One of the best known of all television genres has to be the police drama. It has been a staple of TV since way back on those pre-color black and white days of yore. Most of us baby boomers grew up in the era of ‘Naked City’ which was admittedly geared more towards our parents. Then Jack Webb changed the landscape of the crime drama with ‘Dragnet’. He had a successful radio run with the show and it transitioned it easily to television. There was one defining quality to Jack Webb. He had a deep seated love for the men and women of the law enforcement. This love was so great that there is a building in the Los Angels Police Academy that is named in his honor. One of the best known of the several spin offs that came from ‘Dragnet’ was ‘Adam 12’. Where ‘Dragnet’ considered the daily work of police detectives ‘Adam 12’ focused on the front line of law enforcement, the street cop. One thing that was the hallmark of a Webb produced series was he did not want to overly glamorize the job. There was plenty of action to be found but much of each episode showed the audience the routine alongside the spectacular. For Webb this was the hardest part of being a police officer. You may start out your day like any other with a domestic disturbance or a traffic accident and then have to confront dangerous criminals with no concern with human lives. Since this series was truer to real life than most on TV it is little wonder that the LAPD was behind Webb completely. The series started its seven year run in 1968 and the first season was released to DVD by Universal back in 2006. The distribution has been handed over to Shout Factory for this second season set. Shout Factory has made quite a name in the industry by releasing many classic television shows from the fifties, sixties and seventies so this one fits right in. The show may be dated in some respects. It does not have the complex stories or constant action that most crime shows today have. Still, there is something special about this show that will engage and entertain the whole family.

The main characters of the show are Officer Peter J. Malloy (Martin Milner) and his partner Officer James Reed (Kent McCord). Also in attendance in many episodes was their supervisor Sgt. MacDonald (William Boyett). Malloy was the seasoned veteran of the force. He had the street experience necessary to get them through their day at work. Reed was the rookie, younger and anxious to prove himself. Much of the first couple of seasons focused on how the two men had to learn to work together as partners. The name of the show comes from LAPD jargon for a police unit. Adam refers to a two officer car on general patrol. The phrase ‘One Adam 12 see a man’, spoken by the never seen dispatcher voiced by Shaaron Claridge, would send them off to their current assignment. One thing about the patrol area of these officers; it was huge. They would have to break up gang activity one minute and go out to the more rural area for a crime the next. While this may not be completely realistic it was intended purposely by Webb to demonstrate the incredible amount of diversity required by the police.

It has to be considered what period of our history this show takes place in. The late sixties was a turbulent time in America. Young adults were taking to the streets to actively protest the American involvement in the war in Vietnam. There was political disruption that was heightened in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National convention convened to select a presidential candidate. Back then the youth frequently saw the police as their enemies and even worse the armed urban soldiers of the establishment. The friendly cop on the beat we grew up admiring was not called a pig or worse. This upset Jack Webb and he intended shows like this one to show the public the high level of service the police provide each and every day. This may have seen at the time as propaganda by many, especially the youth. It actually was a response to the negative press that the police departments of the country received. While there were without a doubt some officers that over reacted during tense situations the vast majority were honest, hard working men and women who want to make a positive difference in their community.

All of this is not to say that Webb presented an overly glorified look at police officers. Malloy and Reed where shown as real human beings. They were capable of making mistake and on occasion they did. In some episodes Reed would become too emotionally involved with the task at hand. He would allow the suspects or journalists get to him and begin to shout. This comes to the attention of MacDonald who followed proper procedure and talked to Malloy about it. It was up to Malloy as Reed’s training officer to make sure the rookie not only leans the rules and regulations but manages to get the right frame of mind to do his job effectively. To be a police officer was not to hold down a job it was a profession; a calling. Malloy was more experienced than Reed and had to find a way to get through to the young office under his tutelage. If Reed wasn’t able to reign in his emotions it was made clear that he would wash out of the force. In this season there was also a look at how this job affects the home life of the officers. Reed’s wife Jean (Mikki Jamison) is about to have a baby. This added responsibility weighs heavily on his mind but he has to discover a way to separate it at least while he is on the job. He faces an uncertain career with the department all while having to cope with impending fatherhood.

Another factor that made this show more realistic was the conviction rate. In most crime dramas on TV the bad guy always faces justice by the end of the episode. Here the criminals frequently would get away with their crime. Sometimes it was due to a minor procedural mistake others it would be the officers could not find a legal means to charge them. There were also times when the case would be handed up to the detective for a final resolution. A patrol office was needed in so many places at once that he was not able to follow one case through to the end.

As usual Shout Factor does an excellent job with this DVD release. The full screen video and audio has held up very well over the decades. There are also extras that look behind the scenes with commentary tracks on selected episodes by real police officers. There is also a tour of a police training facility to educate and entertain the audience. This is an older show but still has a lot to it.