Baby Food

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## Briefing

A race against time to find some baby food taken from a freeway spill results in the CHP on high alert. The baby food was contaminated and was on its way to be destroyed.

## Traffic Violations

* Truck spillage - Citation Given.
* Car Fire - Assistance Given.
* Speeding Motorist - Warned and Advised.
* Driving the wrong way on an off ramp - DMV retest.

## Report

Out on patrol Jon and Ponch are discussing Ponch's latest flame, although he's not met her yet but he has seen her in his trailer park. Jon dubs her 'Sexy Feet' based on Ponch's description. They behind a truck when the rear hatch springs open and the contents in the truck begin spilling out. Jon and Ponch try to avoid the boxes as they fall.

Jon manages to ride up to the cab of the truck and motions the driver to pull over. The drive exits his vehicle and tells Jon he wasn't speeding that much and Jon jabs repeatedly towards the freeway. Ponch angry is told by Jon to redirect traffic. Fritz has arrived in his patrol car. Ponch tells him to call Cal Trans to take care of the spill since he and Jon are expecting a court call at Central.

Ponch is worried since they're already late and Getraer hates it when he's late.

A couple picking cans on the freeway, spot Jon and Ponch approaching and quickly stash their find in their yellow school bus and pretend there's a problem with their tire. Seeing that they need no assistance the pair drive off.

Getraer is in the briefing room and Ponch hangs outside the door. Getraer starts reading off a list of name and people start chuckling. Getraer finally looks up to see why everyone is laughing and sees Ponch at the window silently moving his mouth and his hand shaped like a ducks beak flapping away. Getraer tells Ponch to get away from the window but Ponch mimics he can't hear him. Getraer tells him to get away from the window again but Ponch still pretends not to hear him. Getraer goes to the door and Ponch apologises that he couldn't hear him and asks Jon for back up. Getraer tells Jon that's aiding and abetting and tells Jon he doesn't want to see Ponch's face.

One of the dispatch ladies is taking a report to Getraer. Ponch wolf whistles her and Jon tells him not to and reminds him of Sexy Feet. She spurns his advances and enters the briefing room with Ponch attached, he's still talking about going to the drive in distracting Getraer from his briefing.

Jon grabs Ponch and leads him away.

The yellow school bus pulls over at a lay by, and spot two boxes on the embankment. The man gets out of the bus and picks up the remains of Dalecki's baby food spill earlier.

Jon and Ponch are in the staff room, Ponch screws up paper cups and throws them at the bin while Jon reads a book. Ponch looks at his watch and tells Jon that The Troubled World is on, they head to the briefing room and turn the TV on. Jon can't believe he watches it.

Getraer is in the next room looking over a report but he can't concentrate with the TV on, so he storms into the briefing room, turns the TV off and begs Jon to keep him in check.

At the Dalecki warehouse, it turns out that the inventory on the spill is two boxes short. The baby food was on its way to be tested as it was contaminated with botulism.

Ponch has the complete attention of the call operators who intently listen to his story. Getraer walks in and the women scatter. Getaer tells them to get out, Jon tells him they're waiting for a call. Getraer tells them to wait at home and he'll call them when it comes in. Ponch declares that they will be at his place. Getaer doesn't care as long as they aren't at the precinct.

Jon wants to know why they should wait at his place and Ponch tells him he wants him to meet Linda, sexy feet.

On the way there they see a car billowing smoke, Ponch shouts at the man not to pop the hood but he can't hear them. Upon opening the hood a puff of smoke appears and the man reels backwards. Jon calls in the fire and Ponch helps the driver. Jon begins traffic control. The man suddenly regains composure and tells Ponch that Randy is in the car and attempts to go back to the smoking wreck. Ponch restrains him while Jon checks out the car. Jon opens the car door to be greeted by a barking red setter. Its leash is wrapped around the window opener and the car is leaking fuel. Jon is having a hard time trying to free Randy because he's barking at him, but he eventually frees him just before the car explodes.

Baricza arrives in his patrol car and asks if everyone's okay, he takes one look at Ponch and tells him Getaer's going to have a field day with him. Ponch looks at his uniform, it's singed, he looks at Jon's uniform and it's spotless.

They arrive at Ponch's motor home park where he's greeted by various members of the community. Ponch wants to change before he meets, Sexy Feet. Upon entering the home, Jon notices it's unkempt.

Ponch finds some shorts he can wear and tells Jon he's going to go outside and polish his bike. Ponch spots Sexy Feet return home and peeks out the window, he inadvertently knocks the receiver off the phone whilst doing so.

Daleki's call Central to advise of the missing cartons of baby food. Dispatch sends out an APB message to advise of the missing boxes and start a search. Since Jon and Ponch are in his motor home they don't hear the APB.

Getraer checks in with the call operators to see if anyone has called in regarding the lost baby food but there isn't anything. Getraer then realises that Jon and Ponch were out during the morning and haven't responded to dispatch since they're at home. Getraer asks the room if anyone has Ponch's telephone number. All the women in the room turn round and wave Ponch's number at him. Getraer isn't surprised.

Every time Getraer calls Ponch's phone he gets an engaged tone, he's getting frustrated at not being able to get hold of them. He labels himself Mr Nice Guy and storms out the office preparing to ride out. A news broadcast goes out regarding the contaminated baby food.

Getraer mumbles to himself about being a too nicer guy and whilst doing so a speeding motorist passes him. He catches up to him and tells him he's speeding and that he could give him a citation since he's over the speed limit. He tells the driver he's been warned and advised, and rides off mumbling about being such a nice guy.

Ponch tells Jon to watch from the window, but he doesn't have a chance. No sooner does he move towards the window he spots Getraer arriving outside. Getraer bursts into the motor home and asks who's been on the phone. Jon asks him why he's come out all the way to Ponch's home, Getraer tells them about the baby food. The both confirm they dealt with it and almost got killed. Getraer tells them two boxes went missing and asks them if they remember anybody or anything. Jon tells him Fritz called it in and helped clean it up. Getraer tells the pair to return to Central.

Jon is outside polishing his bike while waiting for Ponch. Sexy Feet comes over with a glass of iced tea and offers him some since it's a hot day. She tells him to return the glass anytime.

On their way back to Central they decide to check the area for the boxes, when they take the off ramp a car drives towards them in the opposite direction. They swerve in time and turn around to stop the driver before it merges with the traffic. The elderly woman is English and not happy at being stopped. She blames the incey wincey signs. Jon tells Ponch not to give her a ticket as she's angry and won't sign the box. He tells Ponch to help her turn the car around.

On their way to Central Jon soon remembers the school bus with the flat tire. They return to Central and tell Getraer about it. An APB goes out to look for the school bus.

The school bus is now parked in a camp site and on the table inside is an opened jar of Daleki's baby food.

Everyone goes out searching for the school bus.

Back on the school bus baby Henry is eating the food off a spoon.

At the camp site everyone splits up asking people if they've seen a yellow school bus but no one has seen it. Jon and Ponch decide to check another camp close by and when they arrive the school bus is there. Ponch calls it in and requests a helicopter, however the helicopter is on a blood run and unable to respond. Due to a accident the ambulance won't be able to come to them. Jon request they send an ambulance at the Malibu end of the canyon and he'll meet them there. Ponch straps Henry to Jon's chest and they ride out to meet the ambulance.

At the hospital, Jon and Ponch are giving Getraer the good news over the phone and that the baby food has now been accounted for. Getraer tells them that they have to cut down on the personal calls to the office, Ponch tells him that they've not been in Central to make any. Getraer tells him it's not calls out but calls in. Ponch is excited there's a personal call for him, and Getraer tells him there were three calls from someone called Melinda. Ponch is excited that Melinda called him. Getraer the bearer of good news tells Ponch that the calls weren't for him, they were for Baker.

Ponch's face drops. Jon puts the phone down gently. Ponch sneers at Jon. Jon sneaks off. Ponch follows him but is unable to open the automatic doors when he steps on the door plate. Jon has barricaded the door with his body. Ponch threatens Jon through the window. Jon leans back on the door and puts his sunglasses on smugly and motions his chin towards Ponch through the window.

## Notes

* The actor who plays the father of the baby in this episode was screen tested for the Poncherello role, Erik thought he might not get it due to his previous roles as a thug. However when it was whittled down to two people; Erik and him, they put Erik in uniform and he won the role.

* Ponch removes his duty belt at his motor home and the next scene shows him with it still on.
* When Getraer is telling off a speeding motorist you can see the camera in the reflection of the car.

### Quotes

* Ponch/[Dispatch]: Saturday night they've got a great double bill at the drive in. [Some of us stopped going to drive in's when we graduated from high school.]
* Ponch/[Jon]: Carry or lead? [Carry].

### Ponch's Bad Luck

* Annoys the heck out of Getraer waiting for a call at Central.
* Singes his uniform.
* Almost hits a car going the wrong way on an off ramp.

### Codes used

* 11-82 - Traffic Accident; No Injury
* 11-79 - Traffic Accident; Ambulance has been dispatched
* Form 2 - Complaint
* Code 33 - Frequency is now restricted to emergency transmissions only.

## Cast

### Main Cast

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

### Recurring

* Brodie Greer: Baricza
* Lew Saunders: Fritz
* Reb Brown: Brouillette

### Others

* Marjorie Bennett: Mrs Downey
* Noelle North: Young Woman
* Harvey J. Goldenberg: Davis
* Joeal Nicassio: Young Man
* Don Maxwell: Pickup Driver
* Jenny Sherman: Melinda
* Barbera Brownell: Nancy