day by day. Daily reports came in from everyone in the operation.
13:09
These reports would be sifted at Central Narcotics and progress reports compiled for the
13:13
use of those in the field. On the Belmont case. All police cars
13:16
as well as city cars such as we were employing, were equipped with three
13:18
way radio communication. All personnel were in constant contact with one another. Wednesday,
13:24
August twelfth, it was the decision of Captain Lynn White that the idea
13:28
of our opposing as city surveyors had been exhausted. Further use of this could
13:31
possibly arouse suspicion. Belmont lived at twelve to twenty seven Ocean Avenue. Two
13:37
days before we were called off the surveying job, the city leased the private
13:41
residence at twelve sixteen Ocean Avenue. A vanload of furniture was moved in,
13:45
drapes and curtains were hung. Regular deliveries of daily newspapers and milk were made
13:48
to the house to all outward appearances. The house was occupied by an average
13:52
family. Actually it provided another blind from which we could continue to observe.
13:56
Belmont short wave radio equipment was in stadt an upstairs room. Bet and I
14:01
were assigned the night watch. Now the car just stop in front of How
14:05
many does that make? Greek cards fi minutes? Yeah, a couple of
14:11
guys kidting that where let me see w's kurt? Yeah, Belmont answered the
14:24
door. He's letting them in. Something's doing what any think? I know?
14:28
You called Captain White, didn't you? Oh? Ago? Just after
14:31
the first car pool? Then kill park in Alan, come up the back
14:33
way and I better check with everybody again. This sup portable seemed to warm
14:39
up slower than our car radio. There we go Unit one forty K to
14:46
unit one forty five K one K go ahead, just checking your location the
14:54
same. That's right. We got three cars to cover. Now stand by
15:00
Roger, Unit one forty K to one forty three K one forty three K.
15:05
We got it standing by location still good, save be talking to you
15:11
stand by one to one forty nine K one K, go ahead, stay
15:18
put. We've got three cars now. Yeah, we heard still the same
15:22
spot and standing by Roger just pulling the avage, yell Goodman's porch. I
15:28
just went out. Let's see, three guys came in the first car,
15:31
two in the second, two and the third. Is that right? Yeah?
15:33
Seven? Alto Hey, Captain Bellman. Maybe he's running for office?
15:39
Yo? Then any changes since you've called me? Another car? Anybody you
15:45
know them too? Dark? See they're facing that's joke, gray black packet
15:50
sed in green Chaddy. That might be for me. I totally office.
15:54
They could reach me? Yeah what yeah? Big them? He must be
16:00
wrong. Sure he's not alive? All right? NaNs? Yeah? Are
16:07
you sure Belmont hasn't left his house since he came on duty? Couldn't possibly
16:11
not without somebody in details buttoning he got out? Somehow he made a buye
16:18
Captain White called the office and talked to Benny Arodondo, are narcotics undercover man.
16:22
He confirmed the fact that somehow Belmont had a meet and successfully completed a
16:26
narcotics transaction. None of us could figure how, and we didn't know when
16:30
the meat took place. Arodondo told us that the buy had been made sometime
16:34
in the past ten hours. The arresting officers had recovered a portion of the
16:37
narcotics two bendles of heroin. They were found in the possession of one of
16:41
Belmont's runners, Archie Scott. I can't figuring what do we do, nows
16:45
giver, Sit tight and watch those three cars in front of Belmont's house over
16:49
there. Maybe he didn't have to leave the house to make a buye.
16:52
That's the way I got it paid those cars down there. Those are the
16:56
first visitors he's had in the past twenty four hours. As far as him,
17:00
I don't knows. We've watched it. Flute. Sometimes it's like it
17:03
it looks like somebody's coming out over there. Two guys, how many in
17:07
there? Eight? Cottam Belma? All right, Friday get to the car.
17:10
Yeah, they started to move out yet, No, five, six,
17:15
seven, that's all. They're heading to the car. Yeah, it's
17:19
like a three way switch. We'll see when they start to move out.
17:23
Tension all units and special detail stand by. Here's the license numbers here.
17:26
Oh good, I knew those like green Chevy's headed south, Black packets going
17:30
north. So is the Dodge Coop Dodge turn left at the corner. It's
17:34
headed east now it's got it. One forty K all units in Special Detail
17:38
Unit one nine K go ahead. Nineteen forty six Green Chevrolet Sadan licensed six
17:45
to one William eighty five to two, headed south on Ocean Roger. Unit
17:52
one forty five K one twenty five K go ahead nineteen forty seventh grade Dodge
17:57
Coop license one x ray one to eight nine eight headed east on Clipper Street
18:03
Roger one forty three K come in, one forty three K Yeah. Nineteen
18:10
thirty nine Black package Sadan licensed six Mary sixty seven seven eight headed north on
18:14
Ocean Roger down spotted, could be a dry run. He couldn't afford to
18:19
chance it either way. Nothing to do now, but waited that it's right
18:23
and pray for rain. It was eight minutes past eight pm. We sat
18:30
back and waited for the reports to come in from the cars. At eight
18:33
twenty five pm, seventeen minutes after the alert was broadcast, Unit one forty
18:37
nine K reported in on the gray Chevrolet Sadan. The car and its occupants
18:41
were thoroughly searched. No trace of narcotics was found. Eight forty two pm,
18:47
thirty four minutes after the alert, Unit one forty three K to one
18:51
forty K one forty three K go ahead on that nineteen thirty nine baggert Sadan
18:56
license six Mary six sevens An eight shicking down nothing clean. Eight forty two
19:04
minutes after the alert, the report on the third and final car came in
19:07
the nineteen forty seven gray Dodge Koupe. That's it. I'm not a trace
19:12
in narcotics in any of those three cars. Belmont beat us Tefla. It's
19:17
going to be tougher now he knows we're after him. You are listening to
19:30
dragnets authentic stories of your police force in action. The three cars switch.
19:42
Three cars arrive at a given point at different times the meat takes place.
19:47
The drivers of the various cars leave the given point at the same time.
19:51
Each drives away from the point in a different direction, making it three times
19:53
as difficult to follow them. The practice was not new to the Narcotics Bureau
19:57
or the dealers in narcotics. It usually includes the dry run, in which
20:02
the actual mechanics of the narcotics are carried out, but neither the merchandise nor
20:06
the money is on hand. This practice forces the narcotics officer and the pure
20:10
guess work. If the officer doesn't follow up, the buy could be successful.
20:14
If he chooses to follow up, he takes the chance of exposing himself
20:17
and tipping his hand on a rehearsal. In the case of this particular car
20:21
switch we lost but taken in the car. Around up were seven of Belmont's
20:25
trusted runners. Six of these men refused to talk, but the seventh,
20:29
Clifford Bissell, gave us a lead to one of Arthur Belmont's most trusted friends.
20:33
His name was Floyd Ketchel. He and his wife lived at three fifty
20:37
seven Evergreen Drive, Linwood. It's a nice house. Yeah, yes,
20:45
police officers, we'd like to ask you a few questions. What about As
20:48
you probably know, there's been a series of burgeries here in your neighborhood.
20:51
No, I didn't don't. Oh, yes, quite a few. Would
20:53
you mind if we came in and talk to you about it. I don't
20:56
know anything about any robberies around here. Everything's okay. It's a routine check,
21:00
mister Ketche. Everybody else in the neighborhoods cooperating. I wanted to take
21:03
this to minute. All right, you can come in, but I have
21:06
to leave it about fifteen minutes. Thank you. You have a nice place
21:11
here, mister Ketchell. Yes, now, What was it you wanted me
21:14
to help you with? You know a man by the name of Clifford Butsel,
21:18
No, how about Arthur Z Belmont? Who? Arthur Z Belmont?
21:22
Baselle says, you and Belmont are good friends. I don't understand this.
21:26
I thought you wanted to ask me about some robberies. I wonder if you'd
21:29
mind rolling up your left sleeve, like what that you're on? What for?
21:32
You're a user, aren't you? No? I'm not. Then you
21:34
know what we've govern about, don't you? No? I don't. Do
21:37
you have any narcotics here in the house? Certainly not. You mind if
21:40
we look around? Why do you want to search the house? Why won't
21:42
you show us your left arm? Floyd Ketchel would admit nothing, but he
21:49
allowed us to search his home in grounds. An extra detail of men was
21:52
called out to aid us in the search. We covered every foot of the
21:55
acre of ground. This took two days. We found nothing. On the
21:57
third day, under the floor of an upper bedroom of the Ketchel home,
22:00
we found Ketchel's plant. He was using heroin. You want me to call
22:06
Belmont is at the idea? That's right. He wants you to set up
22:08
a meet with him. I'm not going to ride on already's a friend of
22:11
mine. Suits yourself. We found your plant there, We've got you.
22:15
You'll beat the fall guy. I mean, I take all the heat.
22:17
Why not Sell put the finger on you? We got to have somebody.
22:19
Why pick on me? We just told you we found the stuff here,
22:22
but Sell fingered you. You're it. All you have to do is make
22:25
a phone call. You won't have a clean slate, but it's going to
22:27
sound a lot better than Core. All right, it makes sense. You
22:32
know what to tell him. We've already been over all that. Call him
22:34
now Friday, listening on the extension. If Ketchel changes his mind in the
22:37
middle of the conversation, I'll see that. He hangs up. Floyd Ketchell,
23:00
Oh catch fine? How's Hitner? She's fine? Art say, I
23:04
got a friend on his way to Honolulu. He wants to take a little
23:07
package along. Gotta have it, you know him? Is he okay?
23:11
Yeah? Old friend? You sure? Yeah? You have to be pretty
23:15
careful. Got hit Wednesday night down the beach. Yeah? Who they get
23:18
Sale and the six guys from New York get off easy. It's a dry
23:22
run. I didn't know that. Nothing in the papers isn't hit yet.
23:26
It will. How much do your friend need? Gonna be in the islands
23:29
for quite a while. There's a couple of ounces. Should do it?
23:30
You got the money now, he's good? Can you swing it tonight?
23:34
Boat leaves from San Francisco day after tomorrow. Hasn't got much time? Is
23:37
he okay? You want to pick it up? Yeah? All right?
23:41
If I bring him along, I want you to meet him. Good customer.
23:42
If are you sure about him? Yeah, eight thirty at the store.
23:45
We'll be there. Art you eleve him one hundred cash? Yeah,
23:48
betta be okay? Kitchen he is, Bett'll be. I had one dry
23:52
run this weekending have another. Three twenty two pm we took mister and missus
23:59
Floyd So back to Central Division, where they were booked in suspicion of violation
24:02
of the State and Narcotics Act. Four pm we met on the opposite chief
24:06
of Detective stat Brown. You need eleven hundred dollars then, right, that's
24:10
right? How much was in the Secret Service final two hundred and twenty three
24:12
dollars for this month? So I've done for Where'd you get the rest of
24:15
it? I haven't got it all yet. From Arras the banker. How
24:18
you got it figured? Man? Well, let's see, I've got it
24:21
all written down here. First off, we got two hundred and twenty three
24:23
dollars cash, and these fellows all gave us a personal checks check. Donahoe
24:26
and Robert gave us two hundred. Johnny Bagan put up one hundred, and
24:30
Captain White's in for one hundred and fifty joping in thirty five bucks and twenty
24:34
two is all like this morning? That's uh, seven hundred and twenty dollars.
24:40
You need three hundred and eighty right, Yeah, that's the way I've
24:41
got to figure good. I think I'm going to go to the rest.
24:45
How about winds Cadillac he loan it to you. He's out getting it washed.
24:49
It's forty one, isn't it? Yeah? Sit down a little old,
24:52
but it looks good when it's wise flashy ho. That's what you need.
24:56
Is he going to make the byway? Yeah? Catch it will be
24:57
with me. Oh okay, So here eleven hundred dollars. Yeah, we
25:02
only got one hits. It's five o'clock and the banks are closed. Not
25:04
much time to run around getting checks cast. It was five pm. We
25:11
had three hours to cast seven hundred and twenty dollars in personal checks. We
25:14
split up and covered every possible place in the city where we were known,
25:17
where we knew they would cast them. By seven forty five pm, we
25:19
had the eleven hundred in cash. The serial number on each bill was listed
25:22
and the money turned over to Captain White. The scene of the meat was
25:26
a hardware store on East ninth Street, which Belmont used as in front.
25:30
Belmont's Hardware was located in the small neighborhood shopping district. On Friday nights,
25:34
the stores remained open until nine pm. Promptly at eight thirty Captain White employed
25:38
ketchup, pulled up in front of the store and went in. Ben and
25:41
I waited in our car half a block down the street. It was eight
25:45
thirty five. There they are. They coming was to mad Dubai starting the
25:51
car. Here they come. Watch for the skipper signal. Yeah, there
25:56
it is. Let's go, okay, pull over here, come on.
26:14
It's a clerk back there you see Belman. No, I help him,
26:21
mister Bellmont around, oh sir, and he just stepped out you sure,
26:26
yeah, So he went out the back doing a minute ago, big him
26:29
and castide out there. Yeah, he won't go for that. Oh,
26:33
there's mister Belmont. Mister Belmont says, gentle my mom, to see you
26:38
running up the stairs. The man's they come on like Bellmont. Wait a
26:44
minute, watching, watching crowd their let's go all right. Yes, he's
26:56
trying to reach out to Oh my John, you want me maca slip?
27:00
John? Come on and didn't do that showcase any good? Yeah, he's
27:15
true. He's of the last right through. It's a rough way to go.
27:22
And NAS narcotics didn't kill him, didn't it. The story you have
27:34
just heard was true, only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
27:41
On December tenth, nineteen forty eight, trial was held in Superior Court,
27:45
Department eighty seven, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
27:48
In a moment the results of that trial, twelve members of Arthur Z.
28:00
Bellemont's narcotics gang were finally rounded up by federal, state, and local authorities.
28:06
All twelve were tried and convicted of violating the Harrison Act and the State
28:11
Narcotics Act. They received sentences as prescribed by law and are now serving their
28:15
terms in state and federal penitentiaries. You have just heard Dragnets, a series
28:26
of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office
28:30
of Chief of Police W. A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Departments.
28:34
Be sure to hear mister and Missus Ronald Coleman in Halls of Ivy tomorrow on
28:38
NBC. Welcome back. Well, I'll listen to this episode. I really
28:52
had strong memories of hearing it the first time and how much I enjoyed it,
28:56
and certainly a second listening thus hurt. This is very enjoyable, and
29:02
I actually enjoyed this more than the first part. It was part of Jack
29:06
Webb's talent to take his own natural curiosity, combine it with dramatic skills,
29:12
and take something that would perhaps be boring but make it interesting. And you
29:17
see this really intricate design of the police's efforts to capture the big man,
29:23
and you appreciate it. And this is one thing that Dragnet really did when
29:30
it talks about your police force in action. Long before there were police reality
29:34
shows, there was this program which showed us step by step how they created
29:41
this elaborate system and learning about it, getting an inside track on how the
29:45
police really operate that really separated Dragnet from so many of its competitors. For
29:52
many detective series, the focus would of course be just on solving the crime,
29:56
and you'd find the solution through observe, through asking questions and throw in
30:02
some fisticos others. The focus would really be be on the criminals and the
30:07
dark deeds they committed and how crime doesn't pay. With Dragonet, it's on
30:12
the police and how they operate and the way that it shows us. This
30:17
is just very remarkable and incredibly appealing and it really does work here. There
30:22
were a couple points of curiosity. My main thing was the use of personal
30:29
checks and the money of police officers to try and make up the money for
30:34
drug buys. It's something I couldn't imagine going on today, though those who
30:38
have worked in a narcotic smut speak to whether that would be true or not.
30:44
Of course, it'd be a lot simpler with today's technology, as long
30:48
as the police officers in question had ATMs. But it's another look at the
30:52
way things were in the late nineteen forties nineteen fifties. You need to get
30:57
money out of the bank, need to have somebody go around everywhere cashing checks
31:03
to make sure that you get your man, and probably on a bit of
31:07
a lighter note, I felt a little sorry for Romero and Friday when the
31:12
captain came around, talked to them and told them to go back to work
31:17
when they were had just gotten on lunch. I would have felt like saying,
31:21
okay, captain, I guess a four minute lunch break is standard for
31:25
surveyors. But I guess there are some things you wouldn't say to a captain.
31:29
But any rate a very good episode. All right, Well, we've
31:33
got a couple of programming notes. First of all, video Theater. Tomorrow,
31:37
we'll be bringing you the very first episode of Dragnet when it originally aired
31:44
Dragnet for its first short season, it came on in December of nineteen fifty
31:49
one, and through the summer it aired every other week with Gangbusters airing on
31:56
the alternating Reads. So we'll bringing you that first apps also tomorrow. A
32:00
little later in the day, we'll kick off our listener support campaign. Starting
32:06
tomorrow. We will focus on listener donations and we'll add in some extra incentives
32:13
during the course of this three week campaign, continuing February fifteenth, March eighth.
32:17
In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at great Detectives dot
32:22
net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our
32:27
friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com, slash Radiodetectives from Boiseidah. This is
32:32
your host, Adam Graham signing off.