Cagney & Lacey (TV Series)

Child Witness (1984)

Carl Lumbly: Mark Petrie

Quotes 

• Lt. Bert Samuels : [to Petrie]  I read the report. You're alleging improper conduct, specifically the use of unnecessary force, and you're alleging against Officers Brundage and Balough.

  Mark Petrie : That is correct.

  Lt. Bert Samuels : I still don't know why. Petrie, suppose it was you out on patrol. Hm? And you see a guy trying to break into an automobile, a guy in civilian clothes is trying to break in with a... coat hanger. You go over to investigate. You don't see a shield. What you do see is a gun in a shoulder holster underneath the guy's jacket. What do you do?

  Mark Petrie : Well, I don't slam the suspect up against the car.

  Lt. Bert Samuels : No. What do you do?

  Mark Petrie : No, I don't slam him against the car! I don't do that!

  Lt. Bert Samuels : Well, I'll tell you what I would do! A soon as I see that piece, I don't leave any margin for error. That's what I do. You know, I'll tell you something, Marcus Petrie, these guys had no way of knowing that you were a police officer.

  Mark Petrie : I don't think that that's the point!

  Lt. Bert Samuels : What is the point?

  Mark Petrie : The point... what they saw, Lieutenant, was a black man, shabbily dressed, in a middle-class, predominately white neighborhood. Now if I were white, they would have asked if I needed a locksmith.

  Lt. Bert Samuels : You believe that?

  Mark Petrie : Yes.

• Balough : Hey, Detective Petrie!

  Brundage : Can we have a word with you?

  Mark Petrie : I'm in a hurry.

  Brundage : Come on, this should just take a minute.

  Balough : Oh, listen, maybe we could go some place a little more private.

  Mark Petrie : Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of my partner.

  Balough : All right. Mm, we came here to ask you to reconsider filing charges. Look, we're sorry for what happened. It was an honest mistake. Look, I got 11 years, Petrie. Do you know what'll happen if this goes in my file?

  Mark Petrie : I wonder why you didn't think about that before you jumped me.