An Unusual Occurrence Cagney and Lacey

Next time they have one of these, Samuels can go to the firing squad! They've a right to be angry.

It's tough enough raising kids without gang vendettas and dope pushers.

You have to sympathise. Fine, but why do we have to be the villains?

They accuse us of letting criminals run wild, then of harassing Puerto Ricans in a low-rent district!

Please! You can't win with these people.

Who said it had to be a contest? Everything's a contest. I disagree.

Including getting in the last word with you. This is true.

Oh, would you pull over up here? I want to get some milk for the boys for breakfast.

What, the kids can't eat their Crispy Crinkles dry?

Real men eat their Crispy Crinkles dry. You're not half as tough as you think you are.

MUFFLED HISPANIC PIANO MUSIC

MUSIC GETS LOUDER

GLASS SMASHES

GLASS SMASHES AGAIN

GLASS SMASHES

CONTINUOUS SMASHING

THUD

What do you think you're doing?! Wanna hold it right there? I'm a police officer.

I said knock it off!

Just put that thing down, mister. Nobody needs to get hurt here.

I'm warning you! Put it down.

Put it down!

I said put it down. Don't make me shoot.

Oh, como se llama these here?

Ah, churritos. Churritos. Dos, por favor.

Ah!

What the hell's the matter with you, mister?

CLATTER

Christine!

Christine!

Cagney!

Are you OK?!

You OK?

He just kept coming at me with that thing. I shot him in the shoulder,

but he didn't st...

You OK to stay here? ..I'm going to get an ambulance.

Stand back, folks, stand back.

Hey, get close to the stretcher. Let's get a close-up of that, Mike.

Real tight, real tight.

Whoa, did some damage, didn't they?

OK, let's get some crowd reaction. Over here. Get the mike ready.

Buenos noches. Buenos noches. Mira, necesito testigos...

THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH

I told the officer... We'll take a statement at the precinct. Yes, sir.

Is there anything else? Get your story straight before we get there.

Oh, God. ..Keys, Chris.

Christine, keys to the car?

Good shot.

I just wish I'd had a 45.

Thank you.

How many times did you order him to halt? Three or four. Which is it?

Three. Then what? Then there was no response. Not to any words or warnings...

not even to the first gunshot. I think the kid was high on something, maybe PCP.

I don't want what you think right now. I'm interested in the facts of what actually happened. ..Got it?

Now, you fired two shots? First time I went for the shoulder. Why?

Because I didn't wanna kill him! If I'd had a 45,

the shoulder hit would've taken him down, and he'd be in better shape.

You know you should never fire your weapon to wound. You fire to kill.

I don't agree with you. OK, then what?

It's just like I told you before. Tell me again.

But you only heard the one shot? Yes, when I came out of the store. Inside, the music was so loud.

What kind of music?

Spanish music. Uh...it was loud.

Very loud music.

Why were you sure he was breaking in? ..Well, I figured the bat was bigger than any key I'D ever seen.

A smart-aleck attitude isn't gonna help your case.

My case? I believe the penal law calls it attempted murder. I call it self-defence! Of course you do.

You're involved up to your eyeballs. But just between us,

passionate protests of innocence aren't conclusive in a court of law.

What I need is hard evidence to classify this as good shooting!

Are you gonna make my job easier or stay on your high horse all night?!

OK.

Let's take it from the top.

That's my line.

When I got there he was unconscious. He couldn't hold anything.

I don't know what more you want me to say. I'd settle for anything that could help your partner.

Would you have shot the second time if he hadn't raised the bat?

I wouldn't have shot the first time, OR the second time,

if my life had not been in danger.

Well, what would YOU have done?

SWITCHES OFF TAPE RECORDER Off the record?

Without back-up? Without witnesses? With a juvenile who can be alleged to be unarmed?

You saw those broken windows! I saw them up and down the alley and East 118th St and the neighbourhood!

Who could prove who's responsible, or when?!

I would have used a throw-away gun.

Off the record.

KNOCK AT DOOR Mary-Beth? Yeah.

You should've just undone the chain and gone to bed. You sounded shook up on the phone. You OK?

Did you eat? Mm-mm. I'll scramble you up some eggs. I don't want them. You gotta eat, don't you?

How's Chris? Oh, she's all right, I guess.

You know Christine. If she wasn't all right, you'd never know it.

It shouldn't have happened. We stopped by a market to g...

It makes me so angry. I always say, "Don't go off by yourself and...!"

Take it easy. It's all over. What...? Come on.

I'll sprinkle some Parmesan cheese in it, the way you like it. ..OK?

The kid is real young, Harv. He's like...

two, three years older than Harv Junior.

His poor mother. Was it a good shoot?

Yeah. Yeah, he was coming after her with a baseball bat.

He tried to kill her. Why's a kid do a thing like that?

I'll get you some milk. You'll sleep better. We're out of milk.

That's how come I went by the market. I got some on the way home.

This is Dory McKenna. I'm not home, but if you want to leave a message,

wait for the tone and I will get right back to you. BEEP

Uh, hi. Give me a call when you get home. I...

Just give me a call.

TV ANNOUNCER: ..With temperatures heading into the upper 30s

in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Tomorrow, we'll have highs in the 50s in metropolitan New York

with the winds coming in at 10 to 15mph.

That's it for the weather. Back to you, Pam.

Thank you, Sid.

And now for a special report live from East 118th St in Manhattan

we go to our nightly reporter, Arturo Perez, on the scene.

Pam, I'm in Spanish Harlem, scene of a shooting at 7pm this evening.

The police cars and ambulance are gone, but the residents of this community are angry and confused

at another in a series of police shootings in the neighbourhood.

Tonight, an unarmed 15-year-old Puerto Rican boy, Jesus Pinero,

was shot and critically wounded by a police detective.

If the guy had more money than me, I could understand it.

This turkey's a graduate student, and get this - Romance languages.

He must be doing something right, Victor.

Probably talks all that mushy stuff to her in Russian.

Russian isn't a Romance language.

I checked with the physician. The patient isn't critical.

I'm sorry, but we cannot release a blood sample while a patient is not in a mental condition to consent.

Excuse me, but it's potential evidence. It could influence the way this case is being handled.

It is a violation of patient rights and 5th Amendment protection from self-incrimination. Excuse me.

A fellow officer's career and reputation are on the line here.

My responsibility's to the patient. Now, I have business to attend to.

They just love to bust your chops. She's just doing her job.

Marcus, I have to ask you something. You're married, right?

And you're approaching your early middle years, right? Early middle years?

Well, you're not 21 any more. Remind me(!)

Do you... Well, do you sense a...drop-off in...

..in performance as you're getting older?

Uh, Victor, this is very personal stuff.

Yeah, Marcus, we're partners, right?

I mean, if I can't talk to you about this kind of thing, who else can I talk to about it? ..Yeah.

Um, well, from a purely physiological point of view...

yes.

What do you do about it?

What CAN you do?

Anyway, there ARE other things important to a woman besides...

You understand me, right?

Like what?

Like, um, intimacy?

Tenderness...um, you know - technique.

Technique. Technique.

Marcus, I have read The Sensuous Woman.

I have also been aware of all the erogenous zones from A to Z.

Believe me, there's nothing wrong with my technique.

What do you know about vitamin E? It's good for your complexion.

I resent this. Standard operating procedure.

Officers involved in shooting incidents are assigned clerical duty

pending the outcome of the investigation. Is Greco behind it?

The Firearms Review Team is behind YOU, whether or not you've got the good sense to realise it.

It'll be cleared up in a day or two and...

Right, sir? There are no outside caseloads for the duration of an internal investigation.

Lacey here will be getting all the blisters while you will be leading the life of Riley.

I say enjoy it while you can. ..Right, Lacey? Yes, sir. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

How long do I get to be so lucky?

Until we get all the evidence before the Grand Jury and they rule that there was no improper behaviour.

Four days, five days, a week at the most. Not long.

Well, if it isn't the talk of the town herself. Seen this? I saw it.

It's the afternoon edition - it's even juicier.

Must have been a slow day for the news.

I direct your attention to the second paragraph. "Allegedly armed with a baseball bat,

"a 15-year-old from a PUERTO RICAN community was shot point-blank

"by off-duty detective Christine Cagney, who CLAIMED the youngster was threatening her."

I don't care for their words, but those are the facts.

When is public opinion based on facts? We look bad! What do you think Community Watch was about?

We need to improve our image in Spanish Harlem, not destroy it.

The fact that he's a Puerto Rican juvenile doesn't make him innocent.

How do we know he didn't have a record a yard long? It makes no difference if he's an axe murderer.

Juvenile records are sealed. We have to subpoena them. From our own department?! He's a juvenile!

With the strength of four men twice his size and a hardwood bat!

I already told the Review officers I thought he was on dust.

Pure conjecture on your part. ..So have we got the lab test back on the PCP?

Petrie and Isbecki went to the hospital this morning

and...we can't order a DD45 while the boy is still in a coma. We have to wait for the patient's consent.

There must be some way we can get around that. Not unless the boy... dies. That's all we need.

COMMOTION Oh, here come the vultures.

I don't want you saying anything to the press, anything at all. You got that, Cagney?

We'll have an official statement this afternoon at 1 Police Plaza.

I'd like to speak to the officer involved. She has no statement. Can she tell us what the NYPD can do

to regain the trust of residents of Spanish Harlem after her brutal and unwarranted shooting...?

Brutal and unwarranted?! Statements by officers involved in department investigations are prohibited.

We are aggressively investigating to determine that the officer acted within department guidelines.

No individual who may contaminate the integrity of the best of our men and women will be tolerated.

OK, show's over. Maybe you can answer...

You wanna play 20 questions, play somewhere else. We have work to do.

So do I, Officer. Lieutenant! Lieutenant Samuels.

I take it you're Detective Cagney's commanding officer? Good guess.

You're responsible for releasing Cagney's service record. Excuse me? The Freedom of Information Act.

"Any private citizen is entitled to request the record of a public servant for examination."

Any private citizen has the right to go through the proper channels!

The paperwork's on its way! ..Come on, guys, let's go.

Hey, you wanna start something?! SHOUTING

I don't believe it. I do not... Are you here?! Yeah.

That kid tried to kill me! You got any aspirin?

I can't get his arrest sheet without a subpoena and ANY jerk can get MY records! That's the law.

Well, it's damn unfair! That too.

So where you dashing off to?

See Dory. You finally got in touch with him, huh? No. Not really.

My answering machine talked to his answering machine. Chris?

If you want to talk and... Mary Beth... ..telephone...

I don't want any of your Mother Teresa routine.

I'm just fine, OK? Sure.

'Aren't you ever home? It's McKenna. I'm afraid tonight is off.

'I'm down here on the trail of some major suppliers and we're close to collaring the main man.

'I'll give you a ring as soon as I hit town. By the way, I've got a surprise for you.

'You'll love it.'

'Hi, Officer Daughter. If you're free, I'm in Flanagan's from 8 o'clock on.'

What did I tell you right from the start?

You've got to keep on your toes at all times.

One time, we were frisking some guys. We took a switchblade...

It was that long! His partner jumps my partner and starts to run for it.

Jack the Ripper knees me... south of the border.

He's grasping and clawing, trying to get his hands on the blade!

It took every bit of juice I had just to get my hands on my piece. What happened?

I shot the creep before he sliced me. They only fool with Charles Fitzgerald Cagney once. He died?

Nah. He was pretty tough.

But he did all his time at Attica. He never came on MY beat again.

So did the Department stay behind you? Behind me?

I got a commendation from the Commissioner. I was doing my job - protecting the streets.

Fellow officers respect you for that and people look up to you.

Well, police work's a little more complicated now. Yeah, I know.

You've got review boards. Got to ask permission before you shoot, then they ask you 600 questions!

Questions I don't mind. I know we are accountable.

Hey! Guy comes at you with a baseball bat, what're you supposed to do?! ..Did they blow it?

Yeah. Pathetic! See what the Knicks are doing.

You believe those Jets? They go for three and they miss it!

Do you want another drink? 'Our special feature updating last night's shooting in Spanish Harlem.'

I don't want to see that. I do NOT wanna see it. Hey.

Hold it. You've got nothing to be ashamed of.

'..The mother of the young victim still in serious condition from gunshot wounds he suffered

'in a darkened alleyway off 118th St in Spanish Harlem.

'Senora Pinero, can you share your feelings at this moment with us?

'I...I be...

'triste...muy triste, Senor.

'Muy triste. Sad. Very sad.

'And now the universal language worth 1,000 words...

'The image of a beloved son, shown here

'in the robes he wore as an altar boy, a good boy who worked hard to support his widowed mother...'

I don't believe this.

He's just milking it. '..Because an off-duty police officer thought she heard noises in the alleyway

'that Jesus was walking through on his way home,

'thought the baseball bat he had been playing with just a few hours before was a weapon,

'thought that a young, brown-skinned boy...' What are you doing?

I just ate dinner! I don't have the stomach for that crap! Hey, wait!

Nobody would believe you'd shoot a kid like that without real provocation!

He tried to kill me! That isn't provocation enough?

Yeah, sure, th-that's what I said! You have witnesses, right?

Goodnight, Charlie. Where are you going?! I'm on YOUR side!

Got a temper just like her mother's.

VOICES SHOUT, OFFICE IS BUSTLING

OFFICE GROWS QUIET

What's the matter with you?

Hey! Just cos I'm a big TV star now doesn't mean you have to worry.

How could I forget my friends who knew me when, huh?

It would have been nice if someone had sent a limo to the house...

Christine. Christine. What? The boy died at 3.15 this morning.

You must have strong roots. I'd have a fistful of hair...

You know what Perez is gonna do with this? Christine, the facts...

No-one ever listens to the facts when you've got a media con artist planning those melodramatic stunts.

Like last night. Did you like the bit about the kid taking care of the poor widowed mother?

Maybe he was.

It doesn't matter because the fact is... It matters a whole lot -

if a member of the Grand Jury ever saw Perez's report.

He made me out to be a gunslinger, blasting away underprivileged children. It was self-defence.

Damn right it was. And I'M the one getting crucified! I did what any good cop would have done, right?

I remember how I felt when I killed that kid... I asked you a question.

Your life was in danger, you saved your life.

Any cop who gave a damn about himself or the job would do the same thing. So make peace with it.

Yeah.

At least now we can run a drug test.

Shouldn't the NYPD take a long, hard look at the citizen's complaint on Detective Cagney's record,

charging her with inflicting bodily harm in a routine questioning

at a family disturbance? Family disturbance?

The citizen to whom Mr Perez is referring is one of the biggest pimps in the South Bronx.

You're off limits, Cagney! Does that entitle you to deny the man his civil rights?

The same way you denied Jesus the right to reach manhood? What about MY rights? Button it, Cagney!

Why won't the Department discipline those officers who use excess force?

Well, I-I don't believe that, er, there is sufficient evidence

to, er...suggest that Detective Cagney has done anything but serve the citizens of New York

in any but a responsible manner. Then why was she overheard to remark at the shooting scene

that...I'm quoting here, "I just wish I'd had a 45."

Now, we presumed that to mean that a 45 could blow a bigger hole... I'm not gonna comment on hearsay.

Can you comment...? No, I will not! This interview is finished!

Out of my office! Did you get the door slamming in my face?

Sit down, Cagney.

Go ahead. Take a load off.

What's the matter? You never take a coffee break?

I guess a little "caffeine" wouldn't hurt.

Thank you.

We got a good squad here, huh?

I think probably the best in the city.

You know long have I've been on the force? 20 years? 22.

You're a very dedicated man. Who said masochism can't be fun?

22 years.

Had a lot of close calls, but...

I never had a bullet of mine take another person's life.

That's not what I meant to say.

What I meant is...

They give judges and juries months to make a decision that they expect us to deliver in a split second,

just like that.

Supposed to act like God.

The most you can do is just muster up the best you got, that's all.

I guess I...I was lucky.

I can't say that I know how you feel because I don't.

A lot of cops pull pension without having to go through what you're going through.

But I tell you this much, Cagney, I can tell you this...

there is not one of us that doesn't wonder what it would be like

and how we would act in the same situation.

There's not one of us that doesn't understand the kind of guts it takes to pull through all of it.

I imagine, er...you've probably got plans for tonight. No, I don't.

Oh, well, I do.

Well...

Thank you for the coffee.

KNOCK ON DOOR Who is it?

The man of your dreams!

Hello!

Miss me? ..Well, I missed you.

So what do you think of my surprise?

What surprise?

Oh...

Take a good look.

You shaved off your moustache.

Right! So what do you think of it? Nice.

It would have been considerate if you'd let me know you were coming. What, and spoil the spontaneity?

Besides, this way, I get to surprise any competition that might be lurking around in my absence.

Actually, I always liked your moustache. I'll grow it back.

Caviar and champagne.

What's the occasion?

The champagne is for you and the caviar is for me.

The occasion is you and me.

And the collaring of the biggest middleman between Boston and DC.

The real sweet part is, the guy had just hustled in a shipment of horse worth a half-million dollars.

All waiting for us, easy as pie.

Congratulations.

Wait till you taste this caviar. McKenna, you are on a roll.

Ah! Bravo!

This is one of the biggest busts to come down in the tri-state area since that trawler in '82.

Here's to the big collar.

They don't get much bigger.

Mmm! Fantastic.

It was a good shoot, Chris. The guy came at you with an intent to kill.

I just know he was high on something, Dory. I know he was.

You know how those guys get that are on PCP? They...

They're almost superhuman, they're flying so high that you just can't even touch them.

They don't hear and they don't feel...

And that first bullet... It's like it never even touched him.

Weren't the lab tests conclusive? Haven't got them yet.

Well, someone's falling down on the job. Kick a little butt to get results.

Dory... Did he have a record? We're waiting for the subpoena. Listen!

I don't want you involved in this! I'll get this thing fixed up! I don't want you to fix anything!

What's wrong? I don't want you riding in here on your white horse to save the day!

I can solve my own problems!

What's getting loaded gonna do?

Seems to me I used to say the same thing to you not so long ago.

It seems to me I finally stopped kidding myself and asked for help.

Don't you patronise me.

Here. Give me that.

I'm sorry. Look what you did.

Look what you did! Chris... No! Just get away from me!

I'm sorry.

I'm so tired!

Oh, I'm so tired!

Lacey! Your partner's a little late this morning. Really, sir? I hadn't noticed.

But I do know she stayed late last night to finish up these DD5s.

Tell her I want to see her. Yes. ..Lieutenant? Yeah?

I was wondering what...

Is there anything I can do to help, sir? I'd like to handle this on my own, if it's OK with you.

Oh. OK with me, sir.

How's Chris? Late. Let me know when she gets in. I'll put you on the list.

Vitamin E, Victor? Yeah. I've got a problem with my complexion.

Looks OK to me. It's always good to take this stuff before you have a problem. Preventative medicine.

Want one?

Morning. Good morning. You look a little tired out, Christine.

Dory's back in town. Oh.

You had a good night, then, huh?

Had its moments.

I fielded three calls for you, Petrie wants to talk to you and the Lieutenant wants to see you.

I don't know.

Christine?

You wanted to see me?

Yeah. Nice of you to join us this morning. Sorry. It was a strange night.

Well, it's gonna be a good day. DD45 is on top.

They found .75 milligrams of PCP in his bloodstream.

His juvenile record's underneath - three priors for burglary in the last seven months.

So will that do it? Yeah.

I'll be surprised if we don't get a justified homicide from the Grand Jury in 24 hours.

So that's it? Isn't that enough?

Thank you.

She said, "You can't stoke a dead fire." So I said, "There are still sparks between us."

I was trying to pick up on how her mind works.

You were mirroring her metaphor. ..Yeah.

You could say that. Anyway...

She says, "Speak for yourself." So I say, "Hey...

"I know what women like you want." She says, "Prove it."

So the jury comes in. Saturday night, her place. Good luck, Victor. No problem.

It looks good, Samuels thinks.

So...

So?

It's not over yet, Chris.

Oh, I know that. Samuels has... You know that's not what I mean.

Look...you think I don't know what's been going on with you?

I was in the very same shoes you're standing in after I killed that kid up in Harlem.

Pretending...

that the only thing on my mind was putting the shooting and the bad press behind me.

Lying to myself, just like you are. I've been straight with everyone... Yeah, everybody except yourself.

Cagney, you killed somebody! A real, live human being.

Not one of those cardboard dummies in target practice.

Damn right I killed somebody. But that's what I was trained to do. Of course.

THEY taught us how to do it. But nobody told us how to deal with the consequences.

It's part of the job.

Oh!

Does that... Does that mean that you can't wish it didn't happen?!

That you didn't have the weight of taking the life of some human being on your soul?!

You've got some unfinished business, Chris.

I'm sorry. I have a rent strike I have to cover tonight. What about tomorrow night? If there's time.

Hey! You had time to build a case against my partner, made her look like Adolf Eichmann!

You have a responsibility to set the record straight. Don't lecture me about responsibility.

If it weren't for people like me, Watergate would be just another hotel in the Potomac. It's unfair!

It's editorialising and unethical! It stinks and we both know it!

Ethics is a philosophical term. I don't deal in philosophy, I deal in the real world.

No realer than mine! What about poverty, the slums, unemployment?

What about an Hispanic community drowning in crime,

insufficiently protected by the police and neglected by City Hall?

How is cutting down one police officer gonna fix that?

Maybe we'll get police protection instead of police brutality.

Jesus Pinero tried to kill my partner and she DID kill him.

That's a tragedy all round and you only told one side!

He didn't deserve to die. Jesus was a kid who made some mistakes.

Your partner shot too fast, that's all there is to it!

Christine Cagney had to make a decision her life depended on.

What kind of decisions do you have to make - what colour tie to wear?

Pam, have we gotten those rent strike reports?

Si?

Senora Pinero? May I come in, please?

Thank you.

Are you from the welfare department?

No. I'm sorry...

I'm Detective Cagney.

SHE SPEAKS IN SPANISH

If you would let me... No! No!

..explain to you.

I never saw him like this.

When I saw him, he was very angry.

And he was very dangerous.

He didn't know what he was doing.

Senora... I never wanted to kill your son.

I just wanted to stop him.

The drugs just made him too strong.

Are you understanding any...?

I came here today to...

let you know that I'm sorry your son died.

And I'm sorry that I was the one who shot him.

And, er...

I'm triste.

Very sad.

Subtitles by Alison Rae Mary Easton BBC Broadcast