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An early attempt at telling true crime stories, right from the records of the police records. The program tended to the more dramatic crimes, and not the daily grind that Jack webb would later portray in Dragnet.
Today we look at the problem of bootlegging in the Los Angeles area. During prohibition it was illegal to buy, sell, or make alcoholic beverages, even for personal use. This is a story of some of the ruthless, and murderous methods that some gangsters took to traffic the bootleg alcohol.
Cops are on to the gang, and some of how they operate. When they need funds for their operation, the bootleggers make a mistake when they try to rob a speakeasy where an off duty deputy has dropped in to check on the owner. The gunfight ends up with a dead crook, and a wounded cop. Detectives arrive on the scene to learn all they can. A manhunt for Roagan kicks off. Clues are found, suspects questioned, and the trail through the underworld leads to Balboa, in the Panama Canal Zone. but it’s only one of several dead ends ranging from Hawaii to Mississipppi.
Finally the trail ends up in connecticut, where an alert gas station owner recognized rogan’s picture from a detective magazine. Following up on the latest lead, cops prepare to surround the cottage hideout. We learn from the announcer, the result of the case once Rogan returned to police headquarters, and his demise in prison for his crimes.
