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Cops Season 3 · Episode 18

New Jersey 1

26th January 1991 Season 3 Episode 18

(12:45 AM Shooting Call) Jersey City - Officer Thomas Porter chose the job because his brother was in the department and most people on the block were cops, so he figured he might as well join. He's driving toward the WTC and says there's excellent job security, the money's not bad, the benefits are great and someone has to do it, doesn't mind helping people out once in a while, that's the job. Officer Robert Falconetti is his partner and they go to the call of a man shot in his car on Second and New York Ave. He is put in the ambulance since he's hit in the head. The car is off to the side on the curb with bullet holes in the window and spent shells on the ground so they leave it to the investigators. A call comes in that someone saw the shooter so they drive over to his backyard and eight cops chase down the tall black guy who says he doesn't know what happened. He's the right guy, but they can't find the gun that fired the 10 shots. (2:30 AM Shooting Call) Another shooting happened down the road, another fun night in the city. Tony is a black guy sitting on some stairs with a wound to the neck. They ask who shot him, he doesn't know, they took his wallet. They tell the ambulance to hurry since he's falling over. Tom tells the guy to go and asks if he stutters. EMS arrives. It's common in the projects, close to the first of the month, today is the fourth, they've had enough time to get their checks and go crazy. They go out on foot and ask the people around if they saw anything, but no one says a thing. There are lots of violent crimes and no one wants to rat on their friends. It's the code of silence, if they rat on someone, they'll be next. Hoboken - Sgt. Mike Plunkett asks the officers if they have their helmets and hands out their night sticks. They are short handed with only four of them until 8 o’clock. Have a good night. His great-great grandfather was a cop there in 1876 and his family has lived there since. There’s not as many crimes as there used to be. Lots of the bars now cater to the yuppies, instead of the working class when he was a kid, lots more fights back then. (5:15 PM Disturbance Call) He’s going to Redheads bar where the owner has a bat on a customer. The guy says a man threatened him over the phone with a bat. Someone broke into his house in Jersey City and has a bat with his name on it. They talk to the owner who says the guy charged $1300 on his account for City Paint and Johnny is getting billed for it. The guy says he used him as a reference and they sent the bill here by mistake. He says he bought stuff for the lady and they mistakenly assumed it was for Redheads. They said to bill it to Redheads and he said fine. He's paying it right now. He says Johnny told him his house was robbed. The Sgt. says the guy knew they were charging him and he gets tired of the guy talking and interrupting him. He yells at him to stop and tells Johnny he can file a complaint with the detective, it's a lot of money. He can file right now if he's threatened. Johnny says he didn't say it. The guy keeps saying he can't watch his back and the Sgt. believes Johnny. The guy keeps saying it's against the law to make threats and the account has been settled so he can do what he want. It'll be settled in court, not here. After Mike says people come from all over the world to see the NYC skyline and they see it every day. The shot includes the WTC. Orange PD - Officer Dennis Vega says it's good to know the community you are in. He was born and raised there. Lots of the cops there were born and raised in Orange and are trying to give back to the town. He goes to a block party and shakes hands with people as do other cops. (3:15 PM Domestic Call) A man took his child from the mother so they go to her rundown apartment and talk to the mother. The door is bashed and smashed and has ‘Jones’ written on it in marker. He won't open the door so they call him on the phone and tell him to open the door. He puts the mom on the phone...

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Season 3 · Episode 19

New Jersey 2

(Truck Sting Operation Briefing) Jersey City - Captain Bobby Martin says many trucks are getting broken into and getting hit heavy after getting steered off the turnpike down one way streets with no way to turn around. Conrail loaned them a surveillance van used in Boston. Chief Inspector Art Dunn from the Conrail PD shows it off on the inside. Zenith gave them empty VCR, camcorder and TV boxes and they are glued and taped together to look flush. The giant crate on the left side is where the cops hide and it opens up to block the thieves in by wedging against the with a board on the floor. It's set up nice so they'll run inside and grab the equipment. They are in back of the projects. Officer Paul is driving the 18 wheeler Trailvan and pretends he broke down. He gets out, pops the hood and a black guy comes right up to him, then Paul leaves it. Seconds later three black kids come up to break the seal with a stick. (5:15 PM Truck Interior) Officer Andrew Lancellotti explains to the rest how many will come in and then they can open it. There's a bathroom and a long bench to sit inside the large crate. The kid in a white shirt and red shorts goes back to get a broom to break the seal. They are so excited when they get in and run saying "VCRs!!" Police jump them and they are surprised. They say they'll drive it over to Duncan and Sgt. Walter Barrett follows them over. They explain to Paul which way to turn and open the hood so they can see it better then he walks away from the truck. (7:55 PM) A black kid in white shorts works on the lock. He gets it open and excitedly signals his friends to come. When one joins him they jump them, but the second guy gets away. The first guy says they made him do it. When they pull him out of the truck a group of women laugh at him. He says he's 14. It starts to get dark so they call it off. He says they'll meet up and get them out of the back and they are thankful. Tomorrow they'll start earlier. Captain Bobby Martin says they did a good job yesterday and will do it again today. It's a big industry, a billion dollars a year of theft. They are going back to Duncan. We see cops have to enter the crate from a trapdoor in the bottom of the truck. They stop near a park and call the truck. They tell him to turn the nose their way. He pops the hood and fiddles with the engine to make it look good. He goes in and grabs his briefcase and walks away. (3:30 PM) There is a large pack of black men across the street. One of them grabs a screwdriver and heads over as another becomes a lookout. The guy gets the lock off and madly jumps in and is grabbed. The others jump through the door and grab the second guy. It's Christmas in August, they are setting up again. There are only certain streets in the city designated for trucks and people will steer them the wrong way so they can rob them. The move the truck to a new street. (6:15 PM) Four guys appear and one goes in the cab. A Hispanic man in a white hat pops the seal and calls to his buddies "VCRehs!" He grabs one, they jump him and drop out the bottom and grab the others. He says he has no dope on him, his hat comes off on the way out and says he's the only one to blame. He uses a hand pumper as the tool. It took only six minutes for them to park and break in. Captain Bobby Martin says they do a lot of proactive and reactive stuff patrolling hot areas where there are purse snatchings and house entries. Where there is bad crime they will set up and let them do the crime and catch them in the act, they are the witnesses in court. It's not a victim, it's the police as witnesses, so 9 times out of 10 they'll cop a deal. (12:10 AM Suspicious Situation) They spot Rob going in and out of a super market with a bag in the pouring rain. The bag was empty at first, now it's full. They watch him for a while to see where he goes. He goes up 5th and they stop him in the street. They ask if he bought the stuff, but he has no receipts. He threw them away and has no money...

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