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Friday - The Dragnet Podcast

Presented by OTRPODS

Friday - The Dragnet Podcast is your ultimate destination for reliving the thrilling world of the classic Dragnet radio show. Step back into the gritty streets of Los Angeles with Sergeant Joe Friday as he brings justice to life through captivating, true-to-form storytelling. This unparalleled collection features beautifully remastered audio, accurate transcriptions, and detailed episode descriptions to give listeners the most authentic Dragnet experience.

Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to old-time radio dramas, this podcast delivers the definitive version of Dragnet, preserving its iconic legacy for generations to come. Experience crime-solving at its finest with meticulous attention to detail, including cast insights for every episode.

245 episodes

  1. The Big Border

    Jul 28, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: March 20, 1952 Dragnet #145, "The Big Border," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs hunting two dangerous escaped convicts who have vowed they'll never be taken alive. Andrew Powell and Bertram Selby have broken out of San Quentin and are headed for Los Angeles, armed and desperate. When Friday and Jacobs track down Ruth Thompson, Powell's former fiancée, they interrupt her friend's birthday party with urgent questions. Ruth initially claims she hasn't seen Powell in years, not since she broke off their engagement when he went to prison for armed robbery. Under Friday's persistent questioning, Ruth finally breaks down and admits the terrifying truth: Powell and Selby showed up at her door that very morning. Threatening her with a knife, they stole money, her dead father's clothes, and his .38 caliber revolver. Ruth's final words to the detectives are chilling—Powell swore the police would never take him alive and promised there would be a fight if they tried. Friday arranges round-the-clock surveillance on Ruth's home and workplace as the manhunt for the armed fugitives intensifies.

  2. The Big Fire

    Jul 27, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: March 13, 1952 Dragnet #144, "The Big Fire," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs investigating a bizarre landlord-tenant dispute that has taken a dangerous turn. Mrs. Cameron and her friend Doris Ashby, both young mothers who recently relocated to Los Angeles with their husbands for work at an aircraft plant, have leased apartments in a building recently purchased by a man named Daniels. Despite signing leases and paying rent in advance, when the women attempt to move in with their furniture, Daniels appears on the scene and flies into a rage, making various excuses about why the apartments aren't ready—claims Mrs. Cameron knows are lies. The situation escalates dramatically when Daniels pulls a gun and threatens to shoot the women and the moving men if they proceed. With Mrs. Cameron holding her four-month-old baby, the terrified group retreats and calls the police. Now, as Friday interviews the distraught Mrs. Cameron in her cramped auto court quarters, he must determine whether they're dealing with a dangerous madman or whether something else is behind Daniels' violent refusal to honor the leases for his vacant apartment building.

  3. The Big Evans

    Jul 26, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: March 6, 1952 Dragnet #143, "The Big Evans," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs are assigned to personnel division to investigate a serious complaint against one of their own. Officer Blanchard, a patrolman working South Central, stands accused of assault and battery by George Evans, a boarding house operator whom Blanchard arrested the previous day on narcotics charges. Evans claims the young officer beat him savagely and dislocated his shoulder, and he has two witnesses to back up his story. Blanchard insists he's innocent, explaining that Evans was already injured when he found him during a routine bust at the rooming house, but he has no way to prove it. Friday and Jacobs face a difficult investigation as the case becomes a matter of credibility. Evans alleges that Blanchard demanded a payoff and attacked him when he refused, while Blanchard maintains the three suspects are lying drug users who would say anything. With Evans sporting fresh cuts and bruises and two witnesses ready to testify against the officer, Friday must determine whether they're dealing with a corrupt cop or an elaborate frame-up designed to discredit a legitimate arrest.

  4. The Big Plant

    Jul 25, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 28, 1952 Dragnet #142, "The Big Plant," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs investigating the mysterious disappearance of Florence Abbott, a 39-year-old housewife who vanished from her San Fernando Valley home without a trace. When Detective Bargetti brings the case to Friday's attention, the details immediately raise red flags: Florence left behind all her clothes, luggage, and even her pocketbook full of money. Most troubling of all, she disappeared without saying goodbye to her devoted 17-year-old son Bruce from a previous marriage. The boy's stepfather, nursery owner Chester Abbott, waited days before reporting his wife missing and now proves uncooperative and hostile with investigators. When Bruce secretly calls the police wanting to talk about his mother, Friday and Jacobs arrange a meeting, but the boy never shows. Driving out to the Abbott property, the detectives encounter Chester Abbott at the gate with three vicious mastiffs. Abbott grows increasingly belligerent during questioning, revealing he has sent Bruce away to his sister's house and refusing to let the police speak with the troubled teenager.

  5. The Big Producer

    Jul 24, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 21, 1952 Dragnet #141, "The Big Producer," Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs from juvenile division investigate a troubling case of obscene literature flooding into Los Angeles high schools and junior high schools. For weeks, they've tracked down leads on pornographic books and photographs being sold to teenagers throughout the city. Their investigation finally narrows to seventeen-year-old Steve Banner, a high school senior suspected of being one of the main student distributors. When Friday and Jacobs confront Steve at his school locker, they discover numerous brand-new dirty books and photographs, despite his claims that other kids simply gave them to him. Under questioning, Steve initially denies selling the material, but the detectives know from other students that he's been peddling books for thirty-five cents apiece and pictures for a dollar each. Friday makes it clear they're not interested in Steve himself - they want the people at the top, the printers and big distributors responsible for manufacturing and wholesaling this material. When a search of Steve's home garage reveals a case full of books and photographs, the frightened teenager finally begins cooperating, naming his contacts Charlie Freiburg and a man called Jack who supply him with the pornography.

  6. The Big Phone Call

    Jul 23, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: February 14, 1952 Dragnet #140, "The Big Phone Call," Sergeants Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs bring jewelry salesman George Garvey to headquarters for questioning about a nine-month-old robbery. Thomas Ashley, Garvey's colleague and close friend, was slugged in a parking lot and robbed of $20,000 worth of unset diamonds. Friday and Jacobs confront Garvey with their conclusion: he engineered the entire holdup, hiring someone else to carry it out so Ashley wouldn't recognize his attacker. Garvey reacts with incredulity and indignation, insisting the accusations are ridiculous and that Ashley is one of his closest friends. However, the detectives reveal they have spent nine months building their case. They've documented how Garvey suddenly began spending lavishly after the robbery, purchasing a new car, opening a new office, buying his wife a fur coat, and transferring his children to an expensive private school. When Friday and Jacobs claim they know every detail of the crime, including who pulled off the holdup, who fenced the diamonds, and how the money was split, Garvey must decide whether to continue denying everything or face the mounting evidence against him.

  7. The Big Honeymoon

    Jul 22, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 7, 1952 Dragnet #139, "The Big Honeymoon," Sergeant Friday and Sergeant Jacobs investigate a cruel marriage swindle that drives a lonely heiress to suicide. When they arrive at the Wagner home on Paris Avenue, they find Miss Wagner packing up her deceased sister Dorothy's belongings, bitter and grief-stricken. She recounts how the smooth-talking Charles R. Reynolds swept into their lives just a month earlier at the hotel where the sisters dined every Sunday. The handsome stranger claimed to have known their late father and quickly focused his romantic attention on forty-two-year-old Dorothy, showering her with dinners, theater dates, and flattery. Miss Wagner saw through Reynolds from the start, recognizing him as a fortune hunter, but Dorothy was blinded by romance and dreams of love. After a whirlwind two-week courtship, Reynolds married Dorothy in Las Vegas, convinced her to give him a ten thousand dollar check for a round-the-world honeymoon trip, then vanished the moment he cashed it. Devastated by the betrayal, Dorothy took her own life. Now Friday and Jacobs must track down the con man who trades in broken hearts and empty promises.

  8. The Big Almost No Show

    Jul 21, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: January 31, 1952 Dragnet #138, "The Big Almost No Show," presents Friday and his partner, Ed Jacobs, with a puzzling missing persons case. Edith Tabor reports that her younger brother Ralph, a 30-year-old interior decorator, has vanished without a trace since Sunday evening. The disappearance is particularly alarming because Ralph missed their standing Sunday dinner date and a movie they had specifically planned for Tuesday night—behavior completely out of character for a man his sister describes as stable and reliable. The siblings have been close since their mother's death, making his sudden absence even more troubling. As Friday and Jacobs investigate, they discover troubling inconsistencies. The last person known to see Ralph was his friend Andy Howard, a former Navy buddy who lives next door. When Edith tried calling Howard after Ralph failed to show for dinner, he bizarrely pretended not to know her. The detectives learn that Howard hasn't reported to work since Friday and moved out of his apartment without notice late Sunday night—the same evening he was last seen entering Ralph's apartment. When Friday and Jacobs examine Ralph's immaculate rooms, they find everything in perfect order except for one curious detail: a television antenna wire with no television set attached.

  9. The Big Juvenile Division

    Jul 20, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: January 17, 1952 Dragnet #136, "The Big Juvenile Division," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs are called to the Hollandbeck Juvenile Division to assist Detective Gardner with a dangerous situation brewing on the East Side. Five rival teenage gangs—the Purple Hearts, Blue Devils, Apaches, Happy Valley, and Rose Hill—are on the verge of an all-out war. The gangs have been stockpiling homemade weapons including stilettos, brass knuckles, and ice picks, and some groups have been pressured to either join forces with the powerful Apache gang or fight them. Gardner identifies seventeen-year-old Robert Lawson, leader of the Apaches, as the primary instigator—a charismatic troublemaker with a bad juvenile record who operates by manipulating other kids to do his dirty work. Friday and the juvenile division detectives face a ticking clock as they try to prevent bloodshed among the well-organized gangs, some with their own cars, hideouts, and even girlfriends running alongside them. When the gang members and their parents are called in for questioning, the full scope of the planned violence becomes chillingly clear. The officers must find a way to break Lawson's influence and stop the war before these teenage "soldiers" turn their makeshift arsenal into a tragedy.

  10. The Big Red Part 2

    Jul 19, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: January 10, 1952 Dragnet #135, "The Big Red Part 2," Sergeant Joe Friday continues his undercover operation to crack a major narcotics ring. After suspects Stan Parish and Max Higby are arrested, Parish agrees to cooperate with Friday, Captain Kearney, and partner Ed Jacobs. Despite suffering withdrawal symptoms, Parish provides crucial information about the gang's leader, Red, and his operation. Captain Kearney devises a dangerous plan: Friday will confront Red at his hotel with a dummy package of powdered sugar, claiming Parish and Higby cheated him out of six thousand dollars for fake heroin. Friday enters Red's hotel room with a gun drawn, accusing him of the double-cross. The tense confrontation unfolds as Friday plays his undercover role, while Red insists he knows nothing about Parish and Higby's whereabouts or any scam. Each man accuses the other of running a con, with Red genuinely confused about his missing associates and Friday maintaining his angry facade. The volatile situation threatens to explode as Friday pushes harder for answers about the missing narcotics and money.

  11. The Big Red Part 1

    Jul 18, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: January 3, 1952 Dragnet #134, "The Big Red Part 1," Sergeant Joe Friday receives an unexpected contact from Jack Wallace, a former narcotics suspect he once arrested. Wallace, recently released from county jail, reaches out to repay Friday for the help the detective provided to his struggling family during his incarceration. Meeting at Lincoln Park, Wallace reveals crucial information about a major narcotics operation that has just hit Los Angeles. A New York operator known as Cadillac Red and his crew are sitting on six kilos of high-quality Mexican heroin worth close to fifty thousand dollars, but they are desperately searching for reliable pushers and contacts to move the merchandise. Friday sees an opportunity to infiltrate the organization and proposes that Wallace introduce him as a buyer from Fresno. The case becomes a race against time as Friday and his partner Ed Jacobs prepare to go deep undercover, setting up operations away from the office and waiting for Wallace's call after Red makes contact. Captain Kearney recognizes the magnitude of the situation, calling it the kind of break a cop gets once in a lifetime. With Wallace attempting to obtain a sample of the heroin and the gang growing increasingly nervous, Friday prepares for what could be one of the most dangerous operations of his career.

  12. The Big Sorrow

    Jul 17, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: December 27, 1951 Dragnet #133, "The Big Sorrow," Sergeant Joe Friday arrives at the Robbery Detail to face devastating personal news. Captain Diddy informs him that his partner of eleven years, Detective Ben Rommel, has died suddenly from a heart attack that morning. Ben collapsed while getting ready for work, and despite rescue efforts, he couldn't be saved. Friday struggles to process the loss of not just a partner but a mentor and close friend who taught him everything about being a cop from his first day on the force. After visiting Ben's widow to offer comfort, Friday must return to duty despite his grief. With Sergeant Ed Jacobs temporarily assigned as his new partner, Friday continues working on an urgent case involving two dangerous armed convicts who escaped from the state penitentiary and are believed to be heading toward Los Angeles. The investigation leads them to the Cathedral of St. Augustine, where they question Father Newman about Stanley Blair, one of the escaped prisoners. As Friday pursues the case, he must balance his professional responsibilities with the profound personal loss that has suddenly changed everything about his job.

  13. 22 Rifle for Christmas

    Jul 16, 2026 · 28 min

    Originally Aired: December 20, 1951 Dragnet #132, "22 Rifle for Christmas," Sergeants Joe Friday and Ben Romero respond to a disturbing case just three days before Christmas. Nine-year-old Stanley Johnstone has vanished from his backyard, and Highland Park Juvenile officers Harry Levinson and Doherty have discovered fresh bloodstains along the walkway behind the family's green stucco home on Collis Avenue. Lieutenant Lee Jones from the crime lab also finds a spent .22 caliber shell casing near the rose bushes, adding an ominous element to the boy's disappearance. As the detectives question Stanley's mother, Ruth Johnstone, she initially believes her son has simply run away as he did once before after being scolded. However, her certainty begins to waver when she realizes there was no recent argument to prompt such behavior. Mrs. Johnstone's husband George, a city fireman working at Engine Company 12, owns a .45 automatic pistol, but Ruth reveals another gun in the household—a rifle George purchased as Stanley's Christmas present. With bloodstains, a mysterious shell casing, and a missing child, Friday and Romero face a race against time to uncover what happened in that backyard.

  14. The Big Overtime

    Jul 15, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: December 13, 1951 Dragnet #131, "The Big Overtime," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero face a desperate race against time when 22-year-old Judith Sullivan is abducted from her business school. The kidnapper, posing as a family friend, lures the young woman away by claiming her father is dying. That night, her family receives a chilling letter signed "The Wolf," demanding $30,000 for her safe return. Chief of Detectives Thad Brown coordinates the response as Friday and Romero work through the early morning hours to catch the abductor before it's too late. When a second note arrives directing banker Martin Sullivan to meet the kidnapper at Elysian Park at 5 a.m., Friday and Romero hide themselves in the trunk of Sullivan's car for the rendezvous. But the cunning criminal fails to show, instead calling to raise his ransom demand to $50,000 and taunting that he knows the police are involved. With more than sixteen hours elapsed since Judith's disappearance and the kidnapper growing bolder, the homicide detectives must find a way to outsmart "The Wolf" before he makes good on his deadly threats.

  15. The Big Canaries

    Jul 14, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: December 6, 1951 Dragnet #130, "The Big Canaries," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero are called to investigate a brutal murder case when a 40-year-old woman, Florence Eleanor Dixon, is found savagely stabbed to death in her bedroom. The detectives must first break the devastating news to the victim's 16-year-old daughter, Roberta, pulling her out of class at Woodview High School. With the help of Vice Principal Miss Harmon, they gently inform the girl of her mother's death, and she initially maintains composure before breaking down in hysterics. As the investigation begins, Friday and Romero face a case with few leads and no murder weapon. They learn that Mrs. Dixon was divorced, lived alone with her daughter, and had a bitter relationship with her ex-husband who hasn't been heard from in over a year. During questioning, young Roberta reveals that her mother distrusted men and kept no male friends. With reporter George DeCovin pressing for details and the crime lab still processing evidence, the detectives must carefully piece together the victim's life to find her killer.

  16. The Big Affair

    Jul 13, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: November 29, 1951 Dragnet #129, "The Big Affair," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero are hunting a dangerous jewelry store bandit who has been terrorizing downtown Los Angeles. The suspect has committed four carefully planned robberies in broad daylight over a two-week period, each time netting over $3,000 in precious stones and rings. What makes this criminal particularly dangerous is his pattern of brutally beating his victims with his gun after obtaining the loot, seemingly without provocation. Friday and Romero interview Mrs. Cecile Gordon, a French war bride who witnessed the latest holdup, along with her husband Robert who translates her testimony. She describes a dark-haired man of average height wearing a blue jacket who viciously attacked the store clerk after the robbery, then struck her when she screamed. Despite having a solid description and method of operation, Friday and Romero struggle to identify their suspect. After two weeks of investigation, checking mug books, running statistics, and issuing all-points bulletins, they finally catch a break when a store manager provides a partial identification: Jack Maynard, a San Quentin parolee with a robbery record who may have been recently released.

  17. The Big Hands

    Jul 12, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: November 22, 1951 Dragnet #128, "The Big Hands," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Ben Romero investigate the brutal strangulation of an unidentified woman found in a cheap downtown Los Angeles hotel. The victim, registered under the alias "John Ross and Wife," was well-dressed and wearing expensive clothes that seem out of place for such a shabby establishment. A neighbor heard a man and woman arguing around the time of death, but the killer disappeared without a trace. The investigation reveals troubling details: the woman's wallet is missing, no fingerprints were found at the scene, and the savage nature of the attack—with a crushed vertebrae at the base of her skull—suggests the work of someone with powerful hands. Friday and Romero work with crime lab technician Lee, examining the meager evidence and canvassing the area with morgue photos, but leads run cold. After two frustrating days, a peculiar visitor named Al P. Morgan arrives at headquarters claiming to recognize the victim as Maud McLeod, a former circus performer. Just as Friday dismisses Morgan's questionable identification, Communications calls with a breakthrough: Washington has identified the victim through her fingerprints.

  18. The Big Bungalow

    Jul 11, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: November 15, 1951 Dragnet #127, "The Big Bungalow," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Ben Romero meet informant Red Smalley at Johnny Cokin's cafe after receiving an urgent phone call. Over hamburger steak and coffee, Smalley nervously shares information about Jeff Allen, a professional second-story burglar from Michigan who has been operating in Los Angeles for the past six months. According to Smalley, who overheard Allen bragging at Ziggy's bar, the experienced thief has been pulling jobs regularly throughout the city, working alone with a simple method of entry through windows using a jimmy or small pinch bar. Smalley provides a detailed description of Allen and reveals that the burglar frequently visits the 1322 Club on North Parish, though he warns Friday and Romero that his life would be in danger if Allen discovered he had talked to the police. After accepting a twenty-dollar loan from the detectives to help with his rent, the struggling informant departs for the racetrack. Friday and Romero now face the challenge of tracking down this prolific burglar while protecting their informant's identity.

  19. The Big Hit and Run Killer

    Jul 10, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: November 8, 1951 Dragnet #126, "The Big Hit and Run Killer," Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero are called to investigate a tragic hit and run accident at a busy Los Angeles intersection. A 64-year-old woman and her nine-year-old grandson have been struck down in a pedestrian crosswalk by a speeding panel truck. The grandmother is killed instantly, and the boy is rushed to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital in critical condition. The driver flees the scene, and witnesses fail to get a license number, leaving Friday and Romero with precious few leads. Working through the night, the detectives interview witnesses, including a theater box office cashier who provides crucial information: the vehicle was a late model tan panel truck with black lettering that included the word "bakery." With the intersection well-lit by Christmas decorations and the victims clearly visible, Friday and Romero know there's no excuse for the driver's actions. As they narrow down their search to local bakeries with matching delivery trucks, the race is on to find the hit and run driver before the trail goes cold.

  20. The Big Lease

    Jul 9, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: November 1, 1951 Dragnet #125, "The Big Lease," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero investigating the mysterious disappearance of Chester Dillon, a wealthy retired businessman. When Dillon's sister Gladys contacts the Los Angeles Police Department from New York, worried that she hasn't heard from her brother in weeks, Friday and Romero begin piecing together the puzzle. They interview Lucille Banner, who holds a two-year lease on Dillon's home on Rolston Avenue. Banner reveals that Dillon left for New York eight weeks ago without leaving a forwarding address, telling her he'd collect the rent checks when he returned. As the interview progresses, a troubling picture emerges. Dillon's wife died just months earlier, and he never recovered from the loss. Banner describes him as profoundly depressed, brooding constantly, and unable to remain in the home he shared with his late wife. Most disturbing is Dillon's parting comment when Banner offered to send his rent money: "Where I'm going, I won't need the money." Friday and Romero now face two grim possibilities—suicide or foul play—with virtually no leads to follow in finding the missing man.

  21. The Big Market

    Jul 8, 2026 · 28 min

    Originally Aired: October 25, 1951 Dragnet #124, "The Big Market," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero hunting a pair of elusive bandits who have terrorized eleven food markets in just 21 days. The methodical criminals have a well-established pattern: they strike supermarkets on main thoroughfares during morning hours, always using stolen Pontiacs or Nashes taken from the industrial area. One man stays behind the wheel while his partner enters the store holding a white handkerchief to his face, goes directly to the manager with a nickel-plated revolver, and demands money in a brown paper sack. Despite weeks of investigation and multiple bulletins, the suspects remain unidentified and the holdups continue. When the bandits strike again at a supermarket on Slauson near South Broadway, Friday and Romero finally catch their first break. A customer, Mrs. Thomas Swanson, sees the holdup man's face when his car door sticks and he drops the handkerchief to pull it open with both hands. Downtown at headquarters, she works through mug books trying to identify the suspect, picking out photographs that match individual features but struggling to find one complete match.

  22. The Big Story Man

    Jul 7, 2026 · 28 min

    Originally Aired: October 18, 1951 Dragnet #123, "The Big Story Man," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero interrogate three suspects in a string of church burglaries that has plagued Los Angeles. Charles Bryson, a two-time loser with a lengthy criminal record, spins an elaborate tale to explain his presence at the latest crime scene. He claims he was trying to stop his future brother-in-law, Tony Miller, from breaking into the church, insisting he arrived too late and only witnessed Miller and accomplice Henderson working on the safe. Despite his desperate attempts to appear innocent, Bryson's story unravels under Friday's methodical questioning, particularly when he admits no one can corroborate his account. Friday and Romero methodically build their case against all three men, relying on physical evidence collected at the scene and checking the suspects' criminal histories through Records and Identification. As Friday reflects on Bryson's extensive criminal past—13 years spent in various correctional facilities despite numerous rehabilitation efforts—the detectives remain unconvinced by his protestations of innocence. With all three suspects booked and evidence being processed at the crime lab, the investigation moves toward building an airtight case for prosecution.

  23. The Big Shoplift

    Jul 6, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: October 11, 1951 Dragnet #122, "The Big Shoplift," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Ben Romero are called to Anthony's store for women to investigate a wave of shoplifting that has escalated to the theft of an expensive silver blue mink stole. General manager Mr. Elliott explains that the store has been hemorrhaging merchandise for weeks, but this latest theft is the most brazen yet. The stole vanished from a locked display cabinet during the busy pre-winter fur showing, despite store detectives and sales staff being present. Elliott points Friday and Romero toward a suspicious pattern involving former employee Dorothy Kirkman, a seemingly model worker whose departments consistently suffered the heaviest losses before she abruptly quit. As Friday and Romero dig deeper, they discover that Kirkman was transferred from the upstairs suite shop to cosmetics after the first wave of thefts, only to have the stealing follow her to the new location. When they attempt to question her, they learn she has already moved on to a new position at the House of Raymond, an exclusive cosmetics shop just three blocks away on the same Wilshire Boulevard strip where the shoplifting epidemic continues to spread. The detectives must determine whether Kirkman is their thief or simply an unfortunate coincidence.

  24. The Big Want Ad

    Jul 5, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: October 4, 1951 Dragnet #121, "The Big Want Ad," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Ben Romero investigating a sophisticated auto theft ring that's been plaguing Los Angeles for over a month. The criminals, posing as representatives of a legitimate car dealership, target private citizens who advertise their vehicles for sale in the newspaper. Their latest victim is Mrs. Palmer, who runs the Greenleaf Day Nursery School. A well-dressed man calling himself Joseph Newhall approached her about her advertised car, claiming to work as a buyer for Dan Barton's Used Car Lot. He left her what appeared to be a legitimate fifty-dollar company check as a deposit, promising to return with full payment. The scheme unfolds when a second man in mechanic's coveralls arrives to pick up Mrs. Palmer's car, presenting her with a check for the full eight hundred dollars and driving away with her vehicle. When she contacts the real Dan Barton dealership the next day, she discovers nobody named Joseph Newhall works there and the checks are worthless forgeries. Friday and Romero recognize the gang's consistent method of operation, but despite having good descriptions of both suspects, the thieves have successfully victimized a dozen people in thirty-three days and remain frustratingly elusive.

  25. The Big September Man

    Jul 4, 2026 · 28 min

    Originally Aired: September 27, 1951 Dragnet #120, "The Big September Man," Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero investigate the brutal murder of Adele Pryor, a 28-year-old secretary found beaten to death in a downtown Los Angeles office building. The crime scene yields almost nothing—just the murder weapon, a piece of steel pipe wrapped in manila paper, and no usable fingerprints. With no witnesses and no apparent motive, the detectives find themselves at a dead end until a patrol car picks up Robert French, a 34-year-old unemployed electrical engineer, beating his head against a brick wall just two blocks from the murder scene. French is heavily intoxicated and mumbling incoherently about being a murderer who doesn't deserve to live. As Friday and Romero interrogate him in the station, French admits he knew the victim and visited her office the afternoon of the murder to borrow money. But is his drunken confession genuine, or is there more to his story? Friday suspects French isn't as intoxicated as he appears, and the detectives must determine whether they have their killer or just another dead-end lead.