The Even if you've never seen or heard an episode, chances are you know something about

Dragnet. Maybe it's the iconic line, just the facts, ma'am. Or it could be the signature theme song. Or maybe you felt

Dragonit's influence in police procedurals, many of which have followed in the show's trend-setting

shoes by focusing on the methodology of police work, including

forensics and crime scene analysis.

Dragnet premiered on NBC on June 3rd, 1949, and it was actor-producer Jack Webb's attempt to authentically

present the lives and work of police officers.

The idea came to Webb while he was filming

He walked by night in 1948

and met the movie's police technical advisor Marty Wynne.

Webb rode with Wynne and his partner Vince Brasher to gain insight into police procedure and terminology,

and he earned the cooperation and endorsement of the Los Angeles Police Department for his new series.

Radio audiences hadn't heard a cop show like Dragnet.

Even other programs that dramatized actual case records

had a flare for the melodramatic, often putting listeners in the shoes of the

criminal as he tried to stay one step ahead of police.

Dragnet, on the other hand, focused squarely on law enforcement as they chase down leads,

questioned suspects, reviewed evidence, and ultimately made arrests, all while holding

true to actual tenets of police work.

Jack Webb pushed for authenticity in every aspect of Dragnet's production.

A team of five sound effects artists was on hand to create the footsteps, the ringing

phones, and the background noise that populated a typical dragnet episode.

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