411 - 11-99: Officer Needs Help

Original Airdate: 18-Jan-1981

Plot: When someone steals a delivery van, a rotten dispatcher sputters out the call. Ponch and Jon spot the van and chase it until they have to stop to assist with an overturned mattress truck. At the CHP communications center, Bonnie and Baricza assist with a demonstration of emergency transmission equipment. Later, Ponch and Jon investigate the stolen van and find out it's carrying dangerous chemicals. When Ponch and Jon find a Crafter van that went off the road, Ponch pulls out the driver just before it explodes. The chemical reacted with the floor of the van and created an explosive gas. Later, Ponch meets the terrible dispatcher, Kathie, in person. He falls in love. Meanwhile, Grossie stops a Crafter van looking for dangerous chemicals. After inspecting it, he chases a dog off the highway and falls over trying to catch it. When he falls, the transmitter sends out Grossie's emergency signal. Sarge, Bonnie, the LAPD, Ponch, Jon, Baricza, and Turner all show up to Grossie's rescue. That night, Ponch has a date with Kathie while Jon dates the regular dispatcher, Pam. After the next day's briefing, Jon and Ponch split up to follow a suspect. After losing the car for a while, Jon finds out they went to a warehouse. When the van thieves inside spot Jon, they bust out and knock over Jon. His emergenct transmitter is set off. In order to get the call out to Ponch, Kathie overcomes her speaking problems. Jon gets up and is alright. After investigating the warehouse, a citizen report locates the stolen van. Ponch and Jon manage to locate it near an abandoned ship. Baricza shows up to help. While the three officers search the ship for the suspect, Baricza gets trapped in the engine room. Jon catches one as he tries to escape in the Crafter van. Just after they both jump out, the van explodes. After the suspect is arrested, Ponch and Jon find Baricza. Back on the streets, Jon admires the dispatcher's voice and Ponch arranges for him to meet her in the parking lot. It's Kathie and she's overcome her terrible radio voice.

Briefing: Check all Crafter vans
Great Scene: Leave it to Grossie to mess up and get the entire CHP to respond to his false alarm.

Guest Stars: Kitty Ruth Moffat (at Kathie), Michael Baseleon (as Rod Sullivan), Steve Sandor (as Jerry), Greg Bradford (as Chad Sullivan), Molly Cheek (as Pam), John Davey (as Communications Sergeant), Dorothy Dells (as Janet), Frank Doubleday (as Lopez), Tony Lucatorto (as Kalvin), Warren Munson (as Sandy), Chris Noel (as Karen), Rodney Saulsberry (as Driver)
Written by: Kenneth Dorward
Directed by: Phil Bondelli

Fun Fact:

• After Jon calls in the explosion, you can see a tow truck from "Danny's Tow Service" which was featured in "Tow Truck Lady".
  Here are some Fun Facts from the director, Phil Bondelli:
• "The ship at the end of the show on which the chase took place was used in WWII as a refrigerator ship for the transportation of dead servicemen."
• "The way the truck exploded at the end of the show was Plan B. We had originally planned to have the truck drive off a dock, explode in the air, and then sink in the water. However, when we were ready to shoot the scene, a boat pulled into the dock and we lost that location."
• "The inventors of the rescue signal device used in the show were in the process of trying to sell it to actual law enforcement agencies at the time. I don't know if they were successful."

Mistakes:

• How come we don't see any of the emergency transmitters in future episodes? Did Grossie ruin it for everyone?
• During the briefing, the right side of the board says "Advise 56 59 of any change" and there's a big arrow pointing to Getraer's head. Even though the arrow's pointing to the big letters on the other side, it looks goofy pointing to Getraer.
• The cargo holds and engine room in the abandoned ship seem pretty well lit.
• Just as Getraer, Ponch, and Jon arrest the suspect, the bike rider asks if he can help. Why didn't he ask two minutes ago when the guy escaped from the ship? He just watched.
• One suspect is arrested in the end. Wasn't there more than one in the warehouse? What happened to the rest?
• Ponch and Jon find Baricza in the engine room together. Shouldn't they have split up?

Notes:

• "11-99" is a real CHP code for "officer needing assistance". The CHP 11-99 Foundation was established in 1981 to provide benefits to California Highway Patrol employees and their families.

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