Narco

This video contains a piece entitled "Narco," an Emmy Award winning TV special about the daily life of Narcotics Officers while on the job. Produced in 1980, the show was used as the pilot for the series "Cops."

00:00Copy video clip URL This video begins with footage of a group of Narcotics Officers going on a raid of a drug house. Host Ed Asner explains what the program will entail. We watch as law enforcement officials detain a number of drug users and sellers.

01:07Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Ed Asner walking in a Squad Car parking lot. Asner refers to the program as an introduction to the world of Narcotics Officers and their work in keeping criminals behind bars and drugs off of the streets.

01:39Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Detective David Oeschger and Agent Gary Rinna identifying a bag of methamphetamine. The two talk about their buying a third bag of “crank” from a dealer. The two present their case to the Deputy District Attorney John Schon. Det. Oeschger eventually presents the case to the rest of his fellow colleagues. They plan a raid of the dealer’s house. Oeschger comments on the dangers of a raid. “You know there are weapons in there and you know the people in there and you know that, you never know what state of mind they’re going to be in when we just happen to show up at whatever time it is to arrest them and go into that door, like my partner says, you know you never know–the guy could wire it up, booby-trap it be waiting you know?” Other agents comment on their work in Narcotics Prevention while preparing for a raid. We watch as Agent Michael Pegg loads his gun. Other officers continue to suit up.

06:41Copy video clip URL Asner comments on the Narcs operating on the assumption that everyone is armed. An agent checks his handcuffs to make sure they are working correctly. The clatter of his hand cuffs convey the intensity that’s prevalent in the room before the raid.

07:56Copy video clip URL Cut to footage of a drug bust. Officers move quick to detain those in the house. One of the Agents tries to get some information out of a detainee. The cops then continue to raid the house of it’s weapons and drugs. This lasts for several minutes.

11:09Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of a few of the agents at a bar after the raid. The agents talk with one another about the raid. This is followed by a short break in the footage.

12:00Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Asner. He states that one of the most valuable tools of the narc is an informant. Sgt. Richard Hesenflow comments on the use of informants in the drug world. We then watch as an agent speaks with a detainee about becoming an informant.

14:46Copy video clip URL Cut to footage from within a correctional facility. Sgt. T.K. Davis talks about a detainee and former informant who is currently housed at the facility. The man has apparently gone crazy and spread his fecal matter all over the walls of his cell.

16:30Copy video clip URL Asner comments on the Narcs’ use of informants. We watch as an agent tries to set up a purchase from a drug dealer. We then watch the Narcs as they raid a drug house. They then try to get information about one of the drug dealers. When asked whether he would become an informant, the dealer says, “Yeah I wouldn’t snitch on nobody if my life depended on it.” A couple of agents comment on their frustrations with the system.

21:14Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Asner. He begins to talk about the process that Narcs go through in detaining drug dealers.

21:48Copy video clip URL Agent Michael Pegg  and another colleague have a stake out in front of a drug dealers home, gathering information about the individuals at the house. The agents remained staked out for over six hours. Back at the station, Pegg puts together a plan for a raid. He eventually receives a call from the dealer he is hoping to bust.

27:18Copy video clip URL We watch as the dealer that Pegg detained gets put into jail. He goes through the demoralizing process of being put behind bars.

28:53Copy video clip URL Lt. Richard Saldivar talks about the precautions that go behind a raid. Other agents also comment on the dangers of raids. We then watch an extremely intense raid of a drug dealer’s home.

31:32Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Asner who talks about the psychological damage that a Narc’s work can do to themselves and their families. Detective David Oeschger and Agent Gary Rinna comment on the dangers of their work. Rinna talks about the fears that come along with making a purchase. “I think spending five minutes in a dopers pad by yourself or with your partner will put some miles on you–definitely will. You walk into a house, all you’re thinking is cop. All you’re thinking is hey I’m a Narc to yourself, you’re saying, “I’m a cop. They know I’m a cop. That’s how you think, when this first happens. You know you’re standing wrong, you know you’re talking–you know you’re saying the wrong thing. You walk out there with a gram of PCP or a spoon of heroin and alright. I did it. You know I’m a narc. I ain’t a cop. You know, I don’t feel like I’m a cop anymore.” Agent Frank Dixon and his wife talk about the effects of his work on his personality. Other agents comment on Narcotics work as well.

34:02Copy video clip URL Agent Steve Berch sings a song about his work as a Narc. Berch’s wife Margaret comments on her husbands work as a Narcotics agent. We then watch as a number of agents comment on their work. Berch talks about the bond that develops between partners while on the job. Dixon makes a comment on the importance of a good partner. “Well think about it. Who do you know that you’re going to trust your life to–not very many people.” Dixon then talks about some of the fatal shootings they have been involved in. Berch talks about the shooting as we watch footage from the site. We see a suspect that had been killed during his arrest, lying motionless in a car. We also see an overhead shot of the the deceased suspect as Berch talks about the shooting in detail. Berch’s wife comments on the dangers of the job. This lasts for several minutes.

40:25Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Asner. We listen to Asner as he talks about an instance in which the Narcs made a rather large drug bust on some of the main suppliers. It took them five months to put together the bust. Tensions are high as they plan different raids in order to apprehend one of the biggest dope dealers in the state. This lasts for several minutes.

45:06Copy video clip URL We watch as the Narcotics Officers make numerous raids throughout the state of California. We then watch as Detective David Oeschger speaks with a detainee about his arrest. Oeschger had gained the trust of the dealer for over five months of constant interaction. He then shows the cameras a $15,000 bag of methamphetamine that they acquired through the bust.

47:11Copy video clip URL We watch as Oeschger and Rinna unwind at a bar after the raids. Asner then closes the program. “They don’t want to arrest our kids. They don’t want to put our kids in jail. They want us to get to our kids first–to make them aware, to help them make the right decisions. Because if we don’t get to our kids first, if we don’t teach them, then they will.” This is then followed by the credits.

49:14Copy video clip URL Tape ends.