Serpico Page #8

have any further questions?

- Yes, Mrs. Crist?

- If I may, Mr. Knowles, thank you.

Officer Serpico came

to the 7th Division...

more than a year

and a half ago.

All during that time, the things

he's told us were taking place.

Now, why didn't

Officer Serpico...

report these criminal activities

when he first encountered them?

- I'd like to answer that.

- Mr. Chairman...

Mrs. Crist's question isn't material

or relevant to the present inquiry.

- Although I want to make it clear...

- I'd like to answer that.

Officer Serpico cannot be considered

derelict of his duty in any way...

or guilty of

any infraction of the law.

Quite the contrary.

The District Attorney is not prepared

to say any more at this time.

Very well. Officer Serpico,

thank you for your testimony.

This hearing is adjourned

until 10:
00 tomorrow morning.

Why didn't you tell him

about Delaney and Kellogg?

Frank, this was a grand jury

about police officers...

actively engaged in corruption.

You don't implicate people

without sufficient evidence.

That's crap and you know it, because

even a dumb cop like me knows...

a prosecutor can take a grand jury

anywhere it wants to take it.

Now, you never led me anywhere

near the real problems...

Nothing about the bosses,

the brass...

how corruption like this could exist

without anybody knowing about it.

Now, a few flunky cops

in the Bronx. That's it.

None of the sh*t in Queens,

Brooklyn, Manhattan?

While you're at it,

why don't you mention Kansas City?

Well, "the biggest thing since

Harry Gross." That's what you said.

All right! Look, Frank.

You got guts, integrity.

There's going to be a detective's

gold shield in this for you.

Now, that's terrific.

That's good.

Maybe this is

what it's all about.

Maybe I should take my

gold shield and forget it.

I know you've been through

an ordeal, Frank.

I'm a marked man in this department.

For what?

- I've already arranged a transfer.

- To where? China?

That takes a 14-shot clip.

You expecting an army?

No, just a division.

Tauber, did you know I've had

reports about Serpico being a fag?

He used to hang out

in the BCI washroom.

That's stupid, Commissioner,

and you know it.

Mr. Commissioner, a gold shield

for Serpico at this time...

would convince

a lot of people...

Not while I'm commissioner.

Commander's office?

It's down that corridor.

Hey, Serpico. Do you know what

they're saying in the Bronx?

That you spilled your

guts to the grand jury.

Say it isn't so, Serpico.

It isn't so.

We know how to handle

guys like you.

I ought to cut

your tongue out.

Don't move.

Officer Serpico

reporting for duty, sir.

I'm Inspector Lombardo.

I want to shake your hand, Frank.

It's gonna be nice to have

a guy here I can trust.

Anybody in this command

you want to work with?

It's not who I want to work with.

It's who wants to work with me.

All right. You can't find anybody

you want to work with, Frank...

I'll work with you.

Is that all right?

How do we get past

the lookouts?

How many you got?

One.

There's two.

- Yeah, there's a guy.

- There's three of them.

It's four buildings away. We could

try to get down the fire escape.

Get in behind him.

What do you think?

- Look good to you?

- Yeah, let's go.

What do you think?

Want to try it?

- Oh, boy.

- You all right?

Yeah. I feel just

like a cop again.

- Let's go.

- Thank you.

Close up!

Wait, Frank!

Come on!

I ain't got nothing!

Beat it, f*** face!

Get the other one! Get out of here!

Get up against the wall.

What the hell's goin' on here?

Who the hell are you?

- Who are you?

- The police! Who the hell you think?

Get the f*** against the wall.

Up, up, up!

- Let me see your shield.

- All right. There's my shield.

- Where are you from?

- The borough. Manhattan 8th.

No, goddamn it! I just paid

the borough this morning!

What the hell kind of

shakedown is this?

Who'd you pay

in the borough?

Nobody.

I didn't pay no...

Who'd you pay

in the borough?

I didn't pay nobody.

Now let go of me.

We followed up,

and there's no doubt about it.

The pad here in Manhattan

is bigger...

and it's more sophisticated

than the one in the Bronx.

The pickups here are made-

You want to get this...

The pickups are made by...

retired policemen.

That way, no plainclothesmen

are directly involved.

Now, we need investigative help

on this one, Chief.

If you need investigative help

and you don't trust your own men...

why don't you requisition some

recruits from the police academy?

With all due respect,

sir...

backing us up is the only hope

the police department has got.

Good cops would come forward if they

thought there was encouragement...

in the department to do so, and if

they thought it would do any good.

If there's no encouragement,

they're not gonna do it.

I've done a lot more than most

people to defend and preserve...

the image of this department

and protect Commissioner Delaney...

against reckless and irresponsible

assaults from outside agencies.

That's it, huh?

I mean, that's what's

really important, isn't it?

That's what

you want to know...

what outside agencies

I've been to, right?

- Hello.

- Hello, prick.

- Who is this?

- Frank.

- How are you? Where are you?

- I'm ready to go to the Times.

It's a goddamn

serious step, Frank.

I don't know if

the timing is right.

Look, I want it to get on

the record, that's all...

in case something

should happen to me.

I want it on the record.

I don't know ifwe

carry enough weight.

I don't know if the New York Times

will go that far out on a limb...

on the say-so

of two flunky cops.

Suppose an inspector

were to come with us?

You know, I got 20 years

on the force.

Just bought this place.

I signed a 500-year mortgage on it.

- Turn that thing off out there!

- Come on. Everybody to bed.

- Aw, Mom!

- Turn that damn thing down!

Come on, now.

Go on upstairs.

You said we could go

to bed late!

This is against department

regulations, you both know that.

If they want to throw the book

at me, they can do it.

If I left the force...

I don't know

what I could do.

Okay, I made my little speech.

I'll back you up a hundred percent.

Times and the News.

I got the money, fellas.

Here you go, here you go,

here you go.

Newsweek, please.

Holy sh- Jeez!

Aw, Christ!

You could almost predict

the numbers they're gonna do.

Delaney's gonna issue

some phony denial.

Somebody from the mayor's office

will say something noble.

Delaney'll change his tune. Finally,

the mayor will appoint a commission.

"Mayor Lindsay announced the

formation of a five-man committee...

to review the city procedures for

investigating police corruption."

How come I'm not

in the first paragraph?

Unbelievable!

The Times' report smells

of the familiar smear tactics...

of McCarthyism.

- I have issued a statement-

- We here at city hall...

The mayor appointed a special

investigation commission...

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