The Badge: True and Terrifying Crime Stories That Could Not Be Presented on TV, from the Creator and Star of Dragnet

by Jack Webb

The Badge by radio and television star Jack Webb (first published in 1958), provides an in-depth look at the Los Angeles Police Department of the 1950s - its organization from the Commission and Chief to the officer on the beat, to the various records, forensic, and research departments. Also included are detailed accounts of infamous crimes, criminals, and scandals that rocked Los Angeles during that time, including behind-the-scenes accounts of the Black Dahlia murder, the Brenda Allen confessions, Stephen Nash's "thrill murders," Donald Bashor's "sleeping lady murders," and problems with narcotics, gangs, prostitution, and gambling. Webb offers an sympathetic look at the men and women of the LAPD, and provides insight into issues still affecting the department today. Included are 35 pages of photographs.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Detective

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Jack Webb's tight-lipped portrayal of Sgt. Joe Friday on the radio and television series "Dragnet" set the tone for a generation of police dramas.

Over the years Webb had achieved considerable success as the producer of such television shows as "Emergency" and "Adam 12," and as the star of such motion pictures as "Pete Kelly's Blues" and "The D.I."

But he remained best known to the public as the stone-faced Los Angeles Police detective of the 1950s and 1960s who greeted audiences each week with a terse: "My name is Friday... I'm a cop."

During the shows Friday and a succession of partners labored through investigative interviews frequently cut short by the request, "Just the facts, ma'am."

The immensely popular shows, which strove more for authenticity than melodrama, followed real police cases with attention to detail. Calendars shown on television matched those in Los Angeles Police stations and telephones carried the same numbers as extensions on real officers' desks.

Webb patterned Friday after actual officers as he saw them — calm, ordinary human beings working long and hard at often unglamorous jobs, engaging in violence only as a last, and unwelcome, resort.

— Eric Malnic in the Los Angeles Times Dec. 24, 1982

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Webb, Joe Friday himself writes a bunch of true crime tales from many sectors of the police department. Some of them are chilling, some are almost heart warming.

Very engaging. Like watching an episode of the 1950's era Dragnet.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've loved me some Dragnet ever since I was four or five. Joe Friday is the model for all the censorious prudes who populate today's CSI and Law and Order: PDQ squad rooms, the bluenoses who make it possible for us to simultaneously enjoy sanctimony and titillation at the antics of plushies or adult babies or some other group of paraphiliacs held up to our ridicule because they might be having more fun than we are. When I was a tyke, Joe's contempt was mostly directed at hippie dopers, but one of the myriad pleasures of adulthood has been the realization, through thorough exploration of the Mark VII oeuvre (reruns on Nick at Night and the radio show on WAMU), that his scorn is large enough to embrace all of humanity. The Badge is a 300-page rueful shake of the head at the floozies and fruits, Commies and bunco artists, street punks and Negroes doing the Devil's own work in the City of Angels. Webb is smug ("I'm shocked, shocked..."), mendacious, and an awkward stylist. In My Dark Places, James Elroy cites this as the Ur-text that inspired his own peculiar sensibility, and I guess, for that reason, I was hoping for a darker, more fucked-up, more morally ambiguous read. From Jack Webb. I'm not always the sharpest pencil in the box.

[Checkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched Adam-12, Emergency, and both the Fifties and Sixties Dragnet when I was a kid. Loved those shows and they influenced my choices as I went into adulthood. Of course many people make fun of Webb's shows in 2018, but they didn't at the time. Aimed at middle class America the shows reassured people that there were good honest hard working men (and a few token women) out there protecting them from the forces of evil.

Then ,inevitably, times change. The television show Police Story (1973-1977) showed more of a darker side of law enforcement (not surprising considering that Joseph Wambaugh was a consulting editor) and movies like The French Connection and Dirty Harry presented cops who were far away from Webb's clean ,and clean mouthed, officers and detectives.

In the real world events such as Watergate and the Knapp Commission (Frank Serpico) helped to erode the publics trust in law enforcement. Finally in 1998 the movie L.A. Confidential came out which was based on James Ellroy's novel of the same name. In that very watchable movie you see detectives who look and sound like Jack Webb's creations; only they are the evil doppelgangers. The whole thing is very watchable and rather perverse.

But all of that was in the future when Webb wrote "The Badge". He wrote the book using those wonderful Dragnet clipped sentences; it's essentially a love letter to the Los Angeles Police Department. Though a propaganda piece it's interesting to compare it to what we now know was going on in the Fifties and what was coming in just a few short years (Charles Manson, JKF assassination, civil rights movement, anti-war protests, drug culture, counter-culture, Zodiac Killer, etc.).

It's easy to make fun of a book like this and that isn't fair. Webb was very serious and he deals with the material in a balanced manner. He covers corruption (though it is shown as being isolated and always squashed effectively), race relations, drugs and what not. There is a comfortable beginning and end to Webb's coverage of such topics. Instead of showing crime as a constant and never ending part of society he makes it look like a cancer that pops up and is removed. Of course we all know how effective that approach can be with cancer. However this was how many viewed crime back then - not just Jack Webb.

An interesting book. Perhaps not totally truthful, but it still shows the attitudes and mindset of the time. I like the older books for just that reason for it is far too common to judge the past by today's standards. That is an unrealistic approach. Let the past speak for itself. In that respect "The Badge" has it's place.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a handful of extended LAPD true-crime stories, this is more of an overview of how the LAPD operates(circa 1950'S) from the patrolman up to the Chief of Police(and commissioners). Some of the stories are a number of pages in length and are very compelling, others are only a paragraph. The famous Black Dahlia piece is a lot shorter than I expected and light on the facts. Webb is a very good writer, I'm guessing he worked on many of the Dragnet scripts. The last few sections get into arguments over things like constitutional rights, racial profiling etc. that could have been written today instead of 1958. In the end this could have used more grisly, true-crime cases.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vintage late 50's take on crime and policing in the City of Angels. Several semi-boring chapters on the technical and organizational aspects of the era interspersed with some interesting cases and anecdotes. A bonus glossary of terms and codes used, including this one:
Blow Job- Where explosive is used on a safe
2.5 stars rounded up, for that definition alone!

[Crimefictioncritic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved watching Dragnet growing up and was happy to come across this book by Jack Webb. The wording is a little dated since the book was first published in 1958, but the writing style had me easily imagining Webb’s tight-lipped, “just the facts, ma’am” tone as Sergeant Joe Friday in the television series. I was a little disappointed the book didn’t quite live up to the billing in the summary: “Case by case, The Badge takes readers on a spine chilling police tour through the dark, shadowy world of Los Angeles crime.” Yes, Webb covers several cases, especially early in the book, but gives only snippets about all but two discussed. Mostly, this book was published to give 1950s LAPD and then Chief of Police, William Parker, positive PR. But Webb does a good job presenting the history of the LAPD and how the department changed over time with the development of new technology and modern theories of policing, which makes this book a worthwhile read. There aren’t nearly as many of the behind-the-scenes views of infamous Los Angeles crimes as the book summary promises, but those who enjoy reading about the history of the LAPD will enjoy this book. My rating isn’t any judgement on the quality of the writing, which was great, if dated. But more related to how the book isn’t really what the publisher advertised it to be.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a 60 year old collection of stories and historical anecdotes about the LAPD, the collection holds up remarkably well, with essentially none of the material coming across as outdated or archaic. Covering everything from the lowest level of patrolmen up to the police chief and commissioners, and addressing both individual crimes and general trends in policing theory and crime prevention and amelioration, this is a remarkable work that should be more widely known than it is.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping read by the man who brought you DRAGNET. Organized so the reader can see the specific challenges faced first by the patrolman, then by his higher-ups, all the way to the chief. Covers all kinds of cases considered too grim to make it to prime-time TV. Great stuff, and every word is written in Jack Webb's unmistakable style.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting! 3.5 stars

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the LAPD from Jack Webb's point of view. It is clear he did a whole lot of research, and it's no wonder he was honored as a police officer at his death.

Some of it I skipped over (murder cases too descriptive). But that was in the beginning, probably to catch any hesitant reader. As I read on, I was pleased to find it to be full of useful information regarding one of the largest Police Departments in the U.S. Sprinkled throughout were distinctive stories according to the officer who headed up the investigation-- the chapters were headed from "The Policeman" all the way to "Chief of Police" and "The Police Commission", the board that appoints the Chief; so each category got a spotlight.

Now I want to listen to all the radio shows and watch the TV series again!!:-)

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too dated and not charmingly so.

[Phil Clymer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, Jack, the promise of the book is more attractive than the execution. Parts were interesting, but whole chapters were torture.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Badge is an entertaining and well-written book. If you’re curious about the LAPD’s organization and the views of a semi-insider as of 1959, this is the book for you. This book is really more interesting if you know the story behind it. In 1959, Jack Webb had just finished ten years of Dragnet, first on radio from 1949 to 1955, then on TV from 1951 to 1959. Dragnet was absolutely revolutionary in that it was the first media to depict police officers from their position. No longer were the police the brutal clods of private detective novels or supermen like Dick Tracy. Instead, they were ordinary people who dated and had families and followed protocol. Webb’s good-cop view was true, and Dragnet did deal with officer misconduct. And, indeed, The Badge depicts atrocious conduct by police officers. But reading this today, Webb seems terribly optimistic about the future of police-community relations. I would pair this book with either an early Joseph Wambaugh novel, like The Onion Field or The New Centurions, or with LA Noir by John Buntin to get a total depiction of the LAPD.

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years ago when I came upon it in the True Crime section of a Library. Seeing Webb's name on it immediately caught my attention as well. Dragnet was still being shown in reruns and I'd grown up watching the show with my parents.

Even reading it back in the '70s it was easy to tell that the tales were written from the police officer's perspective and might be a bit prejudiced in their coverage of the suspects. Still, it was fascinating and led me to seek out more in the genre. My mother had always been a fan of those books and stories, so it was nice to be able to talk about books that we shared.

Webb covers a number of cases that the LAPD handled over the years. I believe it was the first time I encountered the Black Dahlia story and several others that I read about in more detail later.

I really should seek out the book again, as I'll be curious how my reactions to the stories may have changed now that I'm more familiar with True Crime writing. Will it be as fascinating now as it was when I first borrowed it.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in here were interesting and cool. At times in the first half the Sgt Joe Friday tone could get a little annoying but there's so many interesting anecdotes here about the history of the LAPD as it transitioned in the 50s to one of the most modern and effective police forces ever by the early 60s. I would have liked more of the intrigue and chaos of the department/city from the 20s-40s but Jack Webb glosses over most of that; his focus is on the solid work done by the men and women of the department and the service that it provides the city. In this day and age the police more than ever deserve the recognition for what they do for our communities. Interesting thoughts here to compare with modern day upstate New York, where our current state government believes more in the rights of the accused than the victims of crime and actively works to subvert state and local police forces. And our communities in this state pay dearly for it.

[Bill reilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A biography of James Ellroy led me to The Badge by the creator of the TV series, Dragnet, Jack Webb. My copy of the book is missing the introduction alluded to on the cover. It was published in 1959 and read by Ellroy when he was only eleven. His reading material far exceeded his years.
The only case covered at any length is the Black Dahlia murder. It remains unsolved and a few other crimes are scattered throughout the book. Endless logistics with dated terms which would not make it past today's standards make for an uninteresting read. Homos and Communists are given equal disdain, with closet queen, J. Edgar Hoover being a heroic figure. Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker is canonized by Webb, a fellow conservative Catholic. Somehow, Parker's alcoholism is overlooked, as well as the "devout" Webb's four marriages.
I was a regular viewer of Dragnet in the 1960s and Jack's low-key style is transferred to the pages here. He ain't Ellroy or Wambaugh.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Ellroy, in his introduction, credits this book with getting his writing started. He might be right —it does seem the source for a lot of facts about the LAPD, circa 1958. There are some stories (the Black Dahlia) that appear in Ellroy, and one story in particular (a horrifying skid row psychopath and an intrepid rookie sickened by this guy) that might have inspired him. (Webb takes 4 pages. Ellroy might have made 600 dark pages out of it).

As a reader, I am interested in the source material, the way things are different in 1958, and the personalities. The pro-cop attitude is baked in the cake. It’s well written.

[Dylan Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but ultimately slight and repetitive series of stories about the LAPD of the 1950s, starting at the patrolman and going up to the Chief.

Despite the book proudly proclaiming that the stories Jack Webb presented were "too hot for TV", what's here is mostly sanitized and surface level. Not terrible, but not exceptional.

Read it as it was a huge influence on James Ellroy, whose works I have spent the last 7 months reading, but the time would have been better spent reading The Big Nowhere again.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the "Old Time Radio" Dragnet series, so this isn't the same book. (Using it just to keep a record for myself). The radio show (got it through Chirp) was always entertaining. High production standards, gave the illusion of "being there" with sound effects. Best episodes were 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21.

Even the weaker stories were perfect for 30 minute drives. Ads for Fatima cigarettes were also interesting.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was suppose to influence James Ellroy. I found it and read it. It's a great book about the LAPD in the 1950's. Jack Webb, of Dragnet fame, wrote this book. He felt that the heroes people wrote about were real in the forms of policemen. This is an interesting book about L.A. and the policemen and women that worked in Los Angeles.

[Kurt Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at the challenges faced by the LAPD of the Late '50s, delivered in a terse, factual style. Tragically, much of what the author and then police chief feared would happen ultimately came to pass.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

,

[marc malfara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

Very good read, enjoyable and exciting. What else can I say? Maybe a touch more perhaps? One may never know

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

UTTER copaganda, but fascinating as a historical document.

[Peggy Dressell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Title is very misleading. It is a history of the LAPD. Too few crimes are explored. I wanted true crime, not a history lesson.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, dated of course being published in 1958. Details of the LAPD, late 40's & 50's, covering many of the crimes & scandals. Leans a little to the right, of course, being written by Jack Webb. I won't expound on it, but, as a former cop, recommend it highly (as does Charles Ellroy).

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Charlie's Angels, Miami Vice, or NYPD Blue, there was Dragnet. From 1951 to 1959, Jack Webb starred as Sergeant Joe Friday in the most successful police drama in television history. Webb was also the creator of Dragnet, and what made the show so revolutionary was its documentary-style format and the fact that each episode was "ripped" from the files of the LAPD. But 1950s television censors deemed many of the stories in the LAPD's files too violent or sensational for the airwaves. The Badge is Webb's collection of stories that could not be presented on TV: untold, behind-the-scenes accounts of the Black Dahlia murder, the Brenda Allen confessions, Stephen Nash's "thrill murders," and Donald Bashor's "sleeping lady murders," to name just a few. Case by case, The Badge takes readers on a spine chilling police tour through the dark, shadowy world of Los Angeles crime. It is a journey that, even four decades after it originally appeared in print, no reader is likely to forget.

[Bradley Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Informative. Retro. Ridiculous cop propaganda. And it’s a blast.

I read this books because of James Ellroy. This book is like his id. In the forward, Ellroy admits it is what seeded his literary ambitions, and it seems entirely true. Ellroy’s career feels now in context like a fetishist’s ode to what Jack Webb wrote here, haha. It also struck me as a sort of bible to all the noir shows of the 60s, like The Fugitive, that became gradually more sinister and gritty in ideas. It’s written going from a sort of old news real style to actual case file descriptions (it seems to me).

The book is structured in LAPD hierarchy. Each chapter tells us from bottom to top what each police rank and division is and what it does. I was fascinated by this because I realized I never really understood what the difference is between a police sergeant to a lieutenant, etc.

Though dated, those who care will still find The Badge in formative in those terms. And the particular crimes discussed are interesting, even if they feel sort of Mickey Mouse compared to what we’re exposed to today. But I liked that, too. The criminals seemed so small time. So REAL. Today you just hear about the super villains and you don’t get a real sense of how they tick. Although Jack Webb over simplifies motivations, there’s still many point of interest. There was a common sense back then that is more arm chair apologist these days (just in terms of we’re so afraid of rankling anybody by saying the wrong thing that really nothing meaningful is said at all).

The “fun” part of the book is the obvious and laughable propaganda aspect. The book is obviously designed to make all police look like heroes (for good reason) and to inspire recruits to try and be the best.

Webb describes the average LAPD cop as having anywhere between 120 to 140 I.Q., while still going to college at nights and taking care of menial chores with a thriving family at home. The who department is described as working together, no racism tolerated, and even the media loves them.

At the same time, it makes me wistful. I was born in the late 70s. Today cynicism is flaunted with pride. This book reserves the cynicism just for the criminals (not that I agree with that either...but whatever) and generally has a winning “can do!” attitude that I wish would return to American culture.

It’s sad that today the public has no appetite for stories of police heroism. We instead feed ourselves with stories of corruption and graft because to think the men and women in blue simply want to “protect and serve” strikes most of us as naive, even if those reasons aren’t from personal experience as much as this sense in the zeitgeist that there are no good guys or good institutions left in America, wee just want to believe in our rebels, like Edward Snowden, even if we don’t know much more about what drives him than we know of anybody else.

Apologies for getting off track, haha.

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though dated, this book holds interesting accounts of crimes from mid-20th century Los Angeles.

Jack Webb presents each scenario within his 1950s description of the LAPD. Mr. Webb's glowing accounts of the department show that he held that city's force dear to his heart, but reading past that you find many accounts of criminals and crimes of the era. The most interesting is presented almost immediately, The Black Dahlia. The gruesome demise of Elizabeth "Betty" Short, 23, remains unsolved to this day, but the account of the young woman's life leading up to her murder gave me a chill as I found out that she briefly lived and worked in places I know well today.

Mr. Webb's writing style is comfortable to read, and he, at times, drops in small points of humor among the serious to keep any angst from developing.

Not everyone in today's society will enjoy this book as it claims "advances" in forensic science that will make you laugh if you forget the time period in which it was written. By the same token, it is amazing to realize just how far we have come in the sciences since this book was first published in 1958. It is also sad to realize just how desensitized we have become to horrific crimes since this book was written. With the number of crime shows presented to us over the 50-something years since Mr. Webb penned this tome, we have watched the evolution of crimes shows go from "Just the facts, ma'ma" to close ups of throat cutting and maiming.

This book also contains photos of the time period and a forward by James Ellroy, whose own mother was murdered in Los Angeles the year this book was published.

I enjoyed this book even with it's dated descriptions of crime fighting and justice and have added Mr. Webb to my list of interesting people.

[D. Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating read and treasure trove of research info of the period for writers.

Jack Webb (not a ghost writer) takes you into the Los Angeles Police Department of the 1950s, from bottom to top. His style is sharp and easy to read, if occasionally irritating (Specifics.), and if you can get past some of his presumptions (though his implicit views of race relations are remarkably enlightened for the time) it's not only informative but pretty dang entertaining.

Topics covered include incidents familiar to readers of James Ellroy, including the Black Dahlia murder and the Bloody Christmas incident.

This book did not have its copyright renewed, and is available for download from Munseys.