Dragnet - Big Pick

0:00The Ladies and gentlemen the story you're about to hear is true the names have been changed to protect the innocent dragnet You're a detective sergeant you're assigned a bunco fugitive detail an organized gang of pickpockets is working in your city None of the victims can give a description of the suspects. There's no lead to their identity your job get him It was Tuesday, May 10th. We were working the day watch out a bongo fugitive division pickpocket detail My partner's Frank Smith the boss is captain diddy and my name's Frank I was on my way back from communications and it was 11.14 a.m When I got to room 38 Tonco Well, yeah anything come in from St. Louis. Yeah, they checked the carnies plan back there and no trace of back

1:02The tip was wrong then huh? Yeah, it looks like it for too now Well about all we can do is sit and wait for a reply on the radio gram He's got to be someplace me isn't gonna stop working. We'll be worried on him somewhere. I'll be glad and we turn the key Yes, sir. I wonder if he could help me. Oh, we'll try sir. Do you want to come on in? What's it all about? I've been robbed sir They took my money all of it every bit. I don't know how but they took it all. I don't know what to do Well, do you want to sit out? Yes, please I don't know how they did it. I tried to be so careful but they took it all 37 years doing without now I got nothing Well, this is my partner Frank Smith my name's Friday. Maybe if you tell us what happened here we could help you Yes, maybe I'm Lewis Barney. Yes, sir I lived at 1820 Woodward Court Los Angeles 12. I have a room there. I say $14 a week in privileges. If you tell us what happened Mr. Boning we might be able to do something for you I'm trying to tell you. Trying to think of what happened. I don't believe it yet

2:06Well, I said you were robbed is that right? Yes $5,200 all gone. What were you held up? No nothing like that If it was that way I'd know But just all of a sudden I put my hand in my pocket to feel the money and it wasn't there Nothing was there. I had a pocket full of empty I'm not sure to usually carry that much money around with you. No, Mr I got up in the bank this morning. I'm going away. I was leaving Los Angeles. That's why I had the money so I could leave Well, I suppose you start right at the beginning and tell us the whole story with you Well my wife passed on four weeks ago Monday April 4th Yeah, that's when it happened to April 4th For her we came to this country when we were both young She died four weeks ago. Yes, sir. If you'd gone about the theft, please Well, I thought I'd maybe go back to Chicago to live with one of my daughters She asked me to come and I thought I would so I drew out the money. You took the money out of the bank? Yes this morning $5,200. It's what we'd shaved. I couldn't leave it here in the bank if I was going to be in Chicago

3:07We could have had the money transferred, you know I guess that's what I should have done, but it's too late now Did you have the money when you left the bank? Yes, I rolled the builds up and put them here in my pocket Here this one on the left side. I kept my hand on the money. So I knew it was there. I want you to do after you left the bank And I was doing home. I thought I'd walk home I went down the street and then I thought I'd stop for some coffee I was all packed with my rooms or I didn't want to make a mess. I thought I'd have a cup of coffee out Uh, I went into big market. They have a coffee con to there and I went in and sat down All the time I kept my hand on the money. I could feel it through the pants. It was in my pocket Yes, sir. I had to coffee and then I went to go out of the market Because I walked through all the people of Vox fell off a stack of boxes. No most hit me I didn't think anything about it. If nobody was hurt All the people in the market came over to me and asked because all right, but I said yes. I was all right Then I went out of the market. I got on the street when I remembered about the money. It was going

4:08I had been taken from you in the market. Is that right? Yes, Mr It's in the market. I think well, let's get this trade while you're in there. Did anyone bump into you? I don't understand. I mean anyone jostle you bump into you without reason No, no, I don't remember it. Did anybody follow you from the bank to the market that you noticed? I was hard to tell, Mr There are a lot of people on the streets Would be hard to tell if there was anyone. Yes, I understand But was there any one person you recall having seen this morning one face that you might remember maybe No, Mr I tried to think about it, but there's no one per se Do you think you'll get it back for me? Sure. The money. It makes a big difference. How's that? Before when I had the money, I could go and live with my daughter With the money I could be independent Be a different feeling You understand, don't you? Yes, sir. I do. That's why it's so important to get the money back So I can go live with my daughter. So I can do that That's your only reason I trouble you Your only reason I have to ask you to find the man That's your only reason I got it. That's a little different with us, sir

5:09Huh, we've got another one For the past several weeks we've been getting reports of the existence of an organized gang of pickpockets working in Los Angeles contrary to most opinion, a pickpocket seldom works alone Like everything else. It's gotten to be a highly specialized operation Normally there are several men to each team The jug mob who usually spends his time in banks looking for the victim The shover who pushes or bumps the victim so his money can be taken and the wire who does the actual pocket picking In certain types of operation the jug mob is replaced by the short who works street cars and spots people who have large amounts of money Under normal circumstances a professional group of pickpockets can take approximately five thousand dollars a day out of a tip or a crowd 1147 a.m. We had the victim Louis Bonning look through the pictures of known pickpockets for a possible identification of the man who's taken his money He was unable to find anybody who looked familiar We told him to go home and we said that we'd be in touch with him 1235 p.m. Frank and I check back into the office

6:13They're up, huh? Yeah, they all come out that color don't they sure hope we can do some good for him Yeah, nice old guy you want to get in touch with slim ramels? It's good out and talk to him He might be able to come up with something yeah, I'll get his number Get a new book. This one's getting almost impossible to use for this number is all crossed out. You know when they change the Prefection. Yeah, you made a mess out of my book You Slim ram is there. Hey slim this Frank Smith. Yeah, good Yeah, say slim. Wait a minute another reason I called you Jill and I'd like to come down talk to you if it's okay You're gonna be there this afternoon Uh-huh. No nothing wrong. Just a couple of things. We want to check over with you

7:14Yeah Okay, so you're on 230 huh? That all right. Yeah, okay. No, I know where it is right see you then He's gonna be in our last noon said he'd be glad to see us good. Maybe he's got something he's on this thing Well, he'll lay it out for us if he has. That was the one good thing about starting with nothing in it. Yeah, we can only go one way 12.06 p.m. Frank and I checked out of the office and we started for Santa Monica Slim ramels had been one of the best pick pockets in the business He'd been arrested and served determined San Quentin after he'd been paroled he opened a small stand on one of the amusement piers near the beach From his past record ramels have been cooperative with the police department from several arrests were attributed to his information ramels was operating a wheel of fortune booth at the end of the pier Frank and I parked the car and walked out Fight a place, huh? Yeah, I got to bring the kids down here some Sunday. They got a real kick out of it. Yeah, that's Slim's booth there, and uh, yeah

8:16Don't see him we said he'd be here. He might be around back. Yeah I'd sure like to win one of those hands. Yeah, big ones aren't there Slim you're out. Yeah hold on to me right out All right Joe Frank. All right. I'm gonna talk to you back packaging from the grocery. Uh huh. What can I do for you? I like to talk to you about a cannon operation. Yeah, I shouldn't know. Come on back here. We can sit down. All right Hey watch your heads on the counter. Yeah Got a couple of chairs back here. All right, finish up the sack. All right, go ahead. Oh, I want to talk You got any rumbles about a bunch working the downtown area. What kind of operation? Jug mom I heard something about a bunch coming in from the East KC I think seems I heard they worked a couple of still dates with a county back there Boss didn't know they were working when he found out he had him kicked off a lot. You got any names for us? No, I don't write off. Gonna check around might be able to come up with him. What's the bit? Yeah, they've been scoring good working the downtown area took an elderly man for his life savings this morning Uh huh. Figures? Huh? I always pick on the elderly ones.

9:17Pump into a young guy might give you trouble pick the old ones. They don't seem to notice it. Yeah. I even do in swim. Oh good. Got a real good. I ain't killing the world but my rent's paid. I know there ain't gonna be a fuzz on my tail tonight. I got a real good. How long you been here now? Just been by a year. Thought if I could get permission I'd go out with a carny this year. You know what the front end? Got a letter from a friend. It's got a grind store. The one of the big ones says you might be able to get me in. A grind store? Yeah, you know everybody plays everybody wins. Pay a dime to win a piece of slum worth maybe a couple of cents. Well, it's carny I might go with. Got no grift in the front end all percentage games. Way I figured if you go out with a good one whether hoes gonna do all right. You figuring come out better than you do here? Oh sure. You see we get a real good play over the weekends right the days is kind of slow. Go out with a big carny. You can draw crowds anytime for the weather's good. Bound to come out better. You're checking those names for us. We'll just slim. Yeah, I'll make a couple of calls. Can you make them now? No, I have to get in touch with the guys tonight. I'll get back to you first thing in the morning. All right, five. Same number of Michigan five to one one. That's right. Bunk of fugitive. Yeah, all right. I'll give you a call.

10:18Hey, bye you guys. Cup coffee. No, thanks. Slim, we're just gonna need to want to come along with bye you one. Okay. Now hold on while I check with Harry. Haven't keeping eye on things. All right. Yeah, you go ahead. Okay. Now watch the counter. I came up too fast the other day like to call the skin off my back. Yeah, a lot of men will be right back. All right. Nice looking place. Yeah, he's painted it since we were down here last time. Yeah. Well, let's go. You painted up the place, huh, Slim? Yeah, so I might turn a bigger tip of place. Look good. You know, people I can clean look in place. How are the rest of the booths doing down here, Slim? Oh, pretty good. I told you. It's great. Other times a little slow. Any grip down here? No, only if there is. I haven't heard of it. Guy in the Santa Monica Police Department, Lieutenant Cunningham, he keeps the place real clean. Yeah, that's right. Last thing I heard about was a guy who was working with a camelback wheel. Oh, what? Camelback. Like mine, only this was gafed. How smooth this pitch around. The arrow is connected to a spindle. Spin will go through a stand. Looks like it'd be no way to jig it. Plane pipe looks clean. What's the gimmick?

11:19All the frame rests on four pins. Pins are supposed to be what anchors into the counter. Uh-huh. Now three of the pins go into one piece of the counter. They really do hold the wheel in place. The other one goes through a separate piece of wood on the booth side of the counter. There's a space between the board on the booth side and the one in three legs go through. Yeah. Now the pin in the fourth leg is loose. It's connected with a bunch of levers inside the pipe acts as a brake on the wheel. All the operator has to do is lean against the board and he's got complete control of the wheel all the time. That's a real nice deal, isn't it? The way they figured it's perfect. In case they get a cowboy in the crowd, the mark can pick the wheel right up out of the counter. It shows that there's no wires running to it. The wheel's gaffed. There's no way to prove it. Set it up with a couple of sticks in front. Find a win a couple of times you got it made. That's the way they figured it. Doesn't work out though. Yeah. Now like on my wheel, I got 120 numbers on it. Figure I get good action. I'm going to have maybe half of them covered. Right off the odds are on my side. Out of the rest there's only one winner. Half of them covered means a gross of about six bucks. I give away five dollars worth of gross even with a winner. I come out every time. Percentage is proven. Look at that way. You don't need a gaff wheel. That's too

12:24bad. Warmed don't figure it like that. Yeah, I suppose. Took me a long time to find it out. Yeah, but you came up with the answers. I hope I can do the same for you on a cannon operation. So do we. It's funny. I get to think I was working so wire. How we figured it. Anytime we get lift a poke from the mark, it was a big laugh. A lot of difference now. Yeah. Yeah. Now I sleep nights. Two 15 p.m. We continued to talk to our informant, Slim Raimus. He said that he didn't know the name of the carnival. The possible suspects had been fired from. He said that he'd call some of his contacts and try to get the information for us. We set up a time for him to get in touch with us and then Frank and I drove back to the office. We contacted Captain Diddy and made arrangements for additional men to be assigned to help us. Sergeant's John DeBetta and Danny Gilmore were asked to aid us in a search of the market where the victim had been robbed. We spent the next three hours in the market looking at the crowd in the hopes that we'd see a known pickpocket or even see a wire in operation, but the surveillance netted us nothing. We made arrangements for the victims bank to be watched the following morning.

13:286.15 p.m. Frank and I got back to the squadroom. We're sure it does a good business, then. Right. The market, Joe. A lot of people going there. Yeah. What's wrong with you? Well, I was just thinking. I mean, as it comes down to the point where the only way to hang onto your money is to carry it in your hand and keep your fist closed. It's very close. I was talking with Lieutenant Jack Swan. He was telling me a guy came in here from Nebraska, came in by bus. You know, we were sitting on the station waiting for a coach to take him up the North and all his money in the shoe. In the shoe? Yeah. Having these left shoe. At the money all flats we could walk on it. Figured it'd be safer. But wasn't it? No. It was off for a minute. The next thing you know is shoes off the money's gone. How would anybody know where it was? I don't know. The guy that took it found it though. The guy that was off for a minute loses his shoe and all his money. Anything turn off on it? No. I get it. Uncle Fugia to Friday. Yeah. Yes, William. What was that name again? Yeah. What do you say about it? No way, man. Try. Yeah. Here you go.

14:35Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. All right, Slim. Go ahead. Was that with a K? What? O-L-C. C is in Charlie. O-T-T. Right. You know where they're staying. All right. We'll give us a call if anything more turns up. Right. Okay, Slim. Thanks a lot. Right. Bye. Howdy, dude. Well, pretty good. Three names of the guys who worked the Cunning and K.C. Yeah. Slim talked to a friend, got the information that the guys who work in the downtown area have been scoring real good. Say where we could find them? No. He's going to try to get the address for us. Well, we took a big jump just knowing who they are. The only else to make it work. What do you mean? Well, Slim says his bunch is pretty hinky. They're playing it real careful. Yeah. Words out they got two more big scores to make and then they're going to leave town. You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.

15:49The three names are informative. Given us where Howard Cremmer, Victor Liden, and Edward Alka, we had the names checked through our record bureau but we found that none of the three men had been arrested in Los Angeles. We got a radio gram off to the police department in Kansas City. The last place the trio was known to have worked. We asked for all information on the thieves before we did to it. We also sent a teletype of George Brett and up Sacramento, CII, asking him to check the names for us. The following morning, Wednesday, May 11th, we got word from Kansas City that the officials there were forwarding mug shots and descriptions of the three men. During the day, Frank and I met with Captain Dittian and a surveillance of the downtown area banks was set up. On Friday morning, when Frank and I checked into work, a special delivery letter was waiting for us. In it, we found the records and pictures of Cremmer, Liden, and Alka. The pictures were handed over to the photo lab and they started to reproduce them. The descriptions were sent to the print shop and MO sheets were made up. As soon as possible, the pictures and the bulletins were distributed to all bank guards in the area. Additional officers from Bunko, fugitive were placed in the vicinity.

16:51Frank and I maintained a rowing stake out in the downtown area. At 9 p.m. Friday night, the banks closed and we got no report to the thieves at work. Local broadcasts were gotten out on the men but the were no reply. Monday, May 16th, the plan was put into effect again, no results. Tuesday, the gang didn't work. The gang don't look as if they might have closed up operations and lost Anzulson moved on. Wednesday, May 18th, Frank and I came back from lunch. I'll get it. Good. Local fugitive, Friday. Yes, sir. That's right. Where? Right. No, don't do anything to let them know. Right. Let's go. Some good? The shover. Bank guard just spotted him. The call had come from a bank at the corner of 7th and Jackson Street. The guard told us that he'd seen one of the suspects enter the bank and under the pretense of filling out deposit slips. Observe the withdrawals if the customers were making.

17:54It took us a little under three minutes to get to the address. We checked with the guard and he pointed out the suspect. Frank pretended to make out a deposit slip while I waited at the new account desk. When we entered the bank, the suspect was standing at the teller's window. In front of him was an elderly man. As the line moved up, the suspect began to examine the slip that he'd made out. Then as the elderly man took his turn at the window, the suspect walked away and stopped by the door. He waited for the man to finish his business at the teller's collar. Then as he passed through the door, the suspect fell in step behind him. Frank and I followed him down the street. As they walked through the crowd, he was joined by Edward Olcott, the shover in the operation. The elderly man entered a small tobacco store and as he went through the door, the wire, Howard Cremmer joined the other two suspects. As the elderly man stood at the counter waiting to be served, the shover walked over to the magazine rack. He stood looking at the magazines for a moment and then as he turned away, he seemingly tripped and fell against the proposed victim. Though Frank and I knew what was coming, we were watching for it and yet we missed the actual fact. The wire moved in and removed the victim's money so fast that we couldn't see it.

18:57The shover took the wallet from the wire and the gang was ready to move on. Frank and I stepped into it. All right, Mr. Police officers, you're under arrest. For a while, stop dreaming. You know the rod. Now, come on. All right. All right, Mr. C'mon, on your hands. Get up. There wasn't a coply meal long. You're going to regret this. Shuffle the citizen around. No reason for this. How about the other two? They're out. All right, let's get him downtown. How about the victim? No, he left for the beast started. Better try to catch him. You know what? You're going to be sorry for this. You wait. You're going to be real sorry, Shuffle the citizen around. Yeah, that's a trouble with you, folks. What do you mean? You're wrong on both counts. The three suspects were taken into custody and brought down town. The victim's wallet was found on the first and the bed riddle cut. It was identified by the owner and booked his evidence. 3.50 PM, we took the wire-houred crematorium to the interrogation room.

20:04Sit down, crematorium. Yeah. All right, you want to give us a statement? For what? Come off, but you know what we're talking about. You got to have me cross with somebody else. I'm trying to level with you. I don't know what you're talking about. You want us to lay it out for you? I don't care much either way. You guys slam into a store where I'm trying to buy a pack of cigarettes and all of a sudden I got handcuffs on. You tell me I'm booked for being a pickpocket. That's the way you want to tell it, huh? There ain't any other words. Your two friends tell it different. What two friends? Two fellows we picked up with you? This is a big time. A lot of people you walk into a store. You don't ask who's standing next to you. They put the whole deal on you. You don't fool. Lie in the mouth and never hurt them. How long do you think you're going to keep this up, mister? As long as it takes to get you on my side. They don't build days that long. That's your loss. I'm a nice fellow if you take the time to get to know me. All right, Kramer. This is way off the road. Now maybe you got all day we haven't. You can either give it to us here and now. We can drop you into a cell and let you wait it out. You're putting in a tank of the out in half an hour. How many times have you been arrested? Who says there was a first? How many times? You've got the books. Look it up. We ask you a question. So I'm not a genius. I got trouble with addition.

21:05You're out of your pockets. What? Come on. Or why? Now look, you're running out of funny time here, Kramer. Then you better ring the bell because I'll need more of it. You got a job? Yeah, I'm a president of a bank. You're going way out on this, Kramer. I like the scenery. You work? Yeah. Where? Round or special place? What do you do? I'm a sales. What do you sell? Whatever people can afford. All right, now come on. Put your things on the table right now. You can sign a receipt. Yeah, I'm going to be taken from you. You want to see what you're carrying. OK. Your boy's just here with break, but I'll tell you now. The number is on my phone, book or mine. Don't go near him. Come on, get it up. Here's my wallet. Tank chip, comb, nail, flippers, and change. Couple of tickets for the movie. A lousy picture. SIGRAD SLIDE, that's it. You got any money in that wallet? Yeah. How much? I don't pay much attention to how much I'm carrying. You can't even come close, how much you got. No. Take it out and count it. OK. One, two, three. All right. Comes off to $3,700. You must do real good at that salesman job. Company pays big commissions. I put the money in your pocket.

22:05Why don't you put it in your hand? What'd you say? Look, cop, I did it around. I've been with most of the parties in the country one time or another. I know the score. There ain't a place in the world that the fix can't be put in. Now why don't you just take the money? You drop it in your pocket and now forget I was ever in here. Won't be nobody hurt. The old guys may be out a couple of hundred bucks, but so what? He won't miss it. Why not put the fix and we both come out all right? Now the fix just curdled, Trevor. You said we had the record, what do you call it? We got all the word about you. Way down the line, you talk about how you worked with Carney's. How long? What's the longest time you ever stayed with a one outfit? I like to move. Yeah, sure you do. That's the way the people around the show want it. Beeson Carney doesn't want a guy like you around. You were anybody like you. You've been on the road taking money away from people who can't afford it for a long time. Now we nail you and you come in here acting like a big man. You do the indignant bit and then when that doesn't work, you try to buy your way out. You've had it, mister. We know it and your two buddies know it. One of you going to take a good look. You really figured you've got it made out. We know we have. The other two guys really cop out. The whole thing all comes down to how you engineered it. You would buy what they say. We buy it.

23:06Then there isn't much more for me to say, isn't it? You got a great deal, no. OK, let's go. How about a statement? Why? Make it easier on yourself. Use your fight cop out. You know what I mean. Yeah. All right. Bring the girl in. I'll give you a statement. Frank. Yeah. You mind if I have a smoke? What was that? I said, you mind if I have a smoke? I'll go ahead. Wild one, isn't it? Well, head it all down so fat. Good, shover. Better, jug moth. I'll sit in the front row with any wire in the business. All that, don't add up to a win. It's like you said. Huh? You've got trouble with addition. Howard Nathan Kremmer, Edward Francis Hallcott, and Victor Frederick Lighton were tried and convicted on six counts of Grand Theft Money and received sentence as prescribed by law.

24:10Grand Theft Money is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not less than one, nor more than 10 years. The dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service. The dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.

25:18The dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.