Adam-12 (1968)/Log 152: A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone

Log 152: A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone
Season 1, Episode 22
Airdate	March 8, 1969
Written by	Michael Donovan
Directed by	Hollingsworth Morse
Produced by	R.A. Cinader
← 1x21 Log 102: We Can't Just Walk Away from It	1x23 → Log 12: He Was Trying to Kill Me
Adam-12 — Season One

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Log 152: A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone is the twenty-second episode of the first season of Adam-12.

Starring: Martin Milner (Officer Pete Malloy), Kent McCord (Officer Jim Reed)

with Gary Crosby (Officer Ed Wells), Walter Mathews (George Thurston), Barry Williams (Johnny Grant), Barbara Baldavin (Betty Wells), Angela Greene (Sally Gentry), William Boyett (Sgt. MacDonald), Claude Johnson (Officer Brinkman), Bobby Hall (Chester Wilbanks), Ted Foulkes (Bobby Thurston), Marco Lopez (Officer Sanchez), Jan Reeves (Wilma), Dick Hitt (Suspect)

Uncredited: Shaaron Claridge (Dispatcher)

Plot Overview

A fellow police officer with a cocksure attitude continually uses poor, rash judgment in his calls, risking more than just the professional judgment of young, naïve, impressionable officers (namely, Reed), but endangers his life and the lives of others.

Officer Edward Wells is by all accounts a good officer, but his attitudes and ways of handling calls leave something to be desired. His tales of how he captured criminals are bloatedly exaggerated, but for the moment Reed is hypnotized by Wells' charisma and seeming ability to make quick decisions, even if they're not completely by the book. Malloy, however, isn't fooled, and he knows that one of two things, neither of them good, will happen unless his influence can win out: either Reed will pick up on and carry out Wells' bad habits, or either Wells and/or his fellow officers will be killed while handling a call.

Early in the episode, Malloy and Reed respond to a domestic dispute -- a crazed, drunken individual beating his wife and threatening to kill her and their son with a shotgun -- but before they can formulate a plan, Wells and his partner, Sanchez (who does not speak in this episode and has taken on Wells' poor habits) bust into the apartment to subdue the husband, whom the son (who has managed to escape) has said has a gun; they narrowly avoid getting shot at.

What Reed (at this point in the series) sees as a police officer who is able to think quickly on his feet and assess situations seemingly with ease has Malloy deeply concerned, and not helping matters is does Sgt. McDonald's assessment of the call; he's unaware that Wells went against several policies in handling the call. The two talk about about the importance of forming plans and assessing situations before carrying them out.

It's a lesson Reed will successfully learn as in the future he will distance himself from Wells, but for the moment, Wells seems to be a hero. But if Malloy's chewing out of Wells in the locker room doesn't begin to dull Reed's impression of his reckless fellow officer, a "shots fired" call will.

Wells and Sanchez respond to said call, where a psychotic gunman is randomly firing shots at passing vehicles. Wells rushes to the house to try to capture the gunman, but the odds catch up with him and he is shot down. Malloy and Reed arrive, providing backup; Reed wants to rescue Wells right away but Malloy orders him back to the car and says they're both going to get him out. Reed calms down enough to listen to his training officer, and using their car (and leather jackets) as shields, they are able to rescue their wounded officer. Reed then is sent to go help direct traffic while Malloy and Sgt. McDonald help formulate an ultimately successful plan to force the gunman to surrender.

The lesson for Reed: Using a cool head and thinking ahead will win the day and keep everyone safe.

Wells, by the way, makes a full recovery and it isn't long before he's back to his old self. (It is presumed Malloy was able to clear up the handling of the earlier domestic call.)