Dragnet

[Sergeant Dave Bradford, an African-American member of the squad, has called on Friday to assist him in dealing with Carl Rockwell, a long-time criminal and frequent annoyance to Friday who was arrested for molesting a little girl. Friday enters the interrogation room where Rockwell, who is sitting at a table, spots him.]

Rockwell [to Friday]:
Well, whaddaya know. The immortal sergeant.

Bradford:
All right Rockwell, let's try it again. You have the right to an attorney, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say to us can be used against you in a court of law.

Rockwell [sarcastically]:
You already told me that once...

Bradford:
Do you understand it?

Rockwell:
Like I said, I didn't before.

Bradford:
What do you mean, you didn't before?

Rockwell:
Like I told you and those uniformed bums who rousted me, I didn't understand.

Bradford:
You didn't understand what?

Rockwell:
Boy. You are thick, aren't you.

Bradford:
You didn't understand, what?

Rockwell:
All that jazz about I can remain silent and anything I say you can testify against me. I'm gonna be silent any time now and I'll tell you when!

Bradford:
But you understand it now.

Rockwell [annoyed]:
I do now. I'm getting a little tired of hearing it, but I understand it. Now you understand me. You bums have rousted me for the last time! This is the last time you're gonna haul me in on a bum rap! Now why don't you two goons join the hubcap detail and roust a few teenagers? If you think you can handle it.

Bradford:
Suppose you tell us what you were doing with that little four year old out in Westlake Park?

Rockwell [infuriated]:
It's "when"! Go swallow a germ, you nigger cop.

[An angry Friday, having now heard enough, slams Rockwell's file into the table, which startles Rockwell]

Friday:
Now you listen to me, you gutter-mouth punk. I've dealt with you before, and every time I did, it took me a month to wash off the filth. I'll tell you what you did with that four-year old girl out in Westlake Park; you staked out a bench like you've always done. You bought a sack of penny candy. You waited until the right little girl came along. Tuesday afternoon at four o'clock, she did. You told her you were gonna take her for a ride around the block. You got her in your car, she started to cry. You hit her across the mouth twice. You cut her lip with your ring, knocked out three of her teeth. And then you know what you did to her...get your head up when I'm talking to you! [pause] Now, I didn't say that, Rockwell, you did. That's exactly what you told those officers who arrested you. They advised you of your constitutional rights before you opened your mouth. Now you're trying to tell us you didn't understand. Well, you're a liar. You understood what your rights were then just as you understand now! Somewhere in the last forty hours while you were rattling around in the bucket you got the word. You know that 62 Cal.2d 338 states that you be advised of your right to remain silent and as you must thoroughly understand and waive that right, because if you don't any confession you make is inadmissible as testimony in a court of law. Forty hours ago you confessed to what you did to that little girl. That was the truth. Now you sit here and tell us that you didn't understand your rights, that's a lie! Like every hoodlum since Cain up through Capone, you've learned to hide behind some quirk in the law. And mister, you are a two-bit hoodlum. You've fallen twice for ADW. Burglary, three times. Twice for forcible rape, I tagged you for those. And now you've graduated. You've moved to the sewer, you're a child molester. And this isn't the first time, we've had you in here before. And mister, you were guilty then and you're guilty now. Now one last thing, you smart mouthed punk. If the department doesn't question the color of his skin, you damn well see that you don't.