by Hal Erickson
synopsis
In a break from tradition, the third-seasoner opener of Dragnet is not based on a radio broadcast, but was written specifically for television. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) suspect that drug dealers have broken into an experimental laboratory and stolen five white rats. But further evidence indicates that a pair of schoolchildren are responsible for the theft. Unfortunately, the rats have been infected with bubonic plague--and the two detectives have only 48 hours to track down the animals before a fatal epidemic engulfs Los Angeles. Dorothy Abbott is prominently featured in this episode as Friday's off-and-on girlfriend Ann Baker.
