Dragnet's Sherlock Holmes
Dragnet’s Sherlock Holmes Joe Friday, the iconic fictional detective from Dragnet, roamed the streets of Los Angeles on both radio and television, “Just with the facts” and always by the book. But one key character in the show was not just a fictional creation—he was based on a real person: Chief Forensic Specialist Raymond Pinker. Pinker was the inspiration for his own role in Dragnet, even though he never saw a penny from the show. Raymond Pinker worked for the LAPD for nearly 40 years, helping solve crimes not by chasing down suspects but through forensic science—using tools that resembled those of a detective out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Pinker joined the LAPD’s Police Scientific Investigation Division in 1929. It was the first of its kind in the country and had a modest budget. But Pinker helped transform it into a world-renowned crime lab with 61 experts and cutting-edge technology. The lab became a model for police departments na...