Dragnet Television Program

I remember the show ran on Monday nights and I remember my father loved it. He was the family's biggest fan of "Dragnet." My mother refused to watch, probably on religious grounds, but the rest of us did, every week. "Dragnet" was part of our routine. That took place in Memphis, Tenn., 1953 or '54. We had one of the first TV sets on the block and "Dragnet" was our introduction to California. We saw palm trees growing out of the sidewalks and crooks wearing Hawaiian shirts.

The story you are about to read is true. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent. The television series "Dragnet," which first aired more than 50 years ago, ensured the Los Angeles Police Department's place in Hollywood lore. Now the department is helping return the favor by hosting an event Tuesday at the Police Academy in Elysian Park to commemorate the release of a "Dragnet" postage stamp, authorities said. A program will include the widow of actor Jack Webb, who played LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday; actor Harry Morgan, who played Friday's partner; and LAPD Chief William J. Bratton.

Joe Friday was a fictional detective who, on radio and television, roamed the virtual streets of Los Angeles, solving crimes and sticking to the rule book. But one character Friday relied on in the weekly television drama "Dragnet" was a civilian, Chief Forensic Specialist Raymond Pinker. Unlike Friday, Pinker was based on a real-life LAPD figure named ... Raymond Pinker.

Joe Friday was a fictional detective who, on radio and television, roamed the virtual streets of Los Angeles, solving crimes and sticking to the rule book. But one character Friday relied on in the weekly television drama "Dragnet" was a civilian, Chief Forensic Specialist Raymond Pinker. Unlike Friday, Pinker was based on a real-life LAPD figure named ... Raymond Pinker.

The story you are about to read is true. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent. The television series "Dragnet," which first aired more than 50 years ago, ensured the Los Angeles Police Department's place in Hollywood lore. Now the department is helping return the favor by hosting an event Tuesday at the Police Academy in Elysian Park to commemorate the release of a "Dragnet" postage stamp, authorities said. A program will include the widow of actor Jack Webb, who played LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday; actor Harry Morgan, who played Friday's partner; and LAPD Chief William J. Bratton.

I remember the show ran on Monday nights and I remember my father loved it. He was the family's biggest fan of "Dragnet." My mother refused to watch, probably on religious grounds, but the rest of us did, every week. "Dragnet" was part of our routine. That took place in Memphis, Tenn., 1953 or '54. We had one of the first TV sets on the block and "Dragnet" was our introduction to California. We saw palm trees growing out of the sidewalks and crooks wearing Hawaiian shirts.