The Big Press

Originally Aired: February 8, 1953

Dragnet #190, "The Big Press," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith take over a frustrating forgery case that has been plaguing Los Angeles for over a year. Two men have been passing phony payroll checks throughout the southern part of the state, scoring an impressive $70,000 from unsuspecting victims. The forgers use checks from various legitimate companies—rubber firms, oil companies, department stores, aircraft manufacturers—but all share one telltale clue: a distinctive broken border on the printing plate. Despite extensive legwork canvassing print shops, questioning known forgers, showing mug books to victims, and distributing composite sketches and bulletins warning about the defective border, Friday and Smith hit one dead end after another.

After two frustrating weeks with no breaks in the case, Friday receives a call from a sharp-eyed clerk at a check cashing agency on Pico Boulevard. She's spotted one of the suspects and managed to stall him by claiming the manager needs to return to open the safe. Friday and Smith rush to the scene, where they find the man waiting, apparently having been drinking, growing impatient but not yet suspicious enough to flee.