Dragnet: Production 3 aka The Werewolf

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. NBC brings you... ...tragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail.

There's a potential killer on the loose in your city. 18 women have been beaten and robbed by this man. The newspapers call him the Weerwolf. Your job is to get him. Dragnet, the document of drama of an actual crime investigated himself by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home, your family and your life.

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. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment.

Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Thursday morning, February 2nd. It was raining in Los Angeles. We were working the early morning watch out of robbery detail. Detectives in Los Angeles were in pairs.

My partner has been Romero. He's a sergeant and so am I. My name's Friday. The boss is Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives. I was on the way back from the teletype room and it was 3 a.m. when I got to room 27a.

Robbery detail. Hi Ben, what's up? Keep the coat on Joe. Just had a hot shot, go on. Go on, skipper. Right behind you. Let's go, Freddy. Well, what was it, Ed? Another woman in the room was beaten to dead.

Well, how many does that make? About 18 and 6 weeks. Is that right, skipper? Yeah, 18 too many. Come on down these stairs to the garage. What about that suspect we had, Ed? You mean Martin? Yeah. Had a release in this morning. I got a good tail on him, Henderson.

Yeah. We got on your 8-4, Chan? Nothing definite to hold him for. Here's the garage, let's hustle. Right. Then if this isn't Martin's job's care for him, he's not the right man. Then we start all over again and we work night and day it'll be fine the right man. Here's the car, let's go.

Then you drive, yeah. How do the victims describe this guy, yet? Pretty sketchy. Sposed to be tall, dark, long like a... Last woman said he had a face like an animal. Something like a dog.

A wolf. A wolf? Yeah. She said... Something like a will. Something like a will. Something like a will. Only almost had to be that. Just even the way he operated. He was either an animal or a raving maniac.

One thing we were sure of, he was smart and he was dangerous. For almost two months he'd follow the streets in a stolen car. stolen car in the early morning, usually between 3 and 5 a.m.

And the victims were always lone women, most of them waitresses, coming to work or going home. He dragged them into the car, robbed them, beat them until they were unconscious, and then throw the body out into the street.

That's just what we found when we pulled up to the curb near the corner of Eitman's Grand. One cruiser car was already there, and so was the ambulance. About a dozen people were standing around looking at the crumpled figure of a woman sprawled out on the sidewalk.

Two officers were talking to the only witness, a thin, salafaced news boy. His story didn't give us much to go on. Like I was telling these cops, sir, these officers, sir. I was walking up eight feet on my way home and he said, when I sit his blue Chevy sedan full up down a block there a little way and dump out the dame's body.

Actually, I don't know what to think. You got to look at the license plane? Well, well, I didn't. I lived with it, I could hardly keep from... I was just plain scared. What did you do after you saw him throw the body out, son?

I just stepped there for a minute and fell in the car to over right on pass me. You got a look at him? I sure did. How close were you when he drove first? Well, it couldn't have been more than, well, eight or ten feet away.

I was right over there by the street lighting of the curb. Would you know this man if you saw him again? I don't know about his height or his build or his weight, but Mr.

His face, I'll never forget. Why do you say that? It's just like the paper says about him. Right here on the front page here, really. See? Woman says the attacker looked like werewolf. That's all the news boy could tell us.

The suspect drove a blue sedan. He had a face like a werewolf. We covered the neighborhood for clues and we questioned the dozen people, but we got nowhere. We took the witness's name and address and we drove down a couple of locks to an all night gas station.

14 hour after that's called. I'm going in here and calling the office. I'll see if Henderson's called in on Martin. We might still have a suspect. All right, skipper. 13 hour after that's called. Look, there's matters of wet horn and dirt in here.

Yeah. Did you get a good look at that woman's face when they moved her in the ambulance? Hell. Sure does like to mess them up. I don't know how we're going to get them, Ben, but we better do it fast.

Next time it'll probably be murdered. Oh, here it comes. What is it Ed? Just talk to Henderson. He killed Martin to a bar in Long Beach. Hasn't been out of his sight for two minutes since yesterday.

Martin's cleared. We're right back where we started. Yeah, with one more half dead woman in the hospital. How about that? Tony of course. Can't wait a minute. Get that radio on. Code three. Ambulance dispatched.

Attention all units on Grand Avenue between venison Washington a woman victim of robbery and attack code three Ambulistatast food free red lightness and come on Friday. Let's roll We couldn't be sure, but it sounded like another one Six minutes later. We were there Same story where wolf the next day the chief ordered the number of cruiser cars doubled in the central district

This was for the early morning watch with plain closedmen to back them up Then the newspapers played its vague. In two days the story was on the front page of every paper in town. Maybe that should have made the werewolf lay low, but it didn't.

Because at four o'clock that morning while Ben and I were patrolling with the other cars he got his 20th victim. Attention all units, wittier between Soto and Matthews, a woman victim of 211 in attack, code 3, ambulance dispatched.

Here's a report on that blucid Danny used you at night, Joe. Found it out on Anna, I'm telegraphed for all of it. Any luck with it? Not one thing to point weak in you. Anything else?

Nothing. How about the auto theft details? Same old storage, Joe. He steals a car, he uses it once and then drops. It never leaves a thing behind. That's great, we're sure moving fast. How about that big guy you picked out of the lineup is more?

Oh, I checked his alibi, it's perfect. Now he hasn't got even half of it to live. Well, come on, let's check with it. instructing the police women on the plan for tonight. All right. Now you've heard the report, you understand how the suspect operates and what you to do.

Remember, all of you forget you were ever police women. Change the way you walk, the way you carry yourselves. That's the part you're playing, all right? And be careful and don't take any chances. All right, ready?

Okay, Ed. Now, just to make sure you look the part, we're spotting each one of you at different restaurants and coffee shops throughout the central district, going from seven o'clock tonight until day like tomorrow, each one of you is going to be awake for a sec.

Okay, Ben, you want to give him their assignments? Okay, Joe. Here's where it lines up. March Kittle at the top half cafe at Sondheim Street between Alvarado and Westlake. And Katie Wells, Joe's coffee house, broke from Soto.

Right. Pat Fielding at the All-Night Steakhouse in Figaro Street between Florida and all the trick of using decoys to lure criminals into a trap wasn't exactly new, but, well, it was just one of the old tricks that we figured might land the werewolf behind bars.

At seven that night, Ben and I made the rounds and found each of the police women on her job as a waitress. The overall plan was simple. The girls were to leave the different restaurants between 3 and 5 a.m. that morning, and pretend they were walking home.

We mapped different courses for each one of them to throw out as much bait as possible, and yet not to make it look suspicious. Each police woman from the time she left the restaurant and stepped out into the deserted streets would be pretty much on her own.

We had officers planted all along the way at designated intervals, but a big element of chance and danger was still there All we could do was cross our fingers and hold How much more time Joe let me see she's doing two minutes wait and he gets on your nerves That'll all be long corner doorways pretty good look house boy. Yeah

Wait a minute listen who is it Joe? Can you say get back? What is it? Wait a minute? It's Marge Kistel. There's a man following her. A big guy. If it's a werewolf, where's his car?

I don't know, maybe change his plans. Get back here, they come. You don't look at him, Joe. Oh, pretty good. Not too suspicious. Might be coincidence. You think that a pretty good lead? Come on, let's go.

Stay back in the shadows. Hey, Joe. So where'd the guy go to? A losty? A little coffee shop up in the next corner, see? Take a look. Oh, yeah, yeah. He's open on the door.

He's turning on the latch. Mmm. Looks like a false alarm, Joe. But let's check him anyway. Well, I didn't think we'd be that lucky on the first try, and we weren't. We asked the man a few questions.

He didn't take him long as he wasn't our man. He owned a coffee shop. So Ben and I went back and took up our post again and waited for the next decoy. We covered that 10-block course six times that morning, back and forth, following the bait, but it was almost as if the guy could sense a trap.

Not once did we get a nibble. By the time our last decoy finished the rod, it was almost daylight. Joe, I never was so glad to see that sun come up my whole life. My feet feel like they're puffing right up out of my shoes.

Yeah, me too. Come on, let's get over to the car and check on the other squad out in Boyle Heights. Hit the radio, what have you been? Yeah. Sure, there must be some easier job on the force than that.

Yeah, you and me both. Now let's see what happened to the others, huh? 80k to unit 104k, come in. 104k, you're a unit, 80k, go ahead. 104k, this is Friday, you doing any good out there?

This is Miller, I'll call. 80k to 104k, Roger. Thank you, maybe you'll buy? I don't know. This guy seems to work like a mind reader. Well, he can't win all of them. This is Friday, Al.

How'd you do out there? Any luck? Just checked in the last gal. Okay, Al. Have them in, check in. 80k, clear. KGPL. Okay, let's go, Ben. When we finally got back to the office that morning, both Ben and I were ready for for some sleep, but it didn't look like we were gonna get it.

We're just about finished going through the overnight reports for some kind of a lead when the phone rang. Robbery Friday. Hi, Joe. This is Wilkes and all of that. Hi, Wilkie. You got something for us?

Up late. Oh, how come? Okay, Wilkie, thanks. We'll check by in a couple of minutes. Right, Joe. What do you have to say? Parallyson's plate stolen last night. Wilkie's got a hunch it could have been our man.

Well, might be an angle, Joe. In fact, we're Wilky to hang on to one car long enough. would have a change there. He's too smart for that. I don't know Joe sooner and later he's gonna make a mistake. Yeah. Come on let's check with Wilkie. Well we checked with Wilkerson we got the best piece of news we'd had in days. On the average 95%

of stolen cars are recovered or located within 24 hours. In the remaining 5% Wilkerson by a simple process of elimination narrowed down the number of cars the suspect might be driving. Wilkie figured six cars. There they are. Now I'll bet you if you picked up your man tonight, he'd be in one of these cars.

Let me see, huh? Two door black sedan, you look convertible, another sedan, green, blue coupe, black coupe, and a great convertible. That's good work, Wilkie. At least we got something to look for now. Yeah, you're right, Joe.

Well, look, you got the numbers of those stolen plates you're talking about. Yeah, right here, Ben. They're already on the hot sheet. Good. Keep us posted, huh? Yeah, as usual, Ben. See you later, Wilkie.

That's a good break, Ben. Something you keep us busy tonight. Good night. What do you mean? We're selling another trap. same thing as last night, same police women, same everything. Well, this time let's hope he steps into it.

No, Joe, this werewolf characters getting me mad. That night we followed in our own footsteps. We planted the police women decoys in three separate districts and a few minutes before 3 a.m. our squad of men took up their positions.

The same police women went to their waitress jobs in the same restaurants and Ben and I and the rest of the men stood in dark and doorways or empty filling stations or whatever cover we We did fine and we waited and waited.

What time is it, Joe? When we look. Half past four. Thank you. Any sign, Joe? No, nothing yet. Come on, stay in the shadows. That's the way it went all through the early morning. Same plan over and over again until daylight.

Ben and I had check in at the station, go over the late stolen car reports with Wilkie, Catch a few hours sleep at home and come back and do it all over again. The next night, the next morning, the night after that, the morning after that.

Five days later Ben and I were ready to call it quits. I'll admit it Joe, I can't figure. Guys either psychic or else he can smell a cop a mile away. Well at least we got that stolen car angle left.

You check with rookie at this morning. I'll give him a call now. Alright. This has been, well, keep got anything for us this morning? Yeah. Why? What'd you get? Okay. Great. Now what does that leave us with?

Oh, you're the three still missing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Check you later. Good news. Remember those sick missing cars? Yeah. Well, he says the boys found three of them since late yesterday. Here's what's still out.

The blue coupe, the yellow convertible, and the gray converter. Yeah. Well, this feels like the right track for a change, Ben. Bloody. Well, man, oh, got a minute. Your thanks, giver. Come on, Joe. What do you got, Ed?

Oh, nothing Hollywood just called in with this. She said she walked down to the corner from her house last night to mail the letter. On the way back a guy pulled up in a car and tried to drag her inside.

Any description? Big heavy set, dark same thing. Well, how'd you get away from him, Skip? She said she started running soon as he made a motion toward her. And he saw her run up the steps of her house.

He jumped back in the car and took off. Well, how come she didn't call in before then? She hasn't got a phone. She's right to leave the house again this morning. Sounds good, Chief. You got her address there?

Yeah, Mrs. Tom Burdick. One, two, three, seven, Worldcock. Department 10. Come on, Ben. This might be what we're looking for. Sergeant Friday, ma'am, police. I'm Sergeant Romero, Ms. Birdie. Here's my partner, Sergeant Friday.

We come out to check on your call about that little trouble last night. Oh, well, I don't know if I'm going to be much help to you. I was so frightened about all I could do was just run.

Well, could you add anything to the man's description, Ms. Birdie? I mean, other than what you told the chief on the phone? Well, no. Honestly, I don't think I can. All I saw was this tall, dark man jumping out of his car and starting for me.

starting for me. Had a heavy build and seemed to me, well, a large head. Lots of long black hair. Miss Bertie, would you recognize this man if you ever saw him again? Well, I think I might. He was such an unusually big man, almost frightened me to death.

Well, just one more question, Miss Bertie. Could you describe the car this man was driving when he approached you his car. Why? Yes. It was a great convertible. Ms. Bertie. Are you sure of that? Yes. I'm sure of it. A great convertible. Thank you, Ms. Bertie. That's all we wanted to know. Sometimes when you're on a case,

you can chase yourself around in circles for weeks trying to fit together just two little pieces of a yard long jigsaw puzzle. And a lot of the time you find the answer we at least expected. But once you get that feeling you're And after the right man in the right way, there's nothing that can shake you.

When Ben and I got back to headquarters, we went straight to the chief's office with a story and we had him stake out the great convertible. In other words, if any detective or officer spotted the car, he reported it back to us, but he stayed away from it.

We figured that there probably weren't more than two of the victims who could take the wooden stand and identify the man who robbed and beat him, not with a smart defense lawyer anyway. So there was only one way to catch this suspect.

Red handed. Here they are Joe. Both sets of lights and numbers for that great invertebrate. Here are the original. Here are the numbers on the stolen plate. Good. Everybody got a hot sheet? From the chief all the way down to the gin.

Fine. Now let's get together with the editor. Hot cut Joe, grab it. I got it. On the corner of California. Come on Ben, another one. But Joe, it's broad daylight. Yeah. It doesn't figure, does it?

Come on. Well, very Joe. Two planes, low some and uniformed officers were keeping the crowd back. An ambulance was drawn up of the curb, but it was empty. When we got down to the rear of the lot, we found out why.

They were waiting for the coroner. The woman was young, not much more than 30. Her body was half sprawled across the muddy ground, and her face was turned upward. It had been badly beaten. It figured happened last night, Sergeant.

Have the fingerprint men been notified? Yeah. How about the crime lab? Just call them. That's good. Now let's keep everybody out of the area to get here. Right, Sergeant. One of the kids in the neighborhood, one was dead when he found her.

Did she live around here? About a half mile away. I hear she's got three kids. Or she had three kids. You've seen enough Ben? Yeah. Let's get on back to headquarters. All the way back to headquarters, Ben and I planned our next move.

And by the time we got to hit back Strands office, we knew exactly what had to be done. When we told him about the werewolf murder, he didn't say a thing for a minute. He just stared across the room at the calendar on the wall.

Then he brought his hand down hard against the dassel. Friday, Romero, I'm only going to say this once, so get it straight. That guy's pulled his last job in this city. He's through robbing and beating women, and he's through with murder.

I've given you time to track him down, and now I want him in. No stalls, no excuses, I want him. I don't care how many men you use, and I don't care how you get him, but get him.

That's all. Ben and I worked all that afternoon right through dinner, up until eight o'clock. By that time, the overall plan was down on paper and already in action. It was one of the biggest things we'd ever tackled, and well, we didn't know if it was going to work.

We only knew it had to work. We had a squad of 65 cars to stretch out over 40 square miles of the city in one big dragnet. The blockade itself would be stationary most of the time, and working inside it would be two cars, 14 police women as decoys with two plane clothes when assigned to watch each

police woman. If and when the werewolf was sighted in the great convertible, we'd automatically take over the police radio for the whole city and backstrand would direct a chase from headquarters. A little after eight, we had coffee and hamburgers and we went to Ben's for a few hours. Ben tucked his kid in bed as usual and then he laid down for a nap.

I talked to his wife until I dozed off in the chair. At 11.30 she woke us up. I combed my hair, put on my coat. Cop's wives are like everybody else's. They worry. When we met at headquarters, we did some last minute checking on details with backstrand for about a half an hour.

And then we were all ready to go. By five minutes past two, half the dragnet crew pulled out of the police garage and scattered over the city to their places. By 2.35, the other half pulled out.

of human rights later and I follow. I have three minutes to three that morning. Backstrand took over communications and checked every car in the operation. I'm sure you went then by. Six, seven, six. It was a good start.

Every man on his right place but the right time. The trap was set. All we needed now was to find our suspect, the werewolf, inside. Control 40, unit 80K, control 40, unit 80K. 80K to control four, go ahead.

This is Backstrand standing by him. B.K. Roger, clear, K.G.P.L. Okay Ben, now let's go find him. I got a hunched Joe. Let's try the Wilshire District first. Sounds right to me, let's go. For the first hour and a half, we raked the Wilshire District back and forth, not a sign.

Then about 38 minutes past four, we headed back for the downtown area and parked in an alley where we could double check on one of our police women decoys. Here comes one of the girls now Joe, Pat Field.

that her feet are almost as tired as mine. Is there anything else Ben? Nothing quiet, is it church? No, no, wait a minute. Quad just turned the corner. Heading up in the same direction she is.

Chill, do it slowing down, wait a minute. It's pulling up a sider. It's a great convertible, it's him, Joe, come on. Down he sees it, he's a good guy. That guy take off. 80k to control four, 80k to control four.

We've spotted the suspect, he's driving a gray Ford convertible, license, 6-1 Robert, 3-8-5. Suspects headed east on Olympic, from Alameda, driving without lights, suspect his arm. He had a fast car and he knew how to drive it. We almost lost him twice.

Two minutes after we sighted him backstrand took over full radio control. A trans-air to unit 8K on location. 8K to control 4, we're traveling at a high rate of speed, headed east on Olympic, crossing Soto Street.

Control four to four units, stand high. 13R, 21, 40, 2, 45, and 104, K, run on the next four crossings each other. To the north and south units, 105, K, 40, A, 70, R, 43, K.

And the dragnet had pulled in like a noose around a five mile area. Ben and I hoped it was just a matter of time. Unit 80K to control four. He's headed north on Fresno Street, crossing Whittier Boulevard.

Attention all units. 80K, now pursuing suspect, now Don't press no, son, good unit there. Unit 15, 1-5, K, 11-R, 88, block off the intersection, all Fresno and F. Hey, Ben, up there ahead, what you trying to do now?

Look, he's turning around. Yeah. Yeah, and he's coming right forward. Watch it, Joel, look out! Pretty close, 80K to control forward. That's not 80K, go ahead. Exchanging shots with suspect, watch it, Ben. Here he comes again.

I don't know. Excuse that gun, doesn't he? Sure, Doug. Hey, Joe, look. Look, he's turning east. He's running for Hollenbeck Park. Yeah, 80k to control four. I got it. Suspect just drove up over curb and into Hollenbeck Park.

Hi, huh, Joe. Joe, can you get a shot at him?

I like to get your hands in the air. Come on, hire. Joe look out, he's got a knife. I got him. Those women were right. It does look like a werewolf. Yeah.

You got your handcuffs. Yeah, okay Got a cigarette I've been out for hour middle place across the street. Maybe we can get somewhere. Okay. There's the crew from the 41 hour Hey fellas take him in a robbery. Will you okay, buddy?

Thank you's a vending machine in there Say you got some chains for the cigarette machine mister. I think so See Who's that guy all them cops are after or in the park a little while ago?

I picked up the werewolf been reading the papers. Yeah You fellas cops? Yeah Sure made it easy for you didn't he? All you cops had to do was surround the little fella in the park. Nothing to it, huh?

That's right mister nothing to it The story you have just heard was true Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. Walter Barton, known as the werewolf, was tried and convicted and is now serving a full life sentence at the state penitentiary.

This has been Dragnet. The third in a new series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of C. B. Horrell, Chief of Police, Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated to Sergeant Mario Victor Diero of the Los Angeles Police Department, who on the morning of January 1st, 1943 gave his life so that yours might be more secure.

Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.