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On juvenile detail, it’s up to Joe Friday to find and stop the drug dealers from selling to the youth of the city.
A teen ager turns himself in to Frank Smith and Joe Friday. He knows he’s hooked on drugs, and wants to quit. As the kid crashes, he tells the cops his story of how he got addicted, and the stealing he had to do to feed his habit. There may not be much the cops can do, other than lend a sympathetic ear, and protect the kid from himself.
The mom is called in, and Friday listens to her story and her agony over her sons downfall. This all may sound quaint compared to today’s police drama. In 1954 addressing topics such as teens with drug problems, and single moms was cutting edge. Those things existed, but weren’t talked about in polite society. Possession of drugs would get you sent to the big house, but just being an addict was also a punishable offense.
Rehab is a hard, and complicated road. The kid recovers, but at least Friday is aware enough to know one thing the kid needs to do. That is, to cut ties to his old friends, and suppliers. Friends who drag you into a pit of addiction are no friends at all.
The kid gives Friday enough to go on to bring at least one of the pushers down.
