Even though it's Thanksgiving Week, all days off at the LAPD are cancelled in hopes of capturing a brutal holdup man who preys upon helpless women. Knowing that the perpetrator has been haunting the streetcar routes and bus stops, the department assigns several policewomen decoys throughout the city--with each female cop backed up by two males. Meanwhile, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are kept busy following up a number of false leads. Ultimately, the criminal is put out of business permanantly...but success comes at a terrible price for young police officer Barney Swanson (Norman Bartold). Adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of May 20, 1954, this classic black and white episode is readily available on a multitude of public-domain VHS and DVD collections.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
