John Johnson, report
to Edgemar Station in dress uniform.
Lucky you.
You're about to make history.
Hey, Can't you read?
It says "Employees only,"
- I am an employee,
- No, it don't mean trustees,
Your lives are at stake,
so pay attention.
Your number-one responsibility
out there is to stay alive
and protect the lives of your partners,
Now, on a brighter note,
Bush has decided to finally
get rid of that rice-burnin' piece of crap
and ride American,
Thank you, Chuck,
Good morning, gentlemen,
I'd like to introduce to you John Johnson,
fresh out of the academy,
and he's been assigned to,
uh, to join us,
- Meet some of the boys,
- OK,
- Deputy Bono,
- Hey,
- Jim Ryan, Pleasure,
- Jim, how ya doin'? Good to meet you,
- Smith, Deputy Bush,
- Yeah, we met in the parking lot,
- Right,
- Detective Baker back here, my right arm,
- Just call me Gene, I've gotta roll,
- Gene, good to meet you,
- Chuck, This is Chuck Gilmore,
- Hey, Chuck,
He's been assigned to show you the ropes,
so to speak, You'll ride with him,
- OK,
- Bring your Dramamine, kid,
These guys are all workin' overtime
just to keep up,
- Huh, Do you two know each other?
- No,
- I'm Foster,
- John Johnson,
- Nice to meet you, Welcome aboard,
- Thanks, Good to be here,
Look, Larry, it isn't going to work,
You know we don't have the money,
- Officer Deborah Fields,
- John Johnson, Good to meet you,
- How you doin'?
- I'm all right,
Bye,
I don't know what to say
except, um,,,
this is your job, not mine,
- I suggest you come up with some ideas,
- We'll see ya,
- Good luck,
- OK,
Thanks a lot,
- Well...
- Well...
- Good, Thanks a lot,
- Thank you,
Did you know you were traveling
well over the speed limit, ma'am?
Officer, my speedometer's broken,
I had no idea how fast I was going,
And besides,
what's a handsome man like you doing
hiding in bushes,
trying to trap single young women?
Well, ma'am,
it's times like these, I hate who I am,
You have a nice day, ma'am,
Drive safely,
Ohh, Mmm!
- Why didn't you write her?
- Oh, man, she was,,, she was nice,
"Nice," Get in,
Huh?
Get in the car! Now!
Back me up,
Keep both of your hands
on the wheel, ma'am,
License and registration, please,
She will be late for work now,
Stay in your car, lady,
I guess this makes you feel
like a big man,
Press firmly,
There's three copies, ma'am,
- You have a nice day,
- Yeah, right,
They can be ugly as sin
or they can look like Miss America,
In this station, once you stop 'em,
you write 'em or you cuff 'em,
Leave your hormones
out of it, young blood,
'cause while you're daydreamin'
about some good-Iookin' skirt,
you will get your head blown off,
Don't trust anybody,
We're here bridging two communities
with common troubles,
Now, in both cases,
there have been coroner findings
that absolutely contradict
the sheriff's report,
All these young men
who died while in police custody
had no prior criminal records,
And this kind of police policy
says a lot about these times,
Now I'd like for
Mr, and Mrs, Ernie Marshall,
whose son died while in custody
inside the sheriff's station,
to talk to you,
Why do you persist in this when there was
not enough evidence to bring charges?
I'm going by physical evidence,
The coroner's report said that
my son died at the hands of another,
Surely that means
he did not hang himself,
Easy, sister, It's all right,
- I'm gonna go check on the neighborhood,
- All right,
J, J,, get rid of that piece of junk
and get you a real car,
I'm tired of this,
I can't keep doin' this every morning,
- Yeah?
- Yeah,
- But you will,
- I will?
- Mm-hm,
- And why is that?
- 'Cause you love me, baby,
- I do love you,
- Mm-hm,
- Mm-hm,
- Bye, I'll see you later,
- OK,
- Have a good one,
- All right,
But you gonna find out just how much
I love you tomorrow morning,
Deputy, I hope you're more alert
when you're out in the field,
Uh, I'm sorry, sir,
I was,,, I was reading this book,
One would think you're reading
Gone with the Wind.
No, No, no,
It's the code book, sir,
It's still fiction,
- Did you fill out this arrest report?
- Yes, sir,
Well, I've seen three-year-olds that
spell and use grammar better than that,
That document may have to be
used in a court of law,
One little error,
and criminals can walk,
So, Mr, Johnson,
will you get it right?
Excuse me, sir,
What words did I misspell?
"Sepulveda," Here,
Now, what's the subject
of this sentence?
"Group" is the subject, not "people,"
so the verb is "is,"
Intelligent people will be looking
at that report somewhere down the line,
Yes, sir,
- Sir,
- Oh, Deputy Fields,
I've been meaning to talk to you,
Some of the men are complaining
about your heavy use of perfume,
Well, sir, I will lower my voice
and start wearin' Old Spice
- if it makes those men happy,
- Oh,
It's not a question of a leopard
changing his spots,
It's the animal,
People,,,
people have to,,, fit in,
Sir,
- Morning, Trooper,
- Hi,
I see that Massey's got someone else
to pick on for a while,
I'm their first female deputy,
and besides trustees,
you're the only black face around,
I was picked by
the Commissioner's Office,
Look, Trooper,
we were both picked for our jobs,
That and a dollar will get you on the bus,
Uh-oh,
What sign are you?
12-Adam- 131, possible 211 burglary
at warehouse
at 5-2-0-0 Wood Avenue.
12-Adam-131, we're rolling,
Here we go, kid,
- What the hell are you doin'?
- Gettin' ready,
No! Hey! Hey!
Get off! Don't! Argh!
Get him off me!
Get him!
Hold him down!
Freeze!
Are you coverin' the back, mister?
Massey wants you,
Who's ahead?
Certainly not you, Jesse,
Deputy, you endangered the lives
of your fellow officers,
You were assigned to
watch the back of a building,
There was a burglary in progress,
I thought we had
captured the suspect,
Did it occur to you
there might be another suspect?
It occurred to me, yes,
Did it occur to you that that suspect
may have been carrying a gun?
We just can't seem to get people
around here to do their job,
Now, if criminals don't fear God,
they will this badge and this division,
- Now, do you want to be part of this force?
- Yes, sir,
All right! Your job won't make you soft,
it will harden you to the facts of our time,
And when you're on backup,
you back up, sir!
Yes, sir,
So, Mr, Johnson,
you still wanna be a peace officer?
Well, where else can I
make this kind of money, hm?
You could... sell junk bonds,
I thought this was supposed
to be a man's job,
Well, Trooper, you'd better
turn your shield in, then,
Or am I talkin' to the future sheriff
in these here parts?
They're gonna name this station
after me one day,
I'm sorry,
What?
- You can't be married,
- Look who is calling the pot black,
You know, you'd better lay off
the steak and doughnuts... honey,
- Good morning, everybody, Frank,
- Hey, how's it going, James?
- Rev, how you doin'? I'm sorry I'm late,
- James Locket, what kept you?
Let me tell you something, Rev,
Saving souls is a lot less time-consuming
than defending the innocent,
- All you gotta do is pray,
- But you get the guilty off too,
- They're easier to get off,
- Well, speaking of the guilty,,,
Ms, Marshall tells me the sheriff's
department is still following her,
- The sheriff's harassing you?
- Mm-hm,
Every day,
They won't leave us alone,
Hey,
Anything I can help you with?
- I got the results of the tests back,
- And?
They want me to start the treatments again,
Get another opinion,
This time the cancer's in my liver,
my back - it's everywhere,
I need to leave
the wife and kids somethin',
- Oh-ho!
- Hey, baby,
Hey, sweetie, how ya doin'?
Wanna see my night stick, huh?
What do ya think?
Yeah, I'd like to get busted by that,
Any unit, man down.
Possible homicide at 2-4-0- 1 West 125th.
What you got?
Well, he says he was stopped
in the intersection,
Two blacks got out of their car,
pulled a gun and asked for money,
When Mr, Greenspan there
said all he had was credit cards,
the man standing near his window
fired and killed his wife,
Let's get another unit
down to the north end,
Let's get a lineup,
Get the other streets blocked off,
It looks like they used a nine-millimeter,
- I didn't find any casings,
- No witnesses,
And I'm sure you'll notice that
the shot came from down below,
Come here,
Save your judgments
for when you make detective,
In the meantime,
just keep the traffic flowing,
Sir,
I was the second officer
on the scene,
I'm sure I can be
of some assistance,
We don't need a Jewish mother
tellin' us how to do our job,
so you just move on,
- Bush!
- Yes, sir?
- You the first officer on the scene?
- Yes, sir,
Ma'am, do you know what's going on in
your sheriff's department? This will tell you,
- Ma'am, would you like to know,,,
- No, I don't have time,
As you know, the Attorney General's Office
did not agree with
the findings of
the Internal Affairs Commission
regarding charges against this station,
So I'm happy to report that
the four detectives who were on leave
are now back on the force,
Many of you also know two officers
in the city are being sued for $ 7 million
for wrongful death,
The city council is cracking down,
Budgetary reasons,
They wanna take our bullets away,
And as for Officer Collins,
he's involved in a lawsuit,
and many of you
will be asked to testify,
Now, remember,
he's one of us,
so,,, talk to no one,
That's all,
You remember that, J, J,
You're one of us,
not a "brother,"
You know, you oughta learn
how to surf, Know what I mean?
I got your surfboard,
J, J,, I just appreciate you being
my best man more than anything else,
- It meant a lot to me to see you up there,
- Make sure it sticks,
- I look forward to standing by you one day,
- Hope it's catching!
Yeah, well, um,,,
I don't know if I belong
in the department, Pop,
He should quit,
It's dangerous,
It's not the danger,
it's all that B, S, and racism,
Stress gettin' to you, huh, son?
- Reverend Banks,
- Brother Johnson,
Glad you could make it,
I hope you enjoyed the wedding,
- I most certainly did,
- Let me introduce you to my son,
J, J,, have you met the Reverend Banks
of the Greater Green Baptist Church?
- Reverend,
- I know of you,
I'm sure Mr, Massey
told you not to talk to me,
Did you ever ask why?
- Ernie Marshall,,,
- You don't waste any time, do you?
- He was murdered in that jail,
- There's no evidence of that,
And I'm not supposed to talk
about this with anybody anyway,
- I know where you stand,
- On my own two feet,
Excuse me,
Oh, boy,
He always wanted to be a cop,
Hmm,
- Ten on six,
- Hold it right there,
- How you doin' tonight?
- All right,
Can I see your driver's license,
please?
It's in my back pocket,
All right, just put your hands
on top of your head,
Just put your hands
on top of your head, turn around,
- How you doin' tonight, ma'am?
- I'm just gonna take your driver's license,
- You mind turning the stereo down?
- Yes, I do mind,
Turn your stereo down,
please, ma'am,
All right, Mr, Woods, you can relax,
Give me a wants and warrants on a
California driver's license, Charlie-325486,
- Where you headed?
- To the movies,
You goin' to the movies?
You goin' to a party?
I said I was goin' to the movies, How am I
goin' to a party if I'm goin' to the movies?
- Where'd you get that attitude, man?
- Why you stoppin' me, man? I did nothin',
- What do you do for a living, Teddy?
- I work, like you,
You work, How do you afford that car?
It's a nice car,
- 'Cause I work, like you,
- You work, like me,
Yeah,
- You sell drugs?
- If you do,
122, roger,
that's a 709 gone to warrant.
That's a rog, You know you got
a warrant out for your arrest?
Traffic violation,
No,
Forgot to go to court, huh?
- Do you mind if I search the car?
- Not unless you got a warrant,
- What do you got in the car, Teddy?
- I know my rights,
Hey, man, if I arrest you,
that car is mine!
I can rip it apart, take the seats out,
Is that what you want?
Keep your hands
where I can see 'em, brother!
Now, what do you got in the car, man?
You got drugs? What do you got?
I borrowed my girlfriend's father's gun,
It's under the driver's seat,
Partner, we got a gun in the car,
Put your hands behind your head,
- Turn around slow, lock your fingers!
- Ma'am, exit the driver's side,
Step out of the vehicle,
Don't look anywhere else, Look at me,
- I am gettin' out,
- Oww!
- Spread your legs,
- You got any razor blades?
Lock your fingers behind your head,
ma'am, Spread your legs,
If I find anything sharp and I get cut,
I'm gonna be real pissed off,
- You ain't got nothin' better to do, huh?
- I ain't got nothin' better to do,
Neither do you, brother,
- No goin' to the movies tonight,
- Oww!
- These are too tight, man,
- They ain't made for comfort, Teddy,
- I'll go get the gun,
- Stay right there,
- These handcuffs are too tight!
- Shut up,
- Partner, I have a gun!
- Punk,
Jesse,
"Theodore Woods,"
Check out the caliber
and make of the gun,
Nine-millimeter,
You sit down,
Thank you, Officer,
What are you lookin' at?
How long have you had the gun?
I don't know,
Took it a long time ago,
Your girlfriend's father,
Mr,,, Taylor,
says last time he looked at it
was three months ago,
Whatever.
- What have you been doin' with it?
- Did nothin' with it,
I use it for protection only,
What if I told you
it was used in a murder?
Man, you crazy,
What were you doin' September
7? Let me refresh your memory,
You tried to rob a man named Greenspan,
you ended up killin' his wife,
You're goin' to need a lawyer,
You're lookin' at attempted robbery,
attempted murder, and murder,
Teddy,
nobody wants
to drag it all out with a trial,
What we'll do is get you
only second-degree murder,
I didn't kill nobody!
I didn't rob nobody!
I've never even used a gun,
All the state wants
is to close the books,
The state doesn't care
if you get seven years or,,, life,
Think about it,
Like the song says,,,
"My skin is my sin,"
Mr, Jos Castro,
You were here before me three years ago
and you haven't learned English
in that time?
Uh, Mr, Rodrigo,
You are interpreting his case?
Yes, Your Honor,
La acusacin se trata de homicidio,
ponerle fuego a un edificio.
- Qu dice usted?
- Tienen un hombre que no es.
He says that
you've got the wrong man,
Then he pleads "not guilty"
to both charges?
- Entonces cmo contesta usted.
- Quiero explicarle.
- He says that he would like to explain,
- Only when he is on trial,
Can I have a moment
to speak to Mr, Castro?
Sure, Mr, Lawson, Add to the backlog,
People vs, Theodore Woods,
Case number 293-8336,
Mr, Woods, you are charged with
violating penal code section 187: Murder,
Section 21 a: Attempted murder,
And section 211: Attempted robbery,
Your Honor, good morning,
I'm James Locket,
Carmen Muoz, for the defendant
Theodore Woods, Your Honor,
How do you plead?
- Man, I didn't do it,
- Guilty or not guilty?
He pleads "not guilty," please,
We ask the court for an O, R, release here,
Mr, Woods has been
in the community his whole life,
- he's been employed for three years,,,
- Denied,
You must think I'm not playing
with a full deck,
This is a potential
death penalty case,
No, the best I can do
is $500,000 bail,
How did you come
to represent Mr, Woods?
Every time I look up,
I see you,
Well, Your Honor, I,,,
I hope it's not a problem,
Next case,
People vs, Lyndon Dent,
Case number 657,,,
Listen, if it wasn't for J, J,, the police
might not have caught Teddy Woods,
That is right, That's true,
All right, J, J,
- Stand up, baby!
- OK, enough is enough, Sit down, now,
Honey, I feel so proud,
having two strong sons,
- Where's the other one? I only count one,
- Don't try it!
So what are you waitin' on, J. J.?
What am I waiting on? Uh...
What am I waitin' on?
Buddy, explain
to your brother what I mean,
- Mama's tired of you livin' in sin,
- Shut up, Buddy,
- It's the truth,
- Shut up,
You're gonna be surprised when
Barbara finds herself a nice guy,
Barbara's not goin' anywhere,
J, J,
Don't look that way to me,
What'd I do with my keys?
I know I left 'em...
They're in your hand,
It was a domestic call,
They're fightin' like cats and dogs,
Hirsch looks at this guy... boom!
Hits him in the side of the head,
The guy starts to cry, says, "What'd ya
hit me for? I'm the one who called ya,"
Drug deal gone bad,
You know him?
Just thinkin' about the choices
a man makes in his life,
Teddy, Mr, Greenspan identified you
as the one who shot his wife,
He's straight lyin',
Where my mom at, man?
Why she didn't bail me out?
Where do you think your parents
are gonna get that kind of money?
I don't know,
but I can't stay in here all day,
They have a witness,
a gun,
and your funky attitude,
- I didn't ask you to be my lawyer,
- Look, you killed someone,
A white woman,
I was talking to the prosecution,
trying to see if they'd be interested
in doing a deal,
They are so high,
This is a notch in their gun,
I knew my mama
shoulda got me a white lawyer,
I'm going to try this
one more time,
Where were you on September 7?
I don't remember,
I don't remember where I was,
I don't remember what I was doin',
but I damn sure
didn't kill no white woman,
OK?
Did the arresting officer
read you your rights?
I don't remember,
Did anyone other than you
have access to the gun?
No,
Are you protecting anyone?
Do I look like a fool?
- Believe in the death penalty?
- Yes, sir, I do,
Have you ever been around
or worked with black people?
No, sir,
I would like to thank
and dismiss Miss Roberts, please,
- Mr, Locket, the line is getting thin,
- I think it is highly unusual
that every potential juror
believes in the death penalty,
No one stacked the deck, People in
this state believe in the death penalty,
Are you trying to
assume my duties, Mr, Kern?
No, Your Honor,
Look at this,
Greenspan, testifying,
said that he would never forget Teddy
Woods was the man who shot his wife,
When we questioned him on the scene
he was very vague about everything,
The man just saw his wife get shot,
He was in shock,
- The man was lying through his teeth!
- I think Baker's right,
Women are just naturally
more suspicious,
Baker didn't say "women,"
Baker said "Jews,"
Well, I'm sure Baker's called me
worse names behind my back,
I gotta go, give some tickets,
- All right,
- I'll see you later,
- Be safe, Trooper,
- That's another thing,
Why do you call me that? "Trooper"?
What does that mean?
That's what we call state policemen
where I come from,
OK,
Bye,
Deputy Bono,
the record is vague,
What reason did you have
to stop this car?
- Well, it's a policy that if we see,,,
- You didn't stop him 'cause he's black?
Well...
Uh, yeah,
- I mean, it's a policy,,,
- No, wait! Wait a minute,
There can be no racial motive,
Now, what reason
did you have to stop his car?
Traffic violation?
Beautiful,
Traffic violation,
It was a traffic violation,
Yeah,
Way to go, Rich,
Let's go,
J, J,
- We might lose that Teddy Woods case,
- What?
Yeah, the prosecution says
I had no legal right to stop Teddy,
that it was just luck that I stopped him
and you happened to be there
to make the search,
So I, uh,,,
I told 'em that
he made an illegal turn,
Yeah, well, uh...
I got no sympathy
for lowlife scum, so,,,
I'll tell 'em he ran
four or five red lights,
- Yeah?
- Yeah,
That's great, man,
Thanks,
Listen, man, if you ever
need anybody to back you up,
I'll be there, man,
OK,
Great,
On the evening of September 7,
why did you stop Teddy Woods?
- Was he doing something suspicious?
- Yes, sir,
- He made an illegal turn,
- That was the reason?
- And no other reason?
- I object, Your Honor, It's argumentative,
- Sustained,
- No further questions,
This isn't looking good,
Let's not give up now,
We gotta have the faith
that it's gonna be all right,
Did Teddy Woods tell you
where he got the gun?
Yes, He said he got it
from his girlfriend's father,
Did he say that he took it,
or that he stole it?
He said, "I stole it,"
Would you please speak up,
Deputy Johnson?
Deputy Johnson, please speak up
so that the jury members can hear you,
- He said, "I stole it,"
- "I stole the gun,"
- "I stole the gun,"
- Objection!
No further questions,
Deputy Bono said
you witnessed the illegal turn?
Yes, sir,
Hmm,
You were closer to the scene,
but Deputy Bono made the arrest?
Well, I was in the process of taking
his license plate and calling it in
when Deputy Bono
pulled in behind him,
I see,
No further questions,
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
Mr, Greenspan, would you say that
you and your wife got along?
- We enjoyed each other's company,
- I see,
- We were married for 20 years,
- Mm-hm,
I loved my wife,
You testified that on September 7,
Teddy Woods shot your wife
from your side of the car,
How is it, sir, that the bullet
traveled from a lower angle?
He would've had to have been
on his knees with the car door open
- for that to happen,
- I don't know,,,
I am not done with
the questioning here, Mr, Greenspan,
You said that a man approached
your wife on the passenger side,
and the shooter
stuck a gun to your head,
And when your wife refused
to surrender her purse,
the shooter then turned his gun
and shot your wife in the head,
Now, how could that happen
and you not sustain any hearing damage?
You had no powder burns on your shirt,
Objection!
Let him answer the question,
Sustained, Mr, Locket,
you're badgering the witness,
This is all very curious to me,
And frankly, I'm puzzled,
Well, l-I had no damage to my ear,
and I wasn't checked for powder traces,
Mr, Greenspan,
if I put a gun to your head
and then turn and shoot your wife,
how could the bullet travel
at an upward angle?
Objection! Mr, Greenspan
is not an expert in ballistics,
Sustained,
Mr, Locket, if you continue in this line,
I will hold you in contempt,
I'm trying to establish here,
with all the evidence at hand,
- that this man is probably lying!
- Objection! Move to strike,
Sustained, The jury
will disregard the last statement,
Thank you, Your Honor,
Why do you always have to
carry your gun?
'Cause I'm always on duty,
- You've changed,
- Look, don't start that again, please,
Please,
Why are you trying
to look older, tougher?
'Cause I am older,
Wiser, too,
You know, you might have to
kill someone in the line of duty,
Damn! I'm a peace officer,
Why can't we ever have a conversation
without my job coming up?
OK?
- OK,
- Thank you,
- Looking good, Ryan,
- Thank you, sir,
Deputy Fields,
you do not impress anybody
with the amount of words
that you use in your report,
It's not supposed to
look like a personal diary,
Yes, sir,
- How are you, Deputy Bono?
- Very good, sir,
- Looking good, Hold your stomach in,
- Thank you, sir,
Mr, Johnson, I understand that
you will be off probation soon,
Your work has improved,
There will be a final review,
so get everything together,
- I'm very proud of you,
- Yes, sir,
Thank you, sir,
Have a nice day,
Yeah, you do the same,
- Troop,
- Hey,
- You shoot somebody?
- In a way,
You did or you didn't?
The, uh, serial number on the gun
I picked up with Teddy Woods
has been changed
on my arrest report,
- Damn,
- Why would somebody do that?
Because Teddy Woods
is a perfect suspect,
Because nobody's gonna give a hoot
or holler if Teddy Woods is put to death,
- He's got to be guilty, He's got to be guilty,
- Why does he got to be guilty?
'Cause I,,,
I lied about his arrest,
- We had no reason to pick him up,
- J, J,!
Hey, Foster, This the cell
where Ernie Marshall hung himself?
Yeah,
How can a man hang himself
in one of these cells?
- Give anybody enough rope, J, J,
- What?
J, J,, don't go stickin'
your nose into anything,
I'm gonna tell you somethin',
There are some decent deputies here,
but don't go looking into a loaded gun,
I hope you understand
what I'm sayin',
If you know anything, just keep
your mouth shut, No more questions,
- You never told anybody?
- There is no one to tell,
Don't you understand?
A councilperson's wife gets
picked up for shoplifting,
A prominent citizen
involved in a hit-and-run,
No investigations,
no charges,
A state senator can't stop
pickin' up young boys,
No charges,
But they pay,
And you multiply that
by days and nights,
and you'll understand
what kind of a dark hole this place is,
- But everybody's not corrupt,
- Everybody makes mistakes!
- Jane?
- Yeah?
That was your sister,
She wants you to call her back,
Oh, All right,
You wanna come get him?
I think he's wet,
I'll take over,
Oh, come here,
Well, you know,
she probably wants to know
if we've decided to
go with them on the cruise,
What do you think?
You know, that's a hell of a lot
of money and trouble
to end up on a boat with a bunch of people
that you don't really care a lot about,
It's not a bunch of people,
It's just family, Hm?
Let's go get you taken care of, huh?
We get you
a new diaper, huh?
Get rid of that wet one,
I still haven't found the registration,
Make yourself at home,
OK, thank you,
Take your time,
I'd rather not ask the police
for it if I can help it,
Whoo!
If it's not in here,
I don't know where it is,
Juan, una cita
el 18 de este mes.
Dispense.
When you get a moment, please,
- Yeah, I got your message,
- We'll talk about it,
All right,
Well, gentlemen, we almost shot
ourselves in the foot with this one,
Look, a nine-millimeter
is a very, very common pistol,
In fact, it'd be very difficult
to tell which gun is which
without close examination
of the serial number,
Excuse me,
Mr, Sears is on line two,
- Westgate Life Insurance,
- Thank you, Joyce,
With the Ernie Marshall case
and the Cruz case,,,
Hello?
Yes, Mr, Sears,
Thank you for calling me back,
I appreciate that,
Yes, sir,
Mr, Greenspan's
the sole beneficiary?
Well, now, sir,
wait a minute,
There is a possibility that someone in the
sheriff's department is involved in all this,
Do you understand
what I'm saying to you? Mm-hm,
Very well,
Yes, we'll talk again,
Thanks for calling,
I,,, It,,,
You know, you give 'em
a chance to smell a rat,
and they all begin to dig with
picks and shovels - it's amazing,
I think Officer Johnson is
the one who tipped us on this,
Well, then, James, we're just gonna have
to bring him back to the witness stand,
Carmen, you'll put
that man's life in danger,
So be it,
Life is about making hard choices,
Mr, Taylor,
the bullet that killed Mrs, Greenspan
came from this gun,
Teddy Woods said
he stole your gun,
This is the weapon said to be
in his possession when he was arrested,
- This your gun?
- It looks like mine,
- But is it your gun?
- I'll have to check the serial number,
This is not my gun,
The gun I bought has a different number,
- And what's in your hand, sir?
- This is my original registration,
May I see it, please?
Thank you,
This is his original registration,
It does not match this gun,
Folks, this is not his gun,
I would like to admit
this gun registration into evidence,
Very well, Mr, Locket,
Any objection, Mr, Kern?
Mr, Taylor, this, then,
obviously is not your gun,
But let's not be confused,
This is the murder weapon
that Teddy Woods was picked up with,
No further questions,
I checked every hit-and-run case
from five years before Marshall's death,
- Nothing,
- You may be reading too much into Foster,
No! Foster was saying
that somebody in the department
was blackmailing somebody
on the city council,
So what if we find something?
What do we do?
- Hey,
- Hey,
What time?
What do you think the deal is
with Johnson and Fields?
Hanky-panky, I caught 'em back there
acting pretty suspicious,
I'd better not catch 'em,
I would like to call
Mr, Greenspan to the stand,
Mr, Greenspan has
suffered a great loss,
Would Mr, Greenspan
please take the stand?
You are still under oath,
Mr, Greenspan,
Mr, Greenspan,
did you know anyone
working at the Edgemar Station
before your wife was murdered?
No, I didn't,
You never met
Deputies Baker or Hall?
Your Honor, I believe
Mr, Greenspan answered that,
Mr, Locket, Mr, Greenspan
answered the question,
I want it on record
that he includes Deputies Hall and Baker,
That will be all, Mr, Greenspan,
Thank you,
The court will recess
until after lunch, which will be 2:30,
Mr, Greenspan, I'm George Beaten
and this is Robert Hill,
We're both from
Westgate Life Insurance,
Can we have a moment?
We can order lunch,
- This isn't a good time,
- It would help our investigation,
- What investigation?
- We look into large death benefit claims,
Well, your company indicated
everything was satisfactory,
In cases involving murder, Mr, Greenspan,
nothing is totally satisfactory,
I'll be glad to talk with you, so long
as my lawyer is present, Thank you,
- What happened?
- I don't know,
Well, why don't you find out and fix it?
You got this subpoena, just like I did,
That oughta tell you something,
Jesse, you can't go into court
looking like this,
Oh, I'II,,, I'll spruce
myself up, you know,
Pinch my cheeks,
take in a bottle of Geritol,
I hope you last that long,
Fix it,
Officer is requesting assistance
on a California license plate 3ACU,,,
Roger, we copy request...
Driver, step out of the car!
Hey! Driver, step out of the car!
- Oh, man, get down!
- Let's go, let's go!
- You were lucky you had this on,
- My girlfriend made me wear it,
- How many rounds you get off?
- Uh...
About a load and a half,
We need to know
the exact number of bullets,
We'll take some x-rays, make sure the
impact didn't cause any internal damage,
I know it hurts,
It's like getting hit with a bat,
Just hang in there, man,
Hold on,
You're doin' fine, man,
- It's all right,
- I'll put down 18,
Death was caused
by repeated blows to the head,
Face and hands
burnt with acid solution,
making identification impossible,
except with dental records,
John Doe, white male,
aged 50 to 55,
How is it that Deputy Johnson made
a mistake on the serial number of the gun?
Deputy Johnson constantly
makes error after error,
- Look at these work sheets,
- Oh, OK, good, That's good,
How is it possible that the gun
that the department had in its possession
was used to murder Mrs, Greenspan?
All right, we're investigating
several people within the department,
For example, trustees who may have had
a special relationship with Teddy Woods,
What about the rumors that some of your
officers are prone to excessive violence?
Ira, I can simply say,
this department operates within the law,
No, No, Clarence,
That,,, that is not a good answer,
Well, give me a better one,
Look, when we get
into the courtroom, we are a team,
OK, Now everything from here on out
is off the record, all right?
Why do you say
you don't make mistakes?
'Cause Watch Commander Massey
is always on my case,
I check every arrest report
several times before I file it,
If you look at my reports, all of 'em
except for the Teddy Woods report,
you'll see that they're very clear,
That will contradict Massey,
of course,
Sears is on line one,
Excuse me,
Hello,
Hello,
- Which line is it?
- Line one,
- You are a very lucky young man,
- Hello,
- I don't feel so lucky,
- Greenspan is missing?
That's bad news,
That is very bad news,
Why didn't you, Mr, Kern,
inform me that Greenspan was missing?
- No one knew that he was missing,
- I was talking to Mr, Kern here,
You have a bad habit
of hiding information from us,
The body that was found
is Mr, Greenspan?
That's correct, Your Honor,
Please don't smoke, sir,
Westgate Life Insurance
had been investigating Greenspan
for trying to hire someone
to kill his wife,
Mr, Greenspan was having
an affair for many years,
- Having a mistress isn't against the law,
- It is in my book,
What?
Uh, this case should now
be under the jurisdiction of the FBI,
- Mr, Williams fled the state to avoid,,,
- Give it to me,
I'll look after it,
You know it's the old man's
birthday comin' up,
Yeah, I got something picked out,
Here he comes,
How can a man
abuse his own child?
Or any child?
Any news on the gun
that was used on Johnson?
Yeah, it's clean,
So's the car,
- You heard about Greenspan?
- Yeah, it was in all the newspapers,
What kind of a man was he?
- What, Greenspan?
- Greenspan, yes,
Like any victim,
My wife,,,
Watch his head,
Stop trying to talk, Just be quiet,
- Somebody get some water!
- Call the hospital!
- Jesus God, he stopped breathing,
- No pulse,
- Is he taking any medication?
- Yes, it's in his drawer there,
Call a paramedic!
They're on the way,
One, two, three,
four, five...
One, two, three, four, five,
Gilmore, get over here,
- One, two, three,,,
- Come on, Jesse,
- ,,, four, five,,,
- Breathe!
- Gene,
- C'mon, Jesse, C'mon, Jesse,
Come on, Pops, breathe,
- Gene,
- Yeah?
Gene,
He's gone,
Will someone go out,,,
lower the flag?
Hey, sarge,
What you doin' back there?
Budget cuts, J, J,
They got me fillin' in again,
Why's the flag at half-mast?
Hall died,
Well, that's too bad,
That depends,
Come on, man, I thought you guys
were gonna push me down there!
- It'll be the first time you hit the pins,
- Oh, right, thanks a lot,
Hey, I got three to pick up,
Where you goin'?
- Come on, fellas!
- Pick 'em up, Gilmore,
Easy spare,
Roll her up,
Why weren't you at Hall's funeral?
- I had a bad case of diarrhea,
- Diarrhea, my ass,
- What's the problem?
- Murder!
Don't make accusations
you can't prove,
You guys are turning this place
into a bloodbath,
- Those people were scum!
- You think we're any better than they are?
You're damn right!
You don't want to be an outsider,
Maybe I do,
Puttin' in a little overtime, Fields?
You know, all our files
are public property,
All you have to do is ask,
This is an account of
a criminal case that went nowhere,
What,,,
Uh, "The witness states that the defendant
is not the one she'd originally I, D,'d,"
She thought she'd identified
the driver in a lineup,
But the man on trial
was not the same man,
The only thing she remembered about
the original suspect was his license plate:
"L-T-S-G-T-11,"
The whole case
got thrown out of court,
But the hit-and-run driver in the lineup
must have been booked and fingerprinted,
Chuck was the officer on the scene,
And his original report
would be in storage,
Who says detective work is hard?
- The natives are restless,
- We received information
that drugs are going to
be transferred at 408 Pine Road,
the house that
Scott and Peters have been watching,
Now, get this, gentlemen,
The D, E, A, is going to back us up this time,
This is going to be our prize,
The assignment?
Baker and the Rough Riders,
All right, everybody,
Listen up,
I want you all to report to me
individually for your work assignments,
Now let's hit some home runs
on this one, huh?
Let's do it, Let's do it,
I don't know why S, W, A, T,
didn't take this place,
Massey needs a trophy,
Sheriff's department!
We got a warrant,
Hit it!
Go! Go! Go! Go!
All clear. Repeat. All clear.
What?
Tell 'em we're at
the back door, comin' in,
Baker, we're at the back door,
Baker, we're at the back door,
What are you guys doing here?
- It's over,
- Over? Nobody informed us,
Didn't you just hear
Baker say it was over?
We were told to hold
this position, period,
- What channel are you guys on?
- Three,
Tell me, why is this walkie-talkie on four?
Look, three's the channel,
Everything's been going over on three,
Now get back to that house,
It's not secured,
Go!
Stupid rookies,
- You owe me one, Troop,
- Oh, what do I owe you?
Imagine what would have happened
if I hadn't smelled a rat,
I'm filing a report, We could've been
killed by somebody's stupid mistake,
Yeah, well, I'm not going back in there
till the lights come on
and the chief comes out that back door,
Code four. Code four.
Yes, Yes, I know,
Yeah, OK,
- It was a bad night, What is it?
- Baker gave us the wrong information,
- What are you talking about?
- We were told, on a separate channel,
to make entry through the rear of the
premises while the situation was still hot,
- Everybody was on channel three,
- We were on channel four,
Did you check your walkie-talkies?
The walkie-talkies
were given to us on that channel,
- By Baker?
- No, sir, By a deputy,
And if we had come in through that back
door at that instant, we would've been shot,
What are you getting at?
It looked as if somebody was
hoping we were stupid enough
to walk in through that back door
while the operation was still in progress,
If you had done your job, you would
have checked your walkie-talkie,
It seems to me as though
you made a mistake, almost paid for it,
- and now you're looking for a conspiracy,
- No, sir, No, sir,
The situation felt strange
from the very beginning,
Don't you talk to me about strange,
- I am requesting an investigation,
- If you don't like it here, transfer,
Stop trying to be a missionary
and save the natives,
Let the professionals
police this jungle!
I have the right
to work here, sir,
You have the right to work here,
but you don't fit in,
- Fit into what?
- I run this damn station,
and I have the right
to keep you from slandering it,
I have the right to have a competent staff
of dedicated men who like their work,
This department will change, Mr, Massey,
Really? Would you care
to give me a time frame?
- It will be soon, sir,
- This meeting is over,
Over,
I had asked the city council
to investigate the Edgemar Station,
But Massey came down on me hard
in the council chamber,
Councilman Ross,
how could a city government
be hustled
by the sheriff's department?
Well, in the case of Ernie Marshall,
we knew something was fishy,
but the city just
couldn't afford a lawsuit,
That, at least, should tell you
whose side we were on,
And because the sheriff's
in-house investigation
cleared themselves
of any wrongdoing,
And you will testify
to that in court?
I'd like to, but,,,
the city would be up the ying-yang,
I believe in Teddy's innocence,
Now, do you want him to go to jail
for something he did not do?
No,
But you have to understand
city government,
- Hey,
- Hi,
- I checked out the house on Pine Street,
- Mm-hm,
It had been raided three times,
There was a sting operation there once,
and two people have been murdered
on the front lawn,
Now, what drug dealer would
operate out of that house?
Still not enough
to prove it was a setup,
I checked through Chuck's old records,
Nothin' there,
- So all we have is that license plate,
- Maybe,
But there's a picture in
the old criminal records of this guy,
I,,, I swear I've seen this guy
somewhere before, but I can't,,,
- Oh, it's probably nothing,
- All right, See you in court, big boy,
Hey, I am a big boy,
- That is sexual harassment, young man,
- Ha! You wish,
- Bye,
- Be safe,
Yeah,
All rise,
The Honorable Helen Lewis presiding,
You may be seated,
I understand you have
a request, Mr, Kern,
- Yes, Your Honor,
- Counsel may approach the bench,
Your Honor,
Detective Baker is here now,
Rather than have him stay here
waiting to testify,
the People request he
be placed on a two-hour call,
Mr, Locket,
is that agreeable with you?
Can I decide on this, uh,,, later?
Mr, Locket, I say we
pick up where we left off,
Yes,
- Just call your next witness, Mr, Locket,
- Let's go,
- Thank you, Your Honor,
- Thank you, Your Honor,
- Yes, it looked suspicious,
- Mm-hm,
Mr, Greenspan's actions
were suspicious to me,
How long have you
been with the department?
At that time, eight months,
And in eight months,
you had become a homicide expert,
And in spite of Sergeant Baker's 20 years'
experience, you felt he was wrong,
- Yes, I felt he was wrong,
- You became an expert that night?
I became aware that
Mr, Greenspan's statements and actions
were inconsistent with the facts,
- In only eight months,
- Yes!
It was obvious,
No further questions,
Deputy Fields, before you joined the
sheriff's department, didn't you study law?
I practiced law in Minnesota,
and decided to move to California
to study for the bar,
In the meantime,
I joined the sheriff's department,
It starts off paying very well,
Thank you,
No more questions,
Deputy Foster, is there any reason
Detective Baker would say you're lying?
Yes, Baker,,, and Massey,,,
wanted me to go along with
the official line on the Ernie Marshall case,
I object, Your Honor,
Move to strike that response,
Deputy Foster was a witness
who testified he knew nothing at the time,
Will counsel approach the bench?
We'll go off the record here,
Mr, Locket, what case are you trying?
Your Honor,
Chief Massey testified
that Deputy Foster had a problem
because he had not been promoted,
Well, the problem is
the department made him lie
about the Ernie Marshall case,
Well, then get to where
you're going with this, Mr, Locket,
The Marshall case has
nothing to do with this case,
Well, it seems that it does, Mr, Kern,
Since you brought it up
in the presence of the jury,
You may proceed with
your line of questioning, Mr, Locket,
Thank you, Your Honor,
Deputy Foster, is the department
covering up evidence?
- Yes,
- Objection,
The witness admits to
lying to the grand jury,
and now he has
a different version of the truth,
- Overruled,
- Deputy Foster,
did Detective Baker ever threaten you?
Yes,
You were coached on
what to say in this case
the way you were coached on what to say
in the Ernie Marshall case, isn't that so?
Yes,
Deputy, have you ever heard of
an organization in the department
- known as "The Rough Riders"?
- Yes,
It's a group of men that
formed around Baker and Hall,
They're all transfers
from other stations,
Men who had been cited
for excessive use of force,
- Objection, Hearsay,
- Overruled,
Check their personnel folders,
Your Honor, I have no further questions,
And, Deputy, thank you,
Indeed,
Isn't The Rough Riders a bowling team,
with Detective Baker as captain?
- That's what they do on their off-hours,
- You didn't answer my question,
Mr, Foster,,,
you lied to the grand jury,
I was encouraged by the department
to back up statements
made by Baker and Massey,
But you lied,
- You're a liar,
- Mr, Kern,
- Objection, Your Honor,
- Sustained,
Withdrawn,
Sorry, Your Honor,
The jury will disregard
that last statement,
I make mistakes,
but I always make two copies,
The one I turn in
is always free of errors
because Chief Massey's on my case
about the least little thing,
This is not the gun you picked up
with Teddy Woods, is it?
No,
- Mr, Johnson, have you lied to this jury?
- What are you talking about?
- Just a yes or no answer,
- No!
I would like to recall this witness
at a later date,
Who is this guy?
I've seen him before,
Where'd you get that?
You told me where to look,
- You can ruin his career,
- Man, it's already ruined!
Jay Livingston,
head of Business Affairs,
He's booked under "James Drake,"
You're telling me he's the one
that keeps picking up minors?
Chief Massey, you've served
the department for over 30 years,
the last ten years as chief,
And you've received
numerous citations and awards,
- Is that not so?
- That's correct,
Did you ever tell Deputy Foster
what to say to the grand jury?
No, sir,
What's your evaluation
of Deputy Johnson?
In my opinion?
He never would have
made the department,
if the city council
hadn't made a special case
of getting him into the department,
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you
have heard both sides of the argument,
As jurors, it is your duty to determine
the effect and value of the evidence,
and to decide
all questions of fact,
You must not be influenced
by sympathy, prejudice or passion,
It is your duty to follow the law.
You are instructed
to bring in a verdict,
- Here comes the chief,
- Everybody, get ready,
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
Which nobody can deny
Happy birthday!
Speech!
- Now, whose idea was this?
- It was all of us, Chief,
Look at that - a vanilla cake,
How did you know I like vanilla, huh?
We hired a private investigator,
He also told us that
you like deep-sea fishing,
so we all got together
and we got you this rod and reel,
- So, what'd you get him?
- That's for deep-sea fishin',
That's where the real men
go to fish,
Not like that fly-fishing -
for ladies,
Well, I'II, uh,,,
I'll catch a big marlin with this one,
Thank you,
Happy birthday,
No luck with those license plates,
I tried every possible combination,
Has the jury reached a decision?
The jury was not able
to reach a verdict,
How could that be?
We can't go through another trial,
Don't you know somebody
in the D, A,'s Office?
What for?
They're not happy with the case,
The Greenspan family wants money
from the insurance company,
The insurance company
is feeding the D, A, a lot of bull,
I don't want this ship to sink,
- You know how to swim, don't ya?
- No time for jokes, pal,
I'm not laughing, They will believe
anything you tell them,
Jesus, What now?
All right, that's enough,
Come on, knock it off,
All right, knock it off!
I said hold it!
Break it up!
- Now, what happened here?
- I caught him puttin' a note on my locker!
What are you talkin' about? I found a piece
of paper on the floor and thought it came,,,
- You're a damn liar!
- Hold it,
All right, let him go,
Come to my office, Johnson,
Yeah? What?
You have a problem, mister,
you come to me -
you don't take the law
in your own hands,
You are really becoming
a pain in the ass,
I asked him what he was doing,
putting notes in my locker,
He started calling me names
and pushing me around,
Your attitude is wrong
for this department,
You're damn right,
my attitude is wrong!
I'm not gonna put up
with that garbage!
Fighting is something
I will not have here,
Now, you are assigned to a desk
until we look into this matter,
- What?!
- I'll take care of Kurt,
Now get the hell out of here,
- I'm gonna appeal this,
- I don't care what you do,
Yeah,
But, of course, you're
not a member of the Harrington Club,
No, I'm not, You see, the good old boys
only allowed us blacks to wait tables,
But now and again
you'll see a rare minority as a guest,
- But you are, Mr, Kern?
- Yes, I am,
- And are you a member, Judge?
- My husband was once,
One day he took our adopted son
with him to the club,
It was a painful experience,
We've decided
it's in the best interest of the city
to drop the murder charge
and not pursue another lengthy trial,
Isn't there evidence
to prosecute?
Oh, yes, We still believe
Teddy Woods killed Mrs, Greenspan,
Then take the case to court,
Mr, Locket?
Well, I think it would best serve
the city and Mr, Woods,
yes, if the case went to trial,
Are you going to ask
for a jury trial?
- Are you going to be the judge?
- Yes,
This is car 7-8
requesting a tow truck,
I'm just north of the inter,,,
First she has to have
a nose job. But then she doesn't like men.
Then why all the trouble?
Say, Bob, did I detect
a slight lisp in your voice?
Oh, Stevie,
I didn't think you'd notice, big boy.
Would you like to meet me
in an alley?
I'm getting back
into law,,, soon,
You know, when I was a kid, this was
the only thing I ever dreamed about being,
Trooper, you're supposed
to become chief, remember?
I just want to last long enough
to get a pension and get out,
- Yeah,
- It's too crazy out there,
Let's go,
- Let's get high,
- What?
No, no, I mean...
The "11," On the license plate,
It's not an "11," it's an "H,"
"Let's get high,"
Hey, it's me!
Deborah, what the hell
are you doing?
- What is the matter with you?
- I'm a nervous wreck!
Someone is
tapping my phone, I,,,
- I don't know, I'm going crazy,
- Yeah, maybe,
Thank you,
This,,, is the file
we've been looking for,
L-T-S-G-T-H,
Councilman Reese's son,
- I gotta go call Locket,
- Wait,
Go ahead,
Oh, man,
it's cold out there,
- No answer,
- God,
I'm afraid to go to sleep,
- I'll follow you home,
- No,
No, huh?
No, Don't worry,
I got this, right?
I'll be fine,
- Seriously,
- Call me if you need me,
I'll call you,
OK,
Be safe,
- That is Councilman Reese's son,
- Yeah, I know,
He was involved in a hit-and-run,
and the department covered it up,
Hmm,
- You know him?
- Yeah, Business Affairs,
That's one reason we couldn't get
the Commission to do anything
about Ernie Marshall's death,
Massey was pulling the strings,
Hello,
Hey, Foster,
What's up?
What?
That can't have happened,
Next time, why don't you have your gang
jump on me like they jumped on Deborah?
Huh?
You're gonna shoot me now, huh?
Cold-blooded killer, right?
Cold-blooded,
You got that right,
I'll put a bullet in you,
blow you all over the walls,
All right, that's it!
Johnson, out of here,
No, no, no, no, no!
Don't worry about him, He can't shoot me,
My hands aren't tied
behind my back, right, Bake?
And if he does shoot you, I will testify
in a court of law that it was self-defense,
Self-defense?
I'm not carrying a gun,
Oh, but I guess you can always
find a gun to plant on me,
- You wanna try me? Huh?
- Hey!
J, J,, chill out, man,
- Come on, J, J,!
- Get him off me!
Break it!
Just relax!
- Don't make me break it!
- Jesus, Baker!
Please, for God's sake!
Don't be a fool,
Now, give me the gun,
Put him in a cell,
- Come on, Come on,
- Don't, Don't, Don't!
I have the right
to make a phone call,
- You're not under arrest,
- Then let me out of here,
What are you doin' here?
Foster's downstairs in Booking,
tryin' to be some kind of a boy scout,
We can't keep Johnson
locked up forever,
I would,
Chuck... Get Jack Bono in here,
You brought your army,
- What in the hell is this?
- Police blackmail,
Councilman Reese's son
was positively identified
as the driver
of a hit-and-run vehicle,
'Course, there were no charges,
Councilman Reese is
on the Police Commission,
Livingston here,,,
child molestation,
No charges,
I don't know
if this is true or not,
You could ruin
these people's careers,
You think about what you're doing
before you get involved in all this mess,
I have thought about it, and you're
protecting the wrong group of people,
- I know these people,
- Councilman,
When I leave here,
I'm going straight to the newspapers,
Get me the Attorney General's Office,
Did you, um...
get Massey's files to anybody?
Locket and Reverend Banks,
- They're gonna take care of it,
- We got one,
Just one,
We should probably let her rest,
- You take care of him,
- OK, I will,
Yeah, We should go,
- We'll see you,
- OK,
- Get some rest,
- See you later,
It's a search warrant, The U, S, Attorney's
Office is seizing all our records,
What?
They just sit around
and watch paint dry,
What's the matter?
Dad,
Mom,
Barbara and I decided that,
well, since I'm out of a job now,
that we should...
- go ahead and get married,
- Well, congratulations!
I knew you wouldn't let
your little brother outdo you,
Who is that at this hour?
- Johnny Johnson?
- No, I'm Harold Johnson,
- Is Johnny Johnson here?
- Yes, he is,
I'm his father,
Is there some kind of trouble?
No problem, Mr, Johnson,
I'd like to speak to your son, please,
- Is everything all right?
- Everything is fine, May I speak to him?
- I hope you're happy,
- Oh, I am, You know I am,
- Mm-hmm, I know you are,
- J, J,!
There's a marshal
at the door for you,
- Are you Johnny Johnson?
- Yeah,
Here's a date and time
to appear in court,
Sign right here for me, please,
- What did I do?
- Read what it says,
J, J,, you have been
charged by the government
with violating
Teddy Woods' civil rights,
under the color of authority,
- Do you know what that means?
- I didn't violate anybody's civil rights,
Then sit down and talk to us, J, J,
Please,
Mr, Bono said he stopped Teddy Woods
because he was a black male,
Bono asked me to support
his report, which I did,
- You lied?
- Baby,,,
I was doin' what I thought
was right at the time,
- I can't believe you did that,
- Barbara, I was a cop,
I was thinkin' like a cop,
- I'm sorry,
- You said he had been stopped
because he made a traffic violation,
J, J,, you lied
on the witness stand,
The conclusion
from the internal investigation
just has you
nailed to the floor, man,
And Bono, because he cooperated,
has no charges,
- Bono is in the clear?
- Yeah, he gave you up,
So he was granted
immunity from prosecution,
Stupid,
Stupid, stupid, stupid,
What happened to rescuing
innocent people from the bad guys?
You were so bright-eyed
not long ago!
Your eyes are like looking down
the barrel of a gun now,
- I was doin' my damn job,
- I don't owe you sympathy,
You know what? Just once I wish you could
hear something from my point of view,
You're supposed to be my woman!
I'm not your property!
Look, I'm not gonna say you were right
just because I love you,
I can see through that badge,
It doesn't hide the evilness,
I thought I was doin' right,
You know, uh,,,
I really thought
I was doin' the right thing,
Could you just
leave me alone right now?
I need to be alone,
No, you don't,
Kick it,
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Children
The sins of the father
taken over by the son
The way it's gone down
since the time begun
Plymouth Rock landed
on the black man's soul
Just like the way
most history's told
Broken spirit, broken face
Slavery dropped down
on a noble race
African warrior wipin' the boots
Of a white slave master
who stole his roots
Don't let him read,
don't let him write
Don't let him stand up
long enough to fight
And just in case
that's what he's got in mind
Hang him from a tree
with a piece of twine
He's half a human,
three-fifths of a man
Southern God
don't even give a goddamn
And if you think
this is all old news
The black men today
are still singin' the blues
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Children
Yesterday it was a plantation
Today it's a city street
See the homeless brothers and sisters
Livin' in a cardboard,
nothin' to eat
Can't get no home
without a job
Can't get no job
without a home
Can't get no car
without some credit
Can't get a damn thing,
I already said it
America's built
on the back of the black
Raped Indian land
and won't never give it back
Founding fathers
took affirmative action
For white males
only got the satisfaction
Ownin' lands,
castin' votes
Shuckin' off the shadows
on the black scapegoats
It ain't no puzzle,
needs no clues
To see why the black man
sings the blues
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Children
A wave of crime
sweeps across the nation
Many black men
in incarceration
Dangerous thugs
could start a riot
So build more jails
to keep 'em quiet
Or give 'em drugs
to sell to one another
Then watch the black man
kill his brother
He swallowed his rage
for 400 years
Now he packs a nine
instead of a spear
So what would you do
in such a situation?
No money, no job,
no education
No respect, no self-esteem
Just pickin' up the crumbs
of the American dream
Don't know jack
from where he came
He's never to know
his tribal name
Ready to blow
like a red-hot fuse
The black man
still is singin' the blues
Wade in the water
Wade in the water,
brothers and sisters
- Wade in the water
- Stolen roots, black boots
- Children
- Wade in the water, baby
It just don't make sense
Wade in the water
You better wade in the water,
brothers and sisters
Wade in the water
- Children
- Wade in the water, baby
'Cause we still singin' the blues
Wade in the water
Wade in the water,
brothers and sisters
- Wade in the water
- Yeah
- Children
- Wade in the water, baby
In the water
Wade in the water
Children