Career Day

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## Briefing

A gang working around California are robbing properties and have yet to be caught.

## Traffic Violations

* Speeding/stolen hearse - Arrested.
* Driving the wrong way - Citation given.
* Traffic Tie Up - Distraction removed.

## Report

Ponch spots a vehicle in the lay by and tells Jon they should check to see if the driver needs assistance. Jon tells him they don't need to since the truck's been tagged already, meaning its already been seen to.

Jon and Ponch spot a speeding hearse with the rear door open. When the hearse turns the corner a coffin spills out the back. An onlooker screams. Jon and Ponch give pursuit and they radio Baricza to take care of the traffic accident.

Baricza arrives on the scene where the coffin landed and he knocks on the coffin lid and tells the occupant to come out. After a while and another knock the lid slowly opens to reveal a college student inside. Baricza tells him if he keeps it up he might get the 'real thing' (death).

After a long chase the other frat boys are finally stopped when a reversing truck cause them to swerve into the exit of a parking lot it causes their tyres to burst on the spikes and stop the chase dead.

The pair turn down a one way street and then see a car coming towards them, Ponch tells the man to pull over but when he sees who's driving he has the look of fear.

They pull up behind the car and Ponch urges Jon to take care of it. The driver exits his car and approaches the officers telling them he has a reasonable explanation. Ponch urges Jon again and Jon tells him he will and calls him by his name. The driver recognizes the name and asks him if he's Francis Llewellyn Poncherello. Jon is beside himself when he hears what his middle name is. Jon asks to be introduced and Ponch tells him he's the principal of Poly High, Mr Singleton. Mr Singleton tells Ponch he never expected him to be on that side of the law whilst poking his officer's badge and he can still remember the number of probation's he's had. Familiarity comes across Jon's face. Ponch cheekily grins and tells him he did have a few run ins, Mr Singleton tells him he broke the school all time record for visits to his office. Jon tells him he told him he broke the all time record for basketball (Undertow). Ponch reminds Mr Singleton that he was breaking the law just then. Mr Singleton tells Ponch he had a lot on his mind with the current crop of Francis Poncherello's. Mr Singleton points at Ponch and asks him if he's going to give him a ticket, Jon's head spins round in surprise wondering what the answer will be. Ponch stands his ground and tells him yes. Mr Singleton's face drops and then he tells Ponch he's glad and that he never thought he'd say it but he's proud of him and hands him his papers. Mr Singleton asks Jon how his spelling is these days and Jon fumbles his words out. Mr Singleton looks at Ponch and says "I see...no improvement." whilst shaking his head.

During the briefing, Getraer tells everyone that the robber struck again clearing out a property. The robber parks on the freeway and tags their vehicle as BO which is why they've been overlooking it. He tells everyone that if they see a tagged vehicle to check it out. Ponch asks if they have to check every tagged car and Getraer tells him he can look for tagged cars while everyone else will be on the look out for vans and trucks since the robber steals TV's and other big stuff.

An APB goes out requesting assistance for a traffic tie up. A photographer has decided to take swimming ware shots by the freeway causing the back up. Jon and Ponch arrive to take care of the issue. Ponch has to deal with a truck driver who's decided to leave his vehicle on the freeway to take a closer look. Jon deals with the photographer who refuses to move. The women tell him that they stop the cars from speeding and saving on gasoline, they start pawing at him. When jail is mentioned the girls leave.

Baricza is controlling traffic and tells Ponch that Getraer wants him to phone him. Getraer tells Ponch he received a call from his principal, Mr Singleton who wants to see him in his office in uniform. Ponch tells Getraer that 'Wrong way Singleton' won't talk him out of the cite. Getraer tells Ponch to see him and revels in calling him by his middle name.

Jon and Ponch arrives at his old school he dismounts off is bike and walks off, the bike topples over. Onlookers start giggling. Jon notices that the bike has been damaged and calls in for a tow.

Ponch is adamant that Mr Singleton won't talk him out of the citation and tells him so to his face, Mr Singleton didn't expect him to and tells him he's really proud of him and because of it he wants him to address the students on career day. Mr Singleton tells Ponch that he has an amazing success story and that people can relate to him especially with his more difficult cases. Ponch agrees.

Getraer sees Jon and Ponch returning to the precinct. Jon on his bike and Ponch in a patrol car with his bike in tow. Ponch sheepishly leaves the patrol car under the scrutiny of his Sargent. Getraer tells Ponch that he has nearly 100 vehicles operating out of central and only one of them spends most of its time in the repair shop. He then goes on to tell Ponch that his job is not to keep the mechanics busy and that his job is to patrol and he can't do it on foot. He suggests Ponch joins the mounted police, if he treats his horse like he does his bike then at least it can bite back.

Ponch attempts to tell Getraer about the opportunity with Mr Singleton but a helicopter arrives and he can't be heard over the noise of it. Getraer walks off.

Ponch suggests borrowing Getraer's bike and Getraer tells him a flat out no. He tells Jon to return to duty and Ponch now has a desk job.

The helicopter pilot comes to the front desk and asks Getraer if he has a spare observer, Ponch immediately volunteers. Getraer tells Ponch to go easy on the chopper as they don't have that many. Outside Jon is mounting his bike and notices Ponch in the passenger side of the chopper.

An APB goes out for a lost boy, Jon responds by telling dispatch he'll respond to the location. He tells Ponch in Helicopter 5 to check out the storm drains since it's a magnet for kids. After searching for a while Ponch spots him kicking a can in the storm drain, he calls it in and Jon tells him he'll be there in 2.

Jon talks to the boy who is called Mikie, Ponch asks if he wants to fly in a helicopter. Jon offers his bike. Mikie tells Jon that none of his friends have flown in a whirlybird before. After Ponch reunites Mikie to his parents, Jon suggests that the story would make a great human interest story for his speech. Ponch tells him he needs spicier stories and reels off a number of cases all which Jon took care of.

Whilst in the air Ponch spots a blue van, similar to the one he saw the other day and calls it in asking if anyone has tagged it. Baricza, Jon and Fritz who are all in the area call in advising they haven't. Ponch requests Jon check it out. Whilst they are hovering above the van the robbers come out of a house and spot the chopper, they drop everything and then make a run for their van.

After a chase the van enters a tunnel and quickly u-turns, just as Jon enters the tunnel with Baricza behind him the van exits. Ponch sees Jon & Baricza emerge the other side and informs them of the u-ey.

Ponch spots another patrol car in the area and informs them that they're heading towards the 459. With their only escape route blocked the van attempts to drive off road but quickly hit a dirt mound, the chase is officially over.

It's time for Ponch to do his speech for career day, he's ecstatic to be there. When he reaches the podium he realises the enormity of the speech and chokes. Ponch is lost for words, so Jon gets up to speak for him. Jon recounts the story of the dog on the freeway (Dog Gone) but can tell the audience isn't engaging. Jon then recounts Ponch saving the life of a child through air to ground search which garners a round of applause. Ponch is still a little timid so Jon recounts the story when he rescued an elderly couple on a runaway bus (Moving Violation). Ponch has regained his composure now and starts talking about some robbers he chased but he's not making much sense and starts jabbering.

Everyone looks bored, Ponch keeps yapping. Everyone checks their watches, Ponch backs into his enlarged graduation photo whilst mimicking a gun position. The portrait folds over onto Ponch.

## Notes

* Getraer knows Ponch's excuses off by heart and numbers this one as 24.

### Codes used

* 11-82 - Traffic Accident - No Injuries
* BO - Out of Order
* 10-21 - Phone
* 459 - Burglary

### Ponch's Bad Luck

* Gives a ticket to his Principal.
* Damages his bike when he doesn't engage the foot rest.
* Gets chewed out by Getraer for damaging his bike.
* Gets squirted with water when Jon takes a drink from a water fountain.
* Bores people to death during his career day speech & knocks over his graduation portrait.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Larry Wilcox: Jon Baker
* Erik Estrada: Frank Poncherello
* Robert Pine: Joe Getraer

### Recurring

* Brodie Greer: Baricza
* Lew Saunders: Fritz
* R.B. Sorko-Ram: Shain

### Others

* Eichard Deacon: Mr Singleton
* David Man: Randolph
* Jerry Ayres: Burglar
* Bebe Kelly: Ms. Burglar
* Phillip Boyer: Mikie
* Charles Cooper: Trucker
* Cynthia Harrison: Ginger
* Victoria Peters: Clara