07x08 - Excessive Force

[bunniefuu]

FEMALE DISPATCHER ON RADIO: One-Adam-. One-Adam-, a in progress.

One-Adam-, handle code .

[SIREN WAILING]

[FEMALE DISPATCHER TALKING INDISTINCTLY OVER RADIO]

MAN: [SHOUTING]: Help!

In here! Please! Help!

Officer, will you help me?

MALLOY: Are you hurt?

Nothing injured but my pride.

You better call the flood control district.

How'd you get in there?

That part was easy.

I was waiting for the bus, and I dropped my wallet, see.

I bent over to pick it up and my foot hit it, and it dropped into the storm drain.

So you climbed in after it?

It was more like falling in than climbing in.

You know these places are very big in here. This is a very large place.

You could drive a car around in here, a truck.

I tried to climb out, but I couldn't hold on to anything.

These walls are very slick.

You said you were waiting for a bus, there's no bus stop here.

There was where I started.

I figured this has to come out somewhere, so I started walking.

Where'd you start?

Sunset and th.

And I figured I've walked about two miles.

That should bring me about, to Cahuenga and Bronson?

That's right.

Well, at least I'm not lost.

Man's on the way. What's he doing in there?

Waiting for a bus.

Don't worry, we called somebody to get you out.

I'll wait.

MACDONALD: Well, it looks like we'll be starting the old attic

a couple weeks later this year.

Hey, Woods. You're scheduled for fingerprinting school.

He has trouble finding the station, how's he going to find fingerprints?

Just wait until I lift the print that nails down all our unsolved burglaries.

Then we'll see who does the laughing.

Just be sure to show up at the academy on the th at a.m.

[PHONE RINGING]

Team , Sergeant MacDonald. Yeah.

All right.

Uh-huh. When?

Right.

Malloy, Reed, this is your district.

A missing juvenile, six-year-old girl. Glenview.

Name's Karen Suntor. You guys know her?

Yeah.

We do?

Yeah, her folks brought her to the meeting last week.

MACDONALD: Pete, go take charge of the search. Snyder's out there now.

How long she been gone?

A couple of hours, but they just got there now.

Keep a log of where you search. I'll be out if you need help.

MALLOY: Right.

SNYDER: Hi, Jim. How's it going, Pete?

What have you got so far, Snyder?

Not much. Her mother was out looking for her but couldn't find her.

Here's a picture of the little girl.

Is Mrs. Suntor inside?

Yeah, she's expecting her husband anytime now. She's pretty shook up.

We'll take over.

Fine, I've already checked the Suntor house.

You know, I don't think we're going to find her around here.

You think she's been picked up?

She's a mama's girl. Mrs. Suntor said she wouldn't just wander off.

What can I do?

I hardly ever let her out of my sight, but I can't watch her every second.

All right, Mrs. Suntor, relax and try to tell us what happened.

Well, I was in the front yard playing ball with Karen

when I came inside for a second to answer the phone.

How long were you inside?

I'm not sure. About five minutes, I guess.

It was Mrs. Reardon from the PTA.

We're having a bake sale, and I'm on the committee...

And well, we talked, and talked, and...

Karen was being... Oh, please, please find her.

We'll do the best we can, ma'am. Does she have any friends nearby?

She's only six. And the other children around here are grown up.

She doesn't have anybody to play with. Except me.

[CAR APPROACHING]

[CAR DOOR SLAMMING]

Jan, how many times have I told you not to leave her alone?

It was only for a few minutes.

A few minutes...

[CRYING]

Okay, okay. Hon, calm down. We'll find her.

What are you guys doing standing here? Why aren't you out looking for my daughter!

Just take it easy, Mr. Suntor. We'll do everything we can to find her,

but the more information you can give us the better our chances will be.

The city is full of perverts and all I can do is stand around and talk.

[SIGHS] Makes you feel pretty helpless.

How long has she been gone now?

It's been over two hours.

You said she was wearing a red and white dress?

Yes, a checked pattern. The one she wore at the birthday party.

She had her red sweater on.

Okay, we'll start searching the neighborhood.

I can't just stay here. I'll drive around and look for her.

I'll go with you.

No. It would be better if you stay here.

In case she comes home, or anyone calls.

Find her. Please.

[CRYING]

It's not like Karen to go wandering off.

Could be she's playing with some other kids somewhere.

You think someone picked her up, don't you?

We don't know. We have to check all the possibilities.

She could be hiding, or playing. All we can do is start looking.

Listen, there's a citywide broadcast. She'll turn up.

There's a playground over on Whitman. Maybe you'd like to take a look over there.

Beats doing nothing.

Let's take it a house at a time. You check the west side.

[ENGINE STARTING]

-Pardon me, ma'am. -Oh! You startled me.

Did you find little Karen yet?

No, ma'am, we're just checking the area.

She's such a sweet little thing. I hope nothing's happened to her.

Maybe I'd better help you look for her.

We'd appreciate your help.

Do you mind if I look around in your backyard?

I checked out there.

-Won't hurt to look again. -Well, then, go right ahead.

Under the circumstances I can't see searching more than square blocks.

Yeah, if someone hasn't seen her in that area, she'd have to be in a car.

I checked the west side of this street for two blocks. No luck.

Here's a list of the houses where no one answered.

-How you doing? -Covered the first block.

Almost everybody's already out looking for her.

What do you think? A kidnapping for ransom?

It's possible, Mac, but not likely. Mr. Suntor is a construction foreman

and Mrs. Suntor does some legal typing at home.

They make a good living but not enough to pay any ransom.

Okay. When you finish checking your sector come back here.

There's nothing there.

There's nobody home next door.

-We can't search the entire city. -We may have to.

-I'll talk to her. -Okay, take that block and I'll check this side.

Any luck?

Nah. We checked playgrounds all the way to Olympic.

Anybody even see her?

No. I hope she's having cookies and milk at a friend's house.

That's what it is % of the time.

Yeah.

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

Police officer.

What's the problem, Officer?

We're searching for a little girl who's missing from down the street.

Karen Suntor. You seen her?

No.

She was wearing a red and white checked dress, and a red sweater.

I didn't know her name but I've seen her before.

-Have you seen her today? -No.

I work all night and I had just gotten up when you rang.

I get so many salesmen during the day I usually just ignore the doorbell.

Okay, you might see us looking around your back yard.

Sure thing. I have a couple of hours before I go to work.

Maybe I can help you.

Do you have any children?

Jim!

We found her! Get an ambulance. Pete's after him.

[COUGHING]

[COUGHING]

[TIRES SCREECHING]

[GRUNTS]

[PANTING]

All right, on your feet!

You're hurting me!

-Hey, man, the cuffs hurt. -About as much as you hurt her?

Hey, come on, what do you think I am? It was her idea.

Shut up!

You don't scare me. It's not my fault. She wanted what she got.

-I got my rights. -So do I, so shut up!

-Pete! -[GROANING]

Pete! Cool it!

I'll take him in.

Forget it. I've got him.

You okay?

Yeah.

-You see the girl? -Yeah.

Was she alive?

I don't know.

I'll give him his rights.

[SIREN WAILING]

-You hurt? -How's the girl?

I wanna see the sergeant.

Sergeant!

-Sergeant! -Okay, take it easy.

-What's the problem? -I wanna make a complaint about him.

Malloy, . Number seven-four-four!

He choked me when I was handcuffed.

And he jammed my wrist into the building. And he threatened to k*ll me!

Okay, I'll talk to you at the station. You'll get your say.

I think he broke my wrist!

How much of what he said is true?

Most of it.

Okay. I'll have Woods take him to the hospital and have them check him out.

Okay, if I go over there and see how Karen is doing?

Go on to the station, Pete. Take it easy. You can't undo what's done.

Well, Tennison laid out a pretty strong complaint.

-He didn't get any injuries. -I told you exactly what happened, Mac.

Pete, I've worked around you a long time and you're sharper than this.

You had him cuffed, and that should have ended it.

Yeah. You're right.

You know the old man's probably going to burn you for this.

Not too much I can do about it now.

-Mac? -Yeah.

Anything else?

No, but you can count on seeing the Captain tomorrow.

Think the Captain will come down pretty heavy on ya?

-Maybe. -How do you figure it'll go?

Suspension, probably.

That's not going to look good in your package.

-You've never had days off before? -First time.

I would have done the same thing.

And you been as wrong as I was.

Do you figure the Captain will want to see yon this morning?

I don't know.

You're not worried, huh?

Probably only be a reprimand.

[SIGHS]

Why don't we go by the hospital and see how Karen's doing?

Pete, last time you called she was still unconscious.

Maybe we could pick up a toy or something.

FEMALE DISPATCHER: One-Adam-, One-Adam-, go to the station.

One-Adam-, roger.

Hey, Jim. Where's Pete? With the Captain?

Not yet. He's making a phone call.

What's the story? I heard it was excessive force.

You heard right.

Doesn't sound like Pete. I thought it was a scam.

Guy's creating a beef figuring he can make a deal.

No.

The guy hurt?

Won't make any difference, Jerry.

Wouldn't be surprised if he lost his stripes.

You know it's not what he did but who did it.

He is a team training officer.

Aw, you're always making mountains out of molehills.

Maybe, maybe not.

It's not gonna help him any when he goes for his Sergeant's exam.

Hey, Pete! Found a new chili joint.

This stuff's so hot it'll make your ears sweat.

I was just telling Jim about it.

I'll try it sometime.

-How's she doing? -No change.

We better get in there.

Pete.

Hey, Jim, why don't you go get a cup of coffee?

Yeah.

-The Captain took his time. -It's not something he's in a hurry to get to.

How do you figure you'll handle it?

Come in and work on your days off or lose the pay?

I guess the Captain will tell me.

I did what I could, considering.

He goes by the book. He always has.

Well, he's waiting for you.

-[KNOCKING] -CAPTAIN MOORE: Come in.

Captain.

Sit down, Malloy.

Malloy, as a training officer

and one of the best sergeant candidates I've seen in years,

I didn't expect to have you in here like this.

This man you arrested, Tennison, has three prior arrests for child molesting,

loitering at schools and indecent exposure, and he's still on parole.

But he has the right to be tried by a judge and jury, not by you.

Yes, sir.

Your actions constitute excessive force and conduct unbecoming an officer.

Do you want to say anything?

Not much I can say, Captain. I did it. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't.

Everybody makes mistakes, but we're not supposed to.

You had a training officer a few years back

who warned you against getting emotionally involved

with the people you come in contact with on the job.

I'm surprised you didn't remember it. I b*at it into your head long enough.

You certainly did.

Now you're a training officer

and you've been rated outstanding for several years.

Would you tolerate one of your partners doing what you did?

No, sir.

Neither can I.

For conduct unbecoming an officer and the use of excessive force,

my recommendation for penalty

is a voluntary suspension for four days without pay.

You can accept that or let it go to the Chief.

This will come up when you go for your Sergeant's exam

and you'll have to handle it with your oral board.

They'll want to know the same thing I will,

how you'll handle difficult situations in the future.

Yes, sir.

That's it. Sergeant MacDonald stated in his report that despite this incident,

you're one of the top officers in the division.

-I agree. -Thanks, Captain.

So figure out your gas mileage every night at end of watch

and make it the last entry on your log.

Four days.

-Pretty heavy. -Yeah.

Did he say anything about busting your rank?

It didn't come up, but it wouldn't take much right now to make him think of it.

[PHONE RINGING]

Team , Sergeant MacDonald speaking.

Yeah, he's right here, hold on.

For you, Pete. The hospital.

Officer Malloy.

Thank you, ma'am.

Looks like she's going to make it.