The Facts Of Life:
The Long Night


Tuesday, January 20, 1981
11:30 PM

We are inside the cafeteria of Eastland Academy, a private school
for girls grades 6-12 near Peekskill, New York. Joanna Marie "Jo"
Polniaczek, age 14, is a tough, streetwise girl from the Bronx in
New York City who does not feel that she has to fit in with the
"rich and spoiled" element at Eastland. One girl from that society
however, has become a close and personal friend of Jo's-Blair Warner
of Dallas, Texas. Jo is also friends with Natalie Green, a Jewish
girl from nearby Hastings-On-Hudson, New York, and Dorothy
"Tootie" Ramsey born in Washington D.C. and raised in Falls
Church, Virginia, a D.C. suburb and one of the few African-
Americans among the girls of Eastland.

Jo comes in through the kitchen as Mrs. Edna Garrett,
Eastland's school dietitian is cleaning up in preparation for
the next day. Mrs. Garrett is a close friend to our four girls,
partly out of necessity-she is the girls guardian. A few months
before, Jo, Blair, Natalie and Tootie snuck into an adult bar on
the rough side of Peekskill and ended up in jail after pouring beer
on a police officer's head.

Although the girls escaped expulsion from Eastland, they were
forced to live with Mrs. Garrett in a special apartment above the
cafeteria as part of their probation and also work in the cafeteria
to pay off the 2,000 dollars worth of damage caused to a
school van during their "little escapade". At first, they were
reluctant to accept these terms, but soon learned to adjust
to their new situation and in the process they developed
a close friendship with each other and a close bond with Mrs. Garrett,
in fact they consider her to be their surrogate mother.

When are you going to post it?

I can't wait to read it :)

What's it gonna be about?:confused:

I can't wait to read your story.

JO
Hey, Mrs. Garrett. I just got up from my nap, and I'm ready
to go on this ride-along thing or whatever it is.

EDNA
Well, good luck to you. Who is the officer?

JO
Gabriel Hernandez. You know, I still can't believe I said yes
to riding along with one of Peekskill's finest. Frankly, I still
hate cops. One of them was responsible for making me have
to live with you four. But I suppose I owe it to Ma to get to know
one of this city's police officers. I also kind of promised this to
his 12 year old daughter Maria. This is her first year here and
the kid is a good kid who really loves her father.

EDNA
But I am really proud you decided to do this. You know, I have
friends in the Peekskill Police Department-my old Korean War
friend James Davis is Captain of the North Precinct, where Gabriel
works. And Natalie's uncle, Nathan Green, is chief of police here.

JO
Yeah, but to me, they're all cops. And as far as I'm concerned,
all cops live to do nothing but harass people and cause trouble-
I know because that's how they were with me back in the Bronx.

EDNA
Well, did it ever occur to you that perhaps the reason those
officers "harassed" you was because you were running around
like a juvenille delinquent being truant and causing a menace?

JO
Hey, I may have had my problems in life, but I do know this:cops
cause more problems than they solve. They're more of a hinderance
than a help.

EDNA
Well, I think maybe you need to ride with Gabriel so that you can
see what our police department really means to this city.

JO
Well, maybe you're right and maybe you're wrong. Either way, I guess
I have to find out for myself.

EDNA
And I hope you will find that I'm right.

JO
I hope so, too.(They hug)

I like it.

11:50 PM

A police patrol car is parked just outside the Eastland cafeteria
entrance. The patrol car is colored grey and black with the words
"Peekskill Police" spelled in capital letters across the front doors
and two red-colored globe lights on top of the car. Inside the
patrol car is Officer Gabriel Hernandez, a handsome Puerto Rican
man about 34 years old who is a former marine and father to
three children-Maria, age 12, Jorge, age 8 and Linda, age 2.

Gabriel has heard about this young woman from the Bronx named
Jo Polniaczek. About her hatred and distrust toward police
officers. This police officer feels some compassion toward Jo-
although he was born in Puerto Rico, Gabriel grew up in the Bronx,
poor and dropping out of high school before his senior year to join the
U.S. Marine Corps. at age 17. He felt that his life basically had no
purpose until he met Ina Kapellis, a young Lithuanian-American
woman from Youngstown, Ohio who was stationed with her family
in Hawaii while Gabriel was stationed in Vietnam. Almost from
the moment they met, the two were soul mates and will be
forever. But Gabriel is also wary of the young woman because
he is proud of his police department and strives to defend it
from those who are against it.

This is SUPER! I can't wait for more!

Keep up the good work.

Jo steps outside through the cafeteria enterance and makes her
way toward the patrol car and slowly climbs in and faces the
dark skinned and handsome policeman.

JO
Hello. Officer Gabriel Hernandez, right?

GABRIEL
Yes, that is my name. You are Jo Polniaczek, right?

JO
Yes. Are we ready to go now?

GABRIEL
I am if you are, Jo.

JO
You're calling me by my first name?.

GABRIEL
Well, I am trying to gain your trust, if you will let me.

JO
Well, what do I have to lose? I'll either be right or wrong.

Jo steps into the patrol car as the front seat passenger with
Hernandez as driver and the two drive off into the night. They
soon arrive in the city of Peekskill, New York. There is contrast
everywhere-there are prominent businesses and bars, nice-
looking residential homes and housing projects, clean streets
and dirty streets, all elements of society. Gabriel steers his patrol
car through the streets of the city like it is his old friend. In his
six years and three months with the Peekskill Police Department,
he has gotten to know Peekskill extremely well.

GABRIEL
This is Old Highway 40, one of the main streets of Peekskill-I drive
through it every night about this time. I chose the midnight-8 AM
shift because I feel that is when the city needs me most.

JO
Why did you move from the Bronx to Peekskill?

GABRIEL
I got tired of all the crime around me, and I felt I needed a town
where I could escape from that. Peekskill is actually a pretty safe
town except for some parts of it late at night. Then you have to
watch out for yourself. I have learned to hande it well.

JO
You're Puerto Rican, right?

GABRIEL
Yes. I was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx. My wife is
Ina, she is of Lithuanian descent and from Youngstown, Ohio.

JO
Well, I'm from the Bronx, too. I'm half polish and half sicillian,
my mother is named Rose and my father-well, my father is named
Charlie. I don't like to talk about him because he left mom and I
and he's now in prison upstate for armed robbery.

GABRIEL
Well, I am sorry to hear that, but you should not stop loving
your father just because of that.

JO
I wish I could believe you, but I don't know. He never let me know
whether or not he loved me, he just left when I was three years
old and left my mother to support me by working as a waitress in
a cocktail bar. As a result, I grew up mostly by myself and was
headed toward life as a juvenille delinquent. My mother was sorry
that she neglected me earlier, but for my own good, she sent me
to Eastland to get me away from those bad influences. In a way,
I should thank her, but I am still angry at her for neglecting me
all those years. On the other hand, I have turned my life around
and made four lasting friendships-Blair Warner, Tootie Ramsey,
Natalie Green and Mrs. Edna Garrett.

GABRIEL
Tootie Ramsey?

JO
Dorothy, we just call her Tootie. Listen, I was going to have some
food before I left, but I didn't have time to eat. How about some
doughnuts and coffee? That's what a cop eats, right?

GABRIEL
Well, not all police officers eat doughnuts and drink coffee, but I
happen to like both of them. I know a place just a mile down the
road-G.W.'s Doughnut House.

JO
G.W.?

GABRIEL
George Washington Reynolds-a former Nashville police officer who
came here about five years ago to start a doughnut shop. It is
one of the most sucessful private businesses in the city.

JO
How do you like your doughnuts and coffee?

GABRIEL
I like my coffee with extra sugar and cream and my favorite
doughnuts are chocolate with chocolate frosting.

JO
Same with the doughnuts, but I like my coffee black, no sugar.

GABRIEL
I cannot stand black coffee. But I respect all people's tastes.

Jo and Gabriel arrive at G.W.'s Doughnut House and go inside
to meet its owner, George Washington Reynolds, a tall african-
american man about 49 years old.

G.W.
Gabe! Who is the young lady with you tonight?

GABRIEL
G.W., meet Jo Polniaczek, a student at Eastland Academy. She is
riding along with me to experience first hand a night on patrol
with a Peekskill police officer. I would like four doughnuts, two
for each of us-both chocolate with chocolate frosting.

JO
Gabriel would like coffee with double sugar, double cream and
I would like mine black with no sugar.

GABRIEL
And we would like them to go. I have to keep patrolling.

G.W.
Alright, here they come! Hope you can keep warm-radio said it
was supposed to drop down to 8 degrees and come a heavy
snow. But hey, you're one of Peekskill's finest!

GABRIEL
Well, I have got a heavy jacket on and Jo does as well. We should
be okay if it gets really cold. Let us go, Jo.

Gabriel takes the coffee and Jo takes the doughnuts to the patrol
car and then they are again off as Gabriel Hernandez starts his
night of patrolling the city of Peekskill, protecting its citizens.

this is pretty cool! To steal Sabrina's phrase...That's cool...like Mr. Cool.:cool: :cool:

Wednesday, January 21, 1981
12:30 AM

Inside the patrol car...

DISPATCHER
Unit 20, Unit 20, Domestic Disturbance at 2300 Morris Avenue,
shots have been fired. Use extreme caution-handle code 3.

GABRIEL
Unit 20 responding!(activates lights and siren) Jo, when I get to
this address, you are to stay in the car-understood? Neither of
us knows how dangerous this could be. If the man has already
killed his wife, or if the woman has already killed her husband,
he or she will not hesitate to kill a police officer. In any case, I do
not want you involved.

JO
No problem-I may be tough, but I'm no fool!


The patrol car speeds through the night with lights and siren on,
and soon arrives at the address-a beautiful mansion-like house
with a large swimming pool. A woman with a 9mm german luger
is firing shots at her husband, a man with slightly graying brown
hair. The woman is blonde-haired with blue eyes. Hernandez
is out of the patrol car with lightning-fast speed, .38 service
revolver already drawn and ready. He aims toward the woman.

GABRIEL
Police Officer! Drop Your Weapon!

KATHERINE
Well, if it isn't the man in blue! Well, it looks like you and me are both going to die!

GABRIEL
Do not do anything foolish! Put the gun down!

KATHERINE
Since you've got the badge and uniform on, you put yours down!

GABRIEL
No deals! Put the gun down or run the risk of death!

Suddenly, George Chandler steps in and punchs the woman in
the face, knocking her unconscious. Gabriel runs over and
removes the gun from Katherine Chandler's grasp and then rolls
the woman onto her stomach and snaps handcuffs on behind
her back and rolls the woman over to check her signs. She is
unconscious but not hurt. Gabriel goes to the patrol car and
radios the dispatcher.

GABRIEL
This is Unit 20, cancel the assist. Suspect is in custody, will
proceed to North Precinct Station, Unit 20 out.

DISPATCHER
Roger, Unit 20.

Gabriel turns to George Chandler and checks him over

GABRIEL
Are you alright, sir?

GEORGE
Yes, officer. My wife... she just... went crazy and pulled that gun
on me and then chased me around the house and was about to
kill me when you arrived. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

GABRIEL
Just doing my job as a police officer.

GEORGE
You are to be commended for saving my life. Don't be surprised
if you are given an award by the Peekskill city council!

GABRIEL
Sir, I would not be deserving of it...

GEORGE
Hush, now I will not hear another word of it. You are a true hero.

GABRIEL
Actually, sir, it was you who knocked her out.

GEORGE
Well, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to do that.

GABRIEL
Your support of your local police is all I really ask.

GEORGE
I say you deserve that metal and I won't leave you alone until
you take it! I'll have a dinner in your honor next week at city hall!

Gabriel sees this is going nowhere, so he takes Katherine
Chandler, who is now awake, to the patrol car and puts her
in the left back seat behind the car's metal protective barrier.

It's good.

This is pretty good.

Gabriel steps into the patrol car and turns to face Katherine
Chandler. He pulls out a card on which is printed words that
all police officers must know and read to all suspects under
arrest-the result of a supreme court decision called Miranda
Vs. Arizona. He supports this legal decision, at least in practice.

GABRIEL
Alright, Mrs. Chandler, I want you to listen to me. You are under
arrest on charges of terroristic threatning, unlawful use of a
weapon and attempted murder. These are your legal rights:

You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer any and
all questions. Anything you do say may be used against you in
any legal proceedings. You have the right to the presence of an
attorney and to have that attorney present during any and all
questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, the court will
appoint for you a public defender without charge.

Do you understand each of these rights as have been explained?

KATHERINE
Yeah.

GABRIEL
Do you wish to give up the right to remain silent?

KATHERINE
Oh, what's the use, I might as talk to you. I've had it up to here
with my husband-always popping off at the mouth, bragging to all
his friends about how great a guy he is, telling jokes about me
behind my back, always trying to show me up. Well, tonight I
decided to put him in his place-once and for all. I bought the gun
from a dealer in Cold Spring and took it to the house tonight, then
burst through the door, chased him outside, and was about to
dispense with him when you showed up to interfere.

GABRIEL
I am a police officer. I got a call over my radio about a domestic
disturbance. It is my business to intervene when the law has
broken, and you, Mrs. Chandler, broke the law tonight.

KATHERINE
So? There ought to be a law against ruining a woman's reputation
in this community! And if there isn't, then female citizens of the
city of Peekskill ought to form a vigilante group with the purpose
of exacting revenge against husbands who ruin our reputation!

GABRIEL
Well, the point is this:what you did tonight was illegal, not to
mention dangerous-what if a "female" or "male" citizen had
stepped into the line of fire out there? Or what if you had been
sucessful in your attempt to kill your husband? You would be
facing at least one charge of murder, not attempted murder.

KATHERINE
Prison is a small price to pay for getting that man out of my life!

GABRIEL
Would you have been willing to risk the death penalty?

KATHERINE
Sure, bud! This is America, where all people are free!

GABRIEL
Yes, but that right does not extend to breaking the law and
placing people's lives in danger, which you could have done.

KATHERINE
I have made my point! I have nothing further to say to you!

GABRIEL
That is your legal right, M'am.

Jo, watching from her seat, is impressed that Gabriel kept his cool
throughout the entire ordeal. Maybe she was wrong about cops.

Post more.

The patrol car is heading toward the North Precinct Station on
4475 Peekskill Road at the corner of Woodley Avenue.

JO
Where are we headed?

GABRIEL
Back to my station. We have to get Mrs. Chandler booked in and
processed. Then we will be back on patrol.

JO
You know, I was impressed at how you handled the situation with
the woman just now. She was arguing till the cows came home
and you didn't give in or lose your temper.

GABRIEL
Well, when you are paid to enforce the law and protect people,
you have to keep the trust of the people at large. You have to be
a professional and keep control of your emotions at all times.

JO
You know, I think that maybe I was wrong about you guys in
blue. I used to think that all of you were a bunch of jerks in blue
uniforms who went around just harassing people, but after seeing
how you dealt with the husband, I think my opinion is starting
to change about you guys. Who knows, one of these days I
might just be a cop, like you.

GABRIEL
Well, we are looking for both men and women of all races to fill
the uniform of a Peekskill Police Officer. I hope you have what it
takes, because I would be glad to work with someone like you.

Jo looks at Gabriel and a warm smile comes across her face

JO
Thank you, Gabriel.

GABRIEL
That was the first time you called me by my first name.

Jo, Gabriel and Katherine Chandler soon arrive at the location
of the North Precinct station. It is nearly 1 AM and it is 14 degrees
as Gabriel Hernandez blows through his hands and shivers upon
exiting the patrol car. Gabriel goes to the left back seat of the
car and helps Katherine Chandler out of the car.

It's great!

Gabriel goes into the station and then into the male officer's
locker room, removes his bomber-type jacket, and checks his
uniform:dark blue long-sleeved shirt, neck tie with tie clip, dark
blue trousers and black, mid-calf length military-style boots.

We also see Gabriel's smooth-skinned darkly-tanned face that
betrays his latin american roots and his wavy black hair and
brown eyes, that classic latin romantic look. Indeed, he barely
looks like he is 34 years old, although that is his age.

Having looked himself over and having spit-polished his boots,
Gabriel strides forward with pride, proud to be inspected by
the chief of police himself-Nathaniel Green.

Soon, a man with gray hair dressed in a formal police uniform
steps into the station accompanied by another gray-haired man
wearing one of the regular uniforms. The first man is Chief
Nathaniel Green, the other Captain James Davis, precinct watch
commander and a close friend of Mrs. Garrett

CAPT. DAVIS
Troops, attention!

A company of 18 male and 2 female police officers snaps quickly
into a strict military formation. Chief Green makes his down the
line of officers and when he is through, turns to address them

CHIEF GREEN
Well, my fine officers, again you do not fail to please your chief-
all uniforms polished and in the best possible condition-with top
honor again going to Officer Hernandez, in my opinion maybe the
best officer this department has ever had. You all should be
proud to serve under me as your chief. Captain...

CAPT. DAVIS
Fall out! Return to normal duty.

The officers fall out and Gabriel comes over to the chief and proudly shakes his superior officer's hand

GABRIEL
Chief, that speech was wonderful.

CHIEF GREEN
Well said, Hernandez. I am truly proud to have a young man like
you under my command. I am keeping you away from the streets?

GABRIEL
I do have to get out there, sir. No offense to you.

CHIEF GREEN
None taken, Hernandez. Good luck and god speed!

The chief departs and Gabriel goes to get Jo and the two of
them head back into the patrol car and back out on the streets.

Post more.

It is great!

Inside the patrol car...

JO
Natalie's uncle is a nice guy!

GABRIEL
Yes, we are proud to have this man as our chief. You have not
yet told me how you and three other girls came to live with Mrs.
Garrett above the cafeteria at Eastland. I am curious to know.

JO
Well, when I first came to Eastland a few months ago, I had a
real bad attitude toward life in general. I didn't care whether I
made it in life or not. To make matters worse, I tried to pull Blair,
Natalie and Tootie down with me. I convinced them to follow me
to a bar called the Chug-A-Lug in a bad part of town. A cop who
worked undercover named Detective Barry Schuller spotted Blair
and me and tried to arrest us over the objections of Mrs. Garrett,
Natalie and Tootie. Tootie then poured some beer over Schuller's
head and Schuller then hauled all of us except Mrs. Garrett to the
jail at the South Precinct Station. We just managed to escape
being expelled from Eastland, but we were placed on probation
by the court system and we had to live with Mrs. Garrett above
the cafeteria until the end of the school year and also had to
work in the cafeteria to pay off $2,000 dollars worth of damage
due to us wrecking the school van by accident. I'm sorry I told you
all of this-I bet you now have a low opinion of me, huh?

GABRIEL
I did not say I have a low opinion of you-everybody makes
mistakes at one point or another. That is what makes us human.

JO
I really like you, Gabriel. You don't hold anything against anybody.

GABRIEL
If I did, I could not do my job as a police officer. I am proud of this
badge and this uniform. And I am proud to serve this city.

DISPATCHER
Unit 20 and all available units-armed robbery in progress at the
convenience store 1275 Franklin Street. ETA-seven minutes. Use
extreme caution, handle code 3.

GABRIEL
Unit 20 responding!(activates lights and siren)

JO
Stay in the car, right?

GABRIEL
You got it.

As he enters the 1200 block of Franklin Street, Gabriel deactivates
the siren and moves into position slowly. Another unit is just
behind him and Gabriel signals the unit to stay back. Gabriel
pulls a shotgun from a rack inside the car and exits his patrol
car, moving slowly. He suddenly spots a dark-haired man with
a 38. smith & wesson revolver exiting the store. Gabriel aims the
shotgun in the suspect's direction and inches forward slowly

GABRIEL
Police officer! Drop the gun!

The suspect momentarily hesitates

GABRIEL
Drop the gun! Do it now!

The suspect then drops the revolver to the ground

GABRIEL
Facedown on the ground, arms and legs spread outward!

The suspect drops to the ground in a spreadeagle position
and Gabriel holds his shotgun over the suspect's body until
two backing officers approach. Gabriel gives his shotgun
to a female police officer while a male officer covers the
suspect with his service weapon.

GABRIEL
Suspect, I am approaching you from the left. Turn your head
straight to the right. Do not turn your head in my direction until
I give you permission. Understood?

The suspect nods his head and then turns his head opposite
Gabriel's approach. Gabriel bends slightly and grasps the suspects
left wrist, taking it upward in a sort of wrist lock and then applying
a handcuff to the bent left wrist and taking to the small of the
suspect's back. He rotates the wrist so that the palm of the
suspect's left hand is outward from his body.

GABRIEL
Now:right hand to the small of your back, palm outward.

The suspect does as directed and Gabriel firmly grips the right
wrist while cuffing it in an upward direction. He then checks for
proper tightness and then presses a small button on both cuffs

GABRIEL
You can now turn your head back toward the center.

When the suspect's head is in a normal position Gabriel places
a hand on the suspect's left shoulder and pulls with a swift
motion, causing the suspect to come to his knees and then the
suspect quickly gets to his feet. The backing officers lower
their guns and Gabriel escorts the suspect to his patrol car
where Jo is still sitting in the front seat.

Gabriel turns toward one of the backing officers, a young female
officer with brown hair and blue eyes who returns the shotgun to
Gabriel. Her name is officer Jessica Woodward and she is from Oxford,
Mississippi. She is about 24 years old and she has been with the department
for about two years and she is already considered one of the best along with
Hernandez. There is a smile on her face as Gabriel speaks to her.

this is terrific! Can't wait to see what happens next!

GABRIEL
That was a pretty timely assist.

JESSICA
Anytime, Gabriel. A southern gentlewoman is always prompt and
cordial. And it is always a pleasure to do business with a
handsome latin gentleman like you. I will meet you at the station.

GABRIEL
And I will meet you there as well, Miss Woodward.

JESSICA
Farewell, my dear friend.

Gabriel looks at the young brown-haired woman one more time
before he turns around and then puts the suspect in the patrol
car. He then proceeds to read the suspect the Miranda warning.

GABRIEL
Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?

SUSPECT
Look, cop, I ain't givin' you my name and I ain't answerin' that!

GABRIEL
Do you wish to give up the right to remain silent?

SUSPECT
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

GABRIEL
Do you wish to give up your right to the presence of an attorney?

SUSPECT
Listen, cop, I don't need a lawyer and I don't need a pig like you
harassing me! You want me to say something, here's this!

The suspect draws his head back, and for the second time this
night, Gabriel Hernandez gets a mouthful of spit in his face

GABRIEL
Do not do that to me again. Now... what is your name, mister?

WILKINS
(sighs)Wilkins, Roger Wilkins. And yes, I understand my rights,
I don't give up the right to remain silent, and I want a lawyer.

GABRIEL
Fine. You will get one after you are booked.

Gabriel climbs into the patrol car as Jo turns around to talk

JO
You know, that was probably the closest you came to losing it.

GABRIEL
Well, that was the second time I got spit on. I do not like that
because to me that is spitting on the values that I hold dear.

JO
Well, I guess I can see that.

GABRIEL
Let us get him back to the station and get him booked.

It is 2:20 AM as Gabriel and Jo return to the North Precinct Station
and Gabriel removes Roger Wilkins from the patrol car.

R. WILKINS
Well, I bet this is home, sweet home to you, cop.

GABRIEL
Do not treat this station as a joke, Wilkins. I take great pride
in calling it home. And the name is not "cop", it is Officer Gabriel
Hernandez-and I would advise you not to forget that.

Wilkins spits in the direction of Hernandez for the second time-
this is the third time that our officer has suffered this indignity-
and yet, he simply takes Wilkins by his left arm into the station
without so much as an angry word. Jo follows Gabriel as he
takes Wilkins to the booking officer, Sergeant Clay Jones, a 6-foot,
5 inch African-American man who looks more fierce than he really
is. Roger Wilkins takes one look at Jones and instantly becomes
afraid. He is no longer the tough guy he appeared to be.

GABRIEL
We got one for you to book, Clay-Roger Wilkins, Armed Robbery.

JONES
Sure thing, Gabe. Let's go, mister Wilkins. I trust you aren't going
to give me any trouble?

WILKINS
Anything you say, fella. You're too much for me to deal with.

Jones takes Wilkins back into the main jail area to be booked
while Gabriel and Jo head back into the lobby area as Woodward
and Hernandez meet again and shake hands as friend

GABRIEL
Once again, Jessica, good job out there tonight!

JESSICA
Just like you, I live to serve the citizens of Peekskill. I noticed you
have a young lady with you tonight. Is this your daughter Maria?

JO
Nope. I'm Jo Polniaczek, pleased to meet you. You seem to be
a very friendly person. That is a southern accent, isn't it?

JESSICA
It is indeed, my dear girl. I am a native of Oxford, Mississippi-home
of the University Of Mississippi, commonly called Old Miss.

JO
Well, like Gabriel here, I'm from the Bronx. I go to Eastland and
I'm here on a ride-along with Gabriel and I have a lot to learn.

GABRIEL
Well, Jo and I need to get on our way. We still have a long night.

JESSICA
Please don't let me keep you there. We can talk some more later.

Jo and Gabriel depart the station and head back into the night in
the patrol car, the time now being 2:30 AM.

After a while, Jo gets bored of saying nothing and begins talking.

JO
I have a question for you:what was that button on Wilkin's cuffs
that you pressed after you finished cuffing him?

GABRIEL
That was a double locking system-it prevents the handcuffs
from tightening on a subject's wrist-it prevents injury to the
subject and protects us from possible lawsuits.

JO
I can see that-your department probably would not want the
controversy, not to mention being targeted by the media.

GABRIEL
That is a hinderance to our service of this city as it causes the
public to have the wrong perception of us-we want the public
to look at us as defenders, not as part of the criminal element.

JO
Well, I've told you everything about myself. I'd like to know
something about you-your basic background and life story.

GABRIEL
Sure. I am not afraid to tell you everything. I was born on
Valentine's day 1947 in Mayaguez on the island of Puerto Rico,
the son of Bernardo and Gloria Hernandez. We were poor, but
we were a happy family. However, there was little chance for us
in Puerto Rico, so we went to New York City in June 1952 when
I was five years old. We settled in the Northfield section of the
Bronx, which was a low income but working-class area composed
of Poles, Italians, Greeks, Romanians, Lithuanians, African-
Americans, and Puerto Ricans. My parents provided me with
a loving environment within the home, but we were surrounded
by crime and poverty from almost all sides. I grew up feeling my
life would amount to nothing, and I felt I needed a chance to
get away and straighten my life. After my junior year of high
school, I made the decision to drop out and join up with the
United States Marine Corps. I heard they were looking for "a few
good men". My father Bernardo was unhappy at first, but he and
my mother Gloria soon gave me their full blessing. I entered basic
training at Parris Island, South Carolina in July 1964.

JO
Parris Island-I've heard that it can be a real hellhole.

GABRIEL
In the real old days, it could be. But, by the time I arrived the
emphasis was being placed more on less brutal ways of making
us "men". Sergeant William Butler supported this-he felt a drill
instructor could do his job without being brutal. He was tough
with us, but he also showed us what it is to be members of
this country's military service. Before long, I was sent over to
South Vietnam-this was as the war was heating up-and I found
a job as a disc jockey at AFVN-Armed Forces Vietnam Network.

JO
What was your rank at the time?

GABRIEL
Corporal. I played the latest rock 'n' roll records out there-from
Motown to the Beatles, Elvis to Folk-Rock and Psychedelic Rock.

JO
You mean The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly, that stuff!

GABRIEL
Yes, and some it almost crossed the lines as to what was
acceptable on armed forces radio. The Corps threatened more
than once to revoke my license as a disc jockey, but I kept on
spinning the records. You may not believe it, but this present-day
calm and professional police officer was pretty wild and on the
edge in those days. My hair was long, I had a mile of stubble,
my sideburns were down around my lips, and I stunk all over
because I did not take baths often and I had foul breath.

JO
How did you meet Ina?

GABRIEL
She was the daughter of Major Anthony Kapellis, an army officer
who was stationed in Guam in the south pacific. She and I were
both in Hawaii because I was on leave and so was her father.

JO
How did her parents react?

Suddenly there is the shattering of window glass as the familiar
blast of a shotgun is heard. Using courage and instinct, Gabriel
stops the car, unbuckles Jo's seat belt and pushes her down
onto the floor. Gabriel almost immediately has his own shotgun
out and he fires once into the darkness of the night.

It is now 3:15 AM.


GABRIEL
Keep down and stay down until I tell you otherwise!

Gabriel looks for signs that the gunman is still firing. Another
blast rings forth. Gabriel gets to his radio and contacts dispatch

GABRIEL
Officer under fire at 900 Sweet Valley Drive 3 miles from the
North Precinct Station! This is an armed standoff-requesting
precinct commander and two backup units approach from the
rear! I do not want any more lives put at risk!

DISPATCHER
We read you, unit 20. Backup units will approach from the rear.

Gabriel looks at Jo on the floor and checks for any wounds

JO
I'm alright. I don't think I'm hit.

Another shot rings out in the night and Gabriel accordingly returns
fire. He then hears a moan from a distance. The moan tells him
he may have wounded the gunman. He exits the patrol car.

GABRIEL
Stay down there until I know it is safe.

Gabriel moves slowly in the gunman's general direction

GABRIEL
Suspect... Do not move! You better believe me when I say I will
shoot you if you make a move! Show me both of your hands!

As he approaches the suspect, he sees that it is a man with dark
but graying hair, about 6 feet tall, with rugged looks.

GABRIEL
What is your name?

WILKINS
Carl Wilkins, and you better not forget it, cop. I have a personal
score to settle with you-you put my brother in jail, and I want him
out, so guess what? I put a bomb in your police station! It's set
to go off at 4 AM! That's just 45 minutes from now.

GABRIEL
You blow up the station, you kill your brother, Roger. What will
be the point in saving him then? Tell me where the bomb is.

WILKINS
I ain't tellin' you where it is! If my brother dies, at least I'll die with
him. Either way, we'll both be even with you cops. You pig...

Suddenly, Carl Wilkins dies in front of Gabriel

GABRIEL
He was my only link to finding that bomb... dear god, dear god...


Gabriel knows his fellow officers now face certain death.

Post More!

whoa...

Gabriel stands over the now-dead body of Carl Wilkins still holding
his shotgun in his hands. He feels sorry that he had to take a
life, but he was defending himself and another person. At the
moment, he has an even greater fear inside of him:the impending
destruction of a number of his fellow officers, unless the bomb
planted by Carl Wilkins is quickly found and disabled.

JO
Can I come out now?

GABRIEL
Yes. The danger is over-at least for now.

Jo steps out of the patrol and comes over toward Gabriel
and sees the body of Carl Wilkins.

JO
Dead... well, you had to do it. He would have killed us.

GABRIEL
Yes, but if we do not act quickly, the lives of many officers will
be over. Before he died, Wilkins told me he planted a bomb in
the station that is set to go off at 4 AM-44 minutes from now.

JO
How will we notify the station in time?

GABRIEL
Well, we will just have to work with what time we have. Let us
hope that Captain Davis can come through and save everyone.

Gabriel heads to his patrol car and notifies dispatch

GABRIEL
Unit 20 to dispatch. What is the situation at the station?

DISPATCHER
Station received a bomb threat at 3:03 AM. All units on patrol are
to stay clear of the station. Bomb squad from Westchester County
Sheriff's Department estimated to arrive within 30 minutes.

GABRIEL
Dispatch, we may be pressed for time here. The bomb is set to
go off at 4 AM. We have only 43 minutes left!

DISPATCHER
Roger, Unit 20. Unit 20, meet 507 on channel 3.

GABRIEL
507-go ahead.

507(Captain James Davis)
Hernandez, Davis. We have only 43 minutes, according to Roger
Wilkins. The bomb squad will be here in less than 30 minutes,
keep in touch until the situation is over-whatever the outcome.

GABRIEL
Captain, in case you do not make it, I will be prepared to send
condolences to your wife and family. You have my word on that.

CAPT. DAVIS
Thank you, Hernandez, but I hope to survive this incident. This
old navy man won't give up until the battle's won!

GABRIEL
I admire your courage, Captain. Hernandez out, for now.

JO
Is this going to end or is the nightmare just beginning?

GABRIEL
I do not know, Jo. I do not know.

JO
I suppose all we can do is just pray.

GABRIEL
Who knows if prayer will help us this time?

JO
So, can we pick on your life story? You had just met Ina in Hawaii
and also met her parents. What were her parents like?

GABRIEL
Ina and I fell in love almost instantly. Her parents were amazingly
supportive of our love and gave Ina and myself the approval
to go back to Vietnam and also their permission for us to marry.

JO
Wow! I wish my mom was that permissive. She would have the
heart attack of her life if she heard that I married Eddie!

GABRIEL
Eddie?

JO
Edward Sullivan-my old boyfriend from the Bronx. He's in the
Navy right now, but he and I write each other all the time. To
tell you the truth, I almost made a terrible mistake because of
our love for each other. Two months after I first came to Eastland,
Eddie came to see me and we decided it was time to be husband
and wife. I refused to listen to Mrs. Garrett and the girls and
I ran off with Eddie. But then I began to have second thoughts
and I eventually decided I was not ready and returned one week
later to Peekskill. Mrs. Garrett told me that she was glad I did
not decide to ruin my life. It was at that time that my bond with
Mrs. Garrett, Blair, Natalie and Tootie became stronger than ever
and Eddie and I are content to be best friends and not lovers.

GABRIEL
I am glad that I have gotten to know you. I have a confession
to make:I was nervous when I first heard about you because
I was afraid you would not want to get to know me and you
tell your friends negative things about me and about the
department. I am glad you proved me wrong, my friend.

JO
And now, you and I will stand together in this, our darkest hour.

GABRIEL
I have a plan...

JO
What plan?

Gabriel signals Jo to climb into the patrol car

GABRIEL
Buckle yourself in.

JO
Where are we going?

GABRIEL
There is a gas station down the street. I am going to use the
phone there to call Eastland and lets Mrs. Garrett know that we
are all right. You can come in the station if you want.

JO
Can I be the one to call Mrs. Garrett?-I'm very close to her

GABRIEL
You can if you want to be the one.

JO
Thanks.

At the Exxon gas station on 1138 Sweet Valley Drive, Jo goes into
the station and dials the number for Eastland Academy. Jo soon
hears the voice of Headmaster Ronald Harris.

JO
Mr. Harris, this is Jo Polniaczek. Can you get Mrs. Garrett? I know
it's late, but this is urgent-I have to get to her. Yes, I'll hold.

Before long, Jo hears the tired but paitent voice of Edna Garrett

JO
Mrs. Garrett, this is Jo.

EDNA
Jo... W-what's wrong?

JO
Turn on the television set in your bedroom.

EDNA
What?

JO
Don't argue with me, just do it.

Edna turns on the television set in her bedroom and sees that
there is an emergency news report.

REPORTER
...Again, there has been a bomb reported at the Peekskill Police
Department's North Precinct Station. A unknown man called the
station at 3:03 AM and announced that a bomb would go off at
4 AM. Police officers on patrol have been ordered to stay away
from the station while a bomb squad will attempt to disarm the
bomb. The Mayor of Peekskill has urged calm during this situation.

EDNA
Oh no... Jo, is Gabriel with you? Are you two alright?

JO
Yes, we're alright. Don't wake the other girls, let them sleep. I'll
tell everyone what happened when I get back later this morning.

EDNA
Alright... Jo, I love you. Take care of yourself.

JO
I love you too, Mrs. Garrett. You take care too.

Jo hangs up the phone and goes outside to the parking lot where
Gabriel is sitting in the patrol car and gets inside. It is 3:45 AM.

GABRIEL
Does Mrs. Garrett know you are alright?

JO
Yes, and I told her not to worry. I told her I love her.

The radio suddenly comes to life and Gabriel grabs the mic

GABRIEL
Unit 20.

CAPT. DAVIS
Davis here. We found the bomb-it was hidden under the main
door to the jail. The only problem is the bomb squad isn't here
and we don't know how to disarm it.

GABRIEL
Captain, I just remembered! When I was in Vietnam, part of my
training was how to disarm bombs! Every bomb has three wires-
one red, one yellow, one blue. Cut the blue first, the yellow comes
next, and finally the red. Got that information?

CAPT. DAVIS
Got it. I hope you're right, Hernandez. We can't afford any margin
of error. If the procedure is sucessful, we'll get back to you.

GABRIEL
Unit 20 out.

Post more soon

Keep up the good work.

Sorry I haven't been posting, but I have changed my name so
that I can change my e-mail address-this is so that my dad's
computer won't receive messages meant for me. I have also
been excited for several days about meeting a real neighborhood
police officer in my community. This female police officer is named
Dianne Ermeling and she is just like Hernandez in my story-she
is professional and commited to her job but also very friendly.

I will post more ASAP!
(P.S. the last few days I have also suffered somewhat with an
apparently sprained tailbone-considerable pain)

Moooooreeee!!! This is good!

...

Post more soon!

Gabriel sits in his patrol car, anxiously waiting. It is 3:51 AM and
every minute counts now. Jo Polniaczek is also affected by what
is going on-and she has a secret fear:that Roger Wilkins will take
revenge somehow for the death of his brother, Carl and that
such a plan for revenge might very well involve her dearest
friends at her beloved Eastland Academy. If she ever lost any one
of them, it would be the end of her world as she knew it.

GABRIEL
are you worried about Mrs. Garrett and the gang?

JO
Yeah. What if Roger Wilkins escapes from jail and goes after
them? What if Blair, Natalie, Tootie and Mrs. Garrett are killed?

GABRIEL
The odds of that happening are slim-we have Wilkins under tight
guard, for the very reason that you just stated. Even if he does
escape, we will find him and we will try to prevent a tragedy.

JO
You know something? When I got into that patrol car with you,
I never thought I would get to like cops. But you changed my mind
and showed me that you all do care. I look up to you now and I
know what I want to be after Eastland-an officer with the
Peekskill Police Department. I hope to be of great service to those
in need of a guardian angel and I hope to follow your example.

GABRIEL
I hope that you can follow your own path and I hope you have
true happiness in life. My true happiness is my wife and my
three children. Even if I could never be a police officer again,
I would still be a rich man because of the love that we share.

JO
What was the story behind you becoming a police officer?

GABRIEL
Well, let me start with the marriage of me and Ina-we were joined
in holy matrimony by a catholic priest on July 18, 1967 with Ina's
parents by our side. My parents were not there because they
lived in the Bronx and there were no commercial planes flying
from the U.S. to Vietnam then and there are none now. But both
of my parents supported me and Ina in spirit. Ina and I were and
are soul mates who will always be together.

JO
Are you still a catholic?

GABRIEL
Yes. That was one thing I did not fully abandon during my years
as a "hippie". At times I did question god, especially when it came
to the subject of the war and of killing the enemy, but I never
turned away from my catholic faith for long. I remained true to
everything my parents taught me and everything I learned in
the Marine Corps. I was a true and dedicated american.

JO
Tell me the rest of the story.

GABRIEL
Well, after I married Ina, we had our first child Maria, who was
born at a veterans hospital in Saigon, Vietnam. I stayed in the
Marine Corps until September 1971 when I left to start raising
my family. We lived for 15 months in Honolulu, Hawaii and then
in December 1972 we moved back to the Bronx so that we could
live closer to my mother and father. However, I soon began to
reget going back to the Bronx. Northfield was still a high-crime
and poverty-stricken neighborhood, and I felt my children needed
a place where they could play outside without fear.

JO
How did you get out?

GABRIEL
I was reading a regional newspaper and it said that the Peekskill
Police Department had a new chief-Nathaniel Green, and he was
looking for both men and women of all races to be Peekskil police
officers. So, in January 1974, I officially relocated to Peekskill, New
York with Ina, Maria and our 22-month old son Horge while we
waited for my application to the New York State Police Academy
in Albany to be accepted. I got accepted to the academy in April
1974 and immediately began training. It took six months, but I
finally completed training in October 1974. On October 16, 1974,
I began my proud service as a police officer for the city of Peekskill

JO
You said you had three children-who's the third?

GABRIEL
Linda-she was born in December 1978, and she is two years old.

JO
And Maria goes to Eastland with me and the girls.

GABRIEL
That is right, and she has told me about all of you.

It is now 3:58 AM and the radio suddenly flashes on

GABRIEL
Unit 20.

CAPT. DAVIS
We were sucessful in defusing the bomb, but we have another
tragedy on our hands. An officer has been taken hostage by
Roger Wilkins-Woodward. While we were busy with the bomb,
she went into the main jail area to check on Katherine Chandler-
she must not have had the keys fastened securely enough and
they fell out. All we know is Wilkins somehow got ahold of the
keys, opened the jail door, grabbed Woodward around the neck
and held her captive with her own gun. She tried to fight Wilkins
off but he threatened to kill her and I ordered her not to resist.

GABRIEL
Is she safe?

CAPT. DAVIS
No-Wilkins said if we followed him, he would kill her. We did not
want to place an officer in deliberate danger, so we backed off
and we are going to wait until a SWAT unit from the Westchester
County Sheriff's Department gets here and we form a plan.

GABRIEL
Is Wilkins still in the station?

CAPT. DAVIS
No, he left and said "Now I get to have some fun with some girls"

Gabriel and Jo sit in shock. It appears Jo's nightmare is about to
come true. Will her friends be saved or will they die?

GABRIEL
Captain, I know why Roger Wilkins has Woodward and why he is
going after the girls at Eastland-revenge.

CAPT. DAVIS
Revenge?

GABRIEL
For the death of his brother-Carl Wilkins. Carl had a shotgun and
he ambushed me and Jo in the park just off Sweet Valley Drive-
an affair that ended with an officer having to use deadly force-
that officer being me. Sadly, the suspect has expired.

CAPT. DAVIS
Well, Hernandez, that is unfortunately part of a police officer's job
at times. You have to keep it from affecting you.

GABRIEL
You're right, sir. It is just hard at times.

CAPT. DAVIS
I will send a van from the mortuary to the park to pick up
Carl Wilkins body. Head back to the station, I have a plan.

At around 4:20 AM, Gabriel and Jo return to the North Precinct
station and meet Captain Davis and three members of the
Westchester County Sheriff's SWAT Unit

SWAT Deputy #1(Sergeant Joseph Goldberg)
This is a layout of Eastland Academy. It is divided into eight dorm
complexes and there are two adjoining buildings-one is the school
proper including gymnasium and the other building houses the
cafeteria, student lounge, fitness center and indoor swimming
pool with sunroof. There is also an apartment directly above the
cafeteria where Mrs. Edna Garrett and four girls live-Blair Warner,
Joann Polniaczek, Natalie Green and Dorothy Ramsey. If Wilkins
wants to hit Eastland, odds are he will go there because miss
Polniaczek knows Hernandez. We are going to contact Mr. Ronald
Harris, headmaster at Eastland and tell him to secure all students
in their dorm complexes until the situation is resolved.

JO
Sergeant, if my friends are there, I want them moved to a better
location until we get Wilkins. He won't rest until he's had his
revenge. From I found out from Captain Davis, Wilkins and his
brother Carl both have lengthy records and both have histories
of violent and insane behavior. If that's the case, I don't want
my friends anywhere near Wilkins. Understood?

SGT. GOLDBERG
I already have men on that. The Westchester Sheriff's SWAT Unit
is very efficient and highy professional, young lady.

Little does Jo Polniaczek know that police are already too late...

MORE!!!

It is 4:43 AM and snow is falling on the campus of Eastland
Academy with the tempature falling to 8 degrees. No one in
this school is aware of the terrible events about to conspire.

The shadow of a man with a police-issue 38 S&W revolver is
directing a young brown-haired woman in a Peekskill police
officers uniform to march toward the front doors of a red brick
building that houses the Eastland cafeteria and three young
girls and their caretaker. Evil is on the mind of Roger Wilkins.

JESSICA
I hope you realize that my comrades in arms will come for me.

WILKINS
I know-that's why I have you with me as insurance.

JESSICA
Insurance of what, sir?

WILKINS
Insurance that Jo Polniaczek will come to me and I can complete
my revenge against the cop who murdered my brother.

JESSICA
You know and I know that it was not murder-your brother Carl
attempted to murder a police officer. Officer Hernandez shot
solely in defense of his life. If he could have found another way,
he would have. Gabriel Hernandez is not a man of violence.

WILKINS
I don't care one way or another-my brother is dead and I have
to honor my promise to him to avenge that death.

JESSICA
You are hopelessly outnumbered by some fine law enforcement
professionals. Do you really want more blood on your hands?

WILKINS
If I have to, I'll kill every last cop right in the spot I'm standing in.

Suddenly, one of the front doors to the building opens up and
a young african-american girl about age 12 steps into the night.

TOOTIE
Jo? Is that you-

Tootie stops short when she finds herself staring into the barrell
of a 38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. Fear grips her face.

WILKINS
Okay, little girl, here's what's gonna happen:you're gonna let me
inside, because I have a lady cop with me and I won't hesitate
to kill her and then kill you and your friends Blair, Natalie, Jo and
Mrs. Edna Garrett. So be a good little girl and open the door now!

TOOTIE
You won't get any argument from me, mister.

Tootie quickly pushes the door the rest of the way open and she,
Wilkins and Woodward make their way into the cafeteria building
and Wilkins shuts and locks the door behind them. At gunpoint,
he directs his two hostages to sit on a couch in the student
lounge while he sits in a chair directly across from them.

TOOTIE
What do you want with us, mister?

WILKINS
I'll tell you what I want with you-you're friends with Jo Polniaczek,
and I have a date with her-a deadly date. Before the night is
over, I will have my revenge against all of you.

TOOTIE
Why do you want to hurt us?

WILKINS
Because I'm Roger Wilkins, brother of Carl and I'm gonna kill a cop
named Gabriel Hernandez and all who are his friends.

JESSICA
You are going to have to kill me as well.

WILKINS
I intend to do just that, miss cop-as soon as everyone is here.

NATALIE
Tootie, you down here?...

13-year old Natalie Green stops in her tracks as she sees Roger
Wilkins with a .38 Smith & Wesson. Stunned with fear, she tries
to run but Wilkins fires a shot at her which hits a nearby wall.

WILKINS
Don't try that again, little girl or you'll be dead right now! Now get
over here and join your friends on that couch!

Natalie is afraid to refuse Roger Wilkins, so she follows orders
and joins Tootie and Woodward on the couch. Wilkins sits back
down in his chair with the gun and watches the trio closely.

WILKINS
All we have to do now is wait for Blair Warner, Jo Polniaczek,
Gabriel Hernandez and Mrs. Edna Garrett to complete the septet.

NATALIE
How are you gonna keep us from escaping?

WILKINS
Good question, miss Green. Officer Woodward, handcuffs please.

Woodward reluctantly gives Wilkins her handcuffs and the
criminal cuffs the female officers hands behind her, then picks
up some rope from a nearby table and proceeds to tie Natalie
and Tootie hand and foot with it.


Meanwhile, a unmarked van pulls up outside the cafeteria building
and eight sheriff's deputies dressed in green camoflague armed
with AK-47s jump out and advance toward the front doors.

It is 4:50 AM as the deputies approach the cafeteria building...


SWAT Deputy #2(Deputy Morris Williams)
Roger Wilkins! We know you are in this building. Surrender
yourself to us and you will not be hurt. Release your hostages!

No response.

WILLIAMS
Release your hostages at once! We are waiting for your answer.

Suddenly, a shot pierces the window next to the front doors

WILKINS
That's only a warning, cops! Stay back or get killed!

WILLIAMS
Why don't you just put the gun down and come out here and we'll
talk about it? Nobody wants this to end tragically.

WILKINS
Don't you try to sweet talk me, cop! I know how this game works,
you talk me out and I get slammed facedown to the pavement
with four AK-47s in my back and you all threatning to kill me!

WILLIAMS
Listen, we can't get in unless you let us in. Do you want a
hostage negotiator? If you do, just say the word and it's done.

WILKINS
Hostage negotiator?

WILLIAMS
Yes. I assume you have hostages, sir?

WILKINS
Hostages. Yeah, yeah, I got hostages! You want me to release
some of them. I might-except Polniaczek and the two cops.

WILLIAMS
I assume you mean Officer Woodward, whom you have, and
Officer Hernandez. We will contact the negotiator immediately.

WILKINS
All right. But I plan to kill the last three hostages, so don't stop me

WILLIAMS
If you kill police officers, expect to face death, either by us or by
our legal system. In the state of New York, murder of a police
officer is punishable by death by electrocution.

WILKINS
You mean the chair?

WILLIAMS
Exactly, sir.

WILKINS
Well, if I have to go to the chair, I'm taking a certain cop named
Gabriel Hernandez with me. You can bet your life on that.

WILLIAMS
Well, you can try to stop us, sir, but with all due respect, we will
try to stop you as well. We are brave knights of justice.

WILKINS
Well, let's do battle then.

Williams see a PPD patrol car carrying Hernandez, Davis and Jo
approach from a distance and he holds up his hand as a signal
to stay back. Williams then turns to Sergeant Joseph Goldberg
and signals him to meet the patrol car.

GABRIEL
Well?

SGT. GOLDBERG
He has made it clear that he intends to kill miss Polniacezk,
Woodward and you. He thinks we are going to pull out and
leave him alone to accomplish that goal, but he is dead wrong.

GABRIEL
Yes, Sergeant, he is completely wrong.

CAPT. DAVIS
I have contacted Mr. Ronald Harris and he has said he is going
to have all students not in the cafeteria building evacuated to
the Holiday Inn of Peekskill-here they come now.

Behind the patrol car, two Westchester County SWAT officers
and a peekskill police officer are ushering about 300 girls ages
11-18 into four large buses. One of them, a blond girl from
Dothan, Alabama named Cindy Webster suddenly runs to the
patrol car when she sees Jo sitting in it. Two more girls, black-
haired Nancy Olsen from Hartford, Connecticut and blond-haired
Sue Ann Weaver from Kansas City, Kansas follow suit as Officer
Jacob Thompson attempts to get the girls back toward the bus.

THOMPSON
Hey!

Jo runs out of the patrol car and intercepts the officer

JO
Hold it, officer! Those are some of my friends.

GABRIEL
She is right, Thompson. I know these girls from hearing about
them from Mrs. Garrett. These girls and another girl named Molly
Parker were roomates from 1979-80 with Natalie, Blair and
Tootie in dorm C, the door by the pear tree.

CINDY
Please, officers, tell us what this is all about. All I know is that
we're sleeping in dorm C when all of a sudden SWAT men
with assault rifles strapped across their backs burst into our
rooms and tell us we have to get out and go to the Holiday Inn.

SUE ANN
What is going on?

NANCY
We would like to know for the benefit of all the other girls.

GABRIEL
Should we, Captain?

CAPT. DAVIS
Hernandez, these girls are going to know about it sooner or
later-I'd just as soon it be from us, not second hand.

GABRIEL
Very well, sir. Girls, I regret to inform you that a man named
Roger Wilkins armed with a .38 revolver has taken control of
the cafeteria Building and has a police officer and three Eastland
students held hostage-Natalie Green, Dorothy Ramsey and-

NANCY
Blair Warner.

GABRIEL
How did you know?

NANCY
Those three and Jo are never apart and they weren't with us
when we were rounded up. I knew something was terribly wrong.

SUE ANN
Will they be alright? Tell us the truth!

GABRIEL
Honestly, I do not know, Sue Ann.

SUE ANN
Can't you just storm the place? I mean, you are police!

GABRIEL
That is only in the movies and on television. In real life, we are
public servants who have to be cautious and not deliberately
risk our lives. We will rescue them, but by the rules.

SUE ANN
Spit on the rules! Those are my friends in there! If you're not
gonna do it, I will! Point me in the direction of Roger Wilkins!

CAPT. DAVIS
You are going to stay away from that building, young lady-
now look, I realize you are angry, but you are not thinking
clearly and rationally. This needs to be handled by professionals,
not amateurs. I promise, we will make every effort to save them.

SUE ANN
You had better... or you have just found yourself a new enemy.

NANCY
Damn you, Sue Ann, let these police officers do their job, don't
spend your time threatning them. Get on one of those buses-now.

SUE ANN
Nancy...

NANCY
Sue Ann, I swear I will have them put you in jail for interfering
if you do not march to that bus double-time right now.

Still with an angry face, Sue Ann marches quickly to a bus just
50 feet away and pushes past school snob Margo Jones as she
enters the bus. Margo shoots Sue Ann an annoyed glare, but
Sue Ann shoots her back a glare of pure venom

SUE ANN
Six words, Jones:Keep your snot-nosed mouth shut.

MARGO
Well, I never!(sits down in her seat)

One by one, buses loaded with Eastland Girls depart for the
Holiday Inn located in downtown Peekskill while they will be
kept until the danger is passed. All girls except one...

Wednesday, January 21, 1981 5:10 AM

NANCY
Captain Davis, I would like to stay behind and help in any way
I can. I want to be here to support Jo and see this situation
through the end.

GABRIEL
I do not see any reason not to, Captain.

CAPT. DAVIS
Well, it's against my better judgement, but alright, Nancy:you
can stay and keep Jo company and offer moral support.

NANCY
Thank you, Captain Davis.

Jo steps out of the patrol car wearing a spare winter jacket
that Hernandez gave her and approaches Hernandez, Davis
and Headmaster Ronald Harris, who has just arrived.

JO
Mr. Harris, I have to tell you something:two weeks ago, I was
nearly kidnapped by a man with dark but graying hair and
a moustache. I think it was Roger Wilkins. Anyway, I was afraid that he
might try to come back and threaten me or perhaps the other girls. So
I secretly purchased a 38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and
I've been hiding it under my bed. Blair Warner is the only one
who knows I have it, no one elses knows-not even Mrs. Garrett.

MR. HARRIS
Well, young lady, this puts me in a difficult position. You know
that according to Eastland policy, firearms are considered
weapons and shall not be brought onto Eastland property-
why didn't you contact the police if you felt your life was in
danger from Roger Wilkins? That is what they are for.

JO
At the time, Mr. Harris, I frankly had a low opinion of police
officers. I thought they existed for no other reason but to
give aid to criminals, not to stop them. Officer Gabriel Hernandez
showed me differently. I am sorry that I thought I could meet
violence with violence. Thanks to Gabriel, I know the Peekskill
Police Department is the true protector of this city and this school.

MR. HARRIS
The fact remains that you had a weapon on school property in
direct violation of school rules. However, I feel that there are
mitigating circumstances in this case, but I am not sure how
the school board will feel. I will have to report this to them.

JO
I understand that very well, Mr. Harris. But now we have to worry
about how we are going to stop Wilkins and save my friends.

GABRIEL
There may be a way. Captain, I have a plan and before you say
no, hear me out:pull SWAT away from the cafeteria building and
let Jo give herself to Wilkins as a hostage. Let him have a car
and I will hide in the trunk with a shotgun. If I know a man like
Wilkins, he will take Jo somewhere wooded and kill her there-
and you and SWAT will be following us thanks to the radio I will
be carrying in the trunk so that you can follow our every move.

CAPT. DAVIS
It's a risky move, Hernandez.

GABRIEL
Yes, but it is the only way we can end this with Wilkins captured
and nobody harmed. I would not suggest this if I was not certain
it would work. If we play our cards right, I think we will win, sir.

CAPT. DAVIS
Okay. I still have reservations about this, but we will try it your
way. But, we better all remember something:it's not just a police
officer's life at stake, it's a civillians life as well. If we botch this
up, we could be taking some heavy heat from the mayor, the city
council, Miss Polniaczek's parents, Eastland Academy, maybe even
the district attorneys office. We would be considered criminals,
not police officers. And that is something we do not want.

JO
Captain Davis, I don't know about my parents, but if this plan
will help save my friends, I'm willing to take any and all risks.

CAPT. DAVIS
Very well, Miss Polniaczek. Then I am willing to carry this plan out.

5:25 AM
An unarmed and presumably alone Jo Polniaczek steps forward
slowly toward the front door of the Eastland cafeteria building.

JO
Wilkins! I'm out here, alone-no police!

WILKINS
Let me come outside so I'll believe it!

Holding the revolver, Wilkins steps outside and sees that the
parking lot area appears to be empty.

WILKINS
You're right, little lady-no sign of cops anywhere. But where's
Hernandez? I said I wanted him as well as you!

JO
He's gonna meet you at a point on Skyview Ridge Road just north
of Eastland. He will be un-armed and ready to surrender.

BLAIR
Hold it, mister! Drop the revolver and put your hands behind
your head!

Suddenly, Blair Warner, the wealthy friend of Jo Polniaczek,
moves forward toward Wilkins, holding a 38 caliber Smith &
Wesson revolver in her hands.

WILKINS
Who are you, little girl?

BLAIR
My name is Blair Warner and I will defend these girls. Now do as
I say-put the revolver down and put your hands behind your head.


Wilkins tosses his gun and begins wrestling with the young
blond woman for possession of her gun. Blair looks poised
to win the struggle, but then Wilkins violently jerks the gun
and fires a shot in the direction of Jo Polniaczek, striking her in
the shoulder. Jo falls in pain to the ground as Wilkins again fires
the gun, striking Blair in the abdomen. Sirens sound suddenly
as two PPD patrol cars and a SWAT van converge on the secne.


Hernandez jumps out from the lead patrol car and quickly has his shotgun aimed at Wilkins.

GABRIEL
Put the gun down, Wilkins. I do not wish to kill you like I
had to kill your brother Carl, but if you do not put it down, I
may not have any other alternative

Wilkins turns the gun in the policeman's direction and
starts to pull his trigger, but Hernandez has already fired-
his first shot finds its target in Wilkin's chest puncturing his
left lung. Wilkins begins to fall forward but stands halfway up
and begins to pull his trigger again. Hernandez fires a second
shot-which enters through the right side of Wilkin's chest and
pierces his heart. Wilkins looks at the policeman face to face

WILKINS
A pig... I've been killed by a... pig...

Roger Wilkins falls forward. After a single breath, he dies.

Hernandez bends down, still holding his shotgun as he checks
Wilkins for any signs of life. There are none. The SWAT deputys
move in cautiously and cover the body with high powered
rifles. They check for signs of life and likewise find none.

WILLIAMS
Dead.

GOLDBERG
Well, it isn't the way we wanted it to end, but it is now over.

GABRIEL
Yes, but Jo and Blair are now wounded, maybe seriously.

JO
I'm alright. I got one in the right shoulder, but I think it went
through. Blair's the one you need to check, she's pretty bad.

Hernandez goes to Blair, who has collapsed in shock on the
front door patio. It is obvious that she is in shock and pain.

BLAIR
I shouldn't have tried to get the gun away from him...

GABRIEL
Shhh, it is okay now. It is all over and you are going to get
medical help and the doctors will fix everything.

BLAIR
Who are you?

GABRIEL
Hernandez, Officer Hernandez. But you can call me Gabriel.

BLAIR
That is a wonderful name. That is an angelic name.

GABRIEL
Yes it is, indeed.

EDNA
Oh, my!...

Mrs. Garrett runs out the front door and over to where Hernandez
is watching Blair. Mrs. Garrett can barely speak due to shock.

EDNA
Blair...

BLAIR
Mrs. Garrett... I knew you would be there for me.

EDNA
I was upstairs sleeping when I heard four gunshots go
off. I raced downstairs and saw both doors wide open.

BLAIR
I heard some noises downstairs as I was trying to sleep. There
was something inside that told me get the gun out, that
this was an emergency situation. I came downstairs, saw this
guy go outside to talk to Jo. I then confronted him and it all
exploded after that. Stupid Blair Warner. Sorry you had to find
out from me about the gun. Jo bought it for safety, made me
promise to keep it a secret. Don't be angry with her, Mrs. Garrett.

EDNA
I won't be angry with her, Blair. I'll just show her my love.

At that moment an ambulance pulls up into the courtyard around
the cafeteria building. Paramedics get out and wheel a stretcher
towards Blair as Mrs. Garrett joins Jo, Hernandez, and Captain
Davis at the front doors of the cafeteria. Mrs. Garrett hugs Jo.

EDNA
Jo... Thank god you're alright.

JO
I love you, Mrs. Garrett.

EDNA
Jo, is it true you brought a gun onto Eastland property?

JO
I guess Blair told you. I thought I needed it for protection, but
then Gabriel showed me that police officers are our real defense.

EDNA
I won't waste my energy being angry at you, I'm just glad this
night of terror is at an end and all you girls are safe.

GABRIEL
Natalie and Tootie were tied up in the student lounge and
Woodward was cuffed behind her back with her own handcuffs.

CAPT. DAVIS
The SWAT team is freeing them now as we speak. Blair, however,
is in serious condition. Jo, I think you also need to go to the
hospital so that your shoulder wound can be checked on.

JO
Yea, I'll do that. Gabriel, I want to thank you for the night I had
patrolling with you. You showed me that you and these police
officers really care for this city. You are an inspiration to everyone
you serve. That includes a future "Cop" named Jo Polniaczek.

The paramedics load Blair into the back of the ambulance and
drive away into the night as Jo, Mrs. Garrett, Hernandez, Davis,
and Nancy watch. When it is out of sight, Hernandez and Jo
climb into a patrol car and head to Peekskill Community Hospital.

It is 5:37 AM and the long night has come to an end.

JO
Thank the lord above us.

Three hours and 15 minutes later...


It is now 8:52 AM as Jo Polniaczek enters into the cafeteria
and sits down in the student lounge in her favorite couch
with Mrs. Garrett, Nancy, Natalie and Tootie siting across from her.

NATALIE
Well, what's the word on Blair?

JO
Luckily, the gunshot wound didn't do extensive internal damage,
all it did was tear a small segment of Blair's large intestine before
exiting. Fortunately, it didn't injure her spinal cord exiting.

EDNA
That is a relief.

JO
The doctor said surgery will be necessary to repair the torn
intestine, but it should be a low-risk surgery and the outlook
is good. In short-Blair is gonna be alright.

TOOTIE
I'm glad she's gonna be alright. I hate her stuck-up nature, but
I don't want to miss having her as a friend.

JO
I've gotta admit, I love Blair. Just don't tell her I said so.

NATALIE
Jo, you have no idea what went on in here while you were out
there-Wilkins had me, Tootie and Officer Woodward at gunpoint
and he was gonna kill us as soon as you joined us. I thought I
really was gonna die. Thank god Blair intervened and saved us.

TOOTIE
Jo, how was your ride-along with Officer Hernandez?

JO
It was a life-changing experience like no other, Tootie. Gabriel
taught me to believe in myself and taught me that police officers
are our true defenders and friends. He is a very good man, Tootie.

EDNA
Well, I think now is the time for breakfast. Now, Jo, no arguments
from you-you need food after what you've been through.

JO
I'm not gonna argue with you, Mrs. Garrett-I'm starved and I'm in
the mood for pancakes, bacon and eggs! Bring 'em on!

EDNA
Jo, my friend, you've got yourself a deal!

Before long, our women are eating breakfast when Sue Ann
and Cindy arrive...

SUE ANN
Well, Cindy and I are back! We spent a few hours at the Holiday
Inn of Peekskill, but from what I heard, everything is going fine.

JO
Yea, except for the fact that Blair and I got shot.

SUE ANN
Oh, I'm sorry. Don't think I'm being inconsiderate.

JO
I don't. I'm sure not everybody has heard. I got one in my right
shoulder, but it went through and the doctor dressed it and put
a bandage around it. Blair took a hit to the stomach, but all it
did was tear a small part of her large intestine. Just low-risk
surgery and she should be out in about five days.

SUE ANN
I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the scene I made earlier-
I was just so angry that the police couldn't charge right in there.

NANCY
I told you that the police would do their job if you let them.

SUE ANN
Yes. I should have listened to you. If you find any of those
officers, tell them I don't hold anything against them.

NANCY
I'll be sure they know that, Sue Ann.

NATALIE
Did you and Cindy have any fun at the motel?

CINDY
Well, Sue Ann was too upset, but I watched some cartoons on TV.

SUE ANN
Well, all the girls are back in their dorms having breakfast, and
there is no school today-the headmaster felt everyone needed
a day off to get over what happened.

CINDY
We forgot to tell you the best part, Jo. A reporter from WABC in
New York wants to come down to Eastland to interview you for
a special segment of the ten o'clock news called "Profiles In
Courage"-about people who make a difference and save lives.

JO
I don't consider myself a hero, Cindy. I just did what I had to do
in a moment of extreme tension. Police officers do just the same.

CINDY
That's why they also want to interview Officer Hernandez and
that SWAT team-people in this area need heroes.

JO
I'm sure they would be united with me in saying that we don't
deserve medals of valor or honor, just citizens thanks.

CINDY
Jo, it's the opportunity of a lifetime! But, if you don't want your
moment in the sun, I can just call the reporter and tell him you're
not interested.

JO
Thanks just the same, Cindy. I prefer to stay away from the
spotlight. I'm just glad the whole thing ended the way it did.

SUE ANN
Well, we have to get back to Dorm A. Miss Thompson gets all
paranoid when we're away from the dorm units.

NANCY
When I get finished with this breakfast, I'll be joining you two.

SUE ANN
Okay. Bye everyone!

Sue Ann and Cindy leave to go back to their dorm unit as
breakfast is beginning to wind down.

NATALIE
I wonder when we'll be able to see Blair.

JO
Well, the doctor said the surgery would probably be over with
around 1 PM. Visiting hours go until 12 midnight.

TOOTIE
Could we go visit her about eight o'clock?

JO
I think we probably could, I would have to check.

NANCY
Well, I sadly have to decline. Got a date at The Hamburger Inn
with Roger. Tell Blair no hard feelings between me and her.

JO
I'll be sure to tell her you forgive her for the Roger incident,
especially since it was all Tootie's fault.

TOOTIE
Hey, I said I was sorry a month ago. I even licked half of those
envelopes for you guys, so get off my back, okay?

JO
Hey, I didn't mean to get you upset, just stating the facts.

TOOTIE
Well, I guess the old Jo is back-loud-mouthed and kind of rude.

NATALIE
And we wouldn't want it any other way.

JO
Aww... I feel a Billy Joel song coming on... knock it off.

Everyone at the breakfast table has a long laugh as they
cherish each others friendship.

That night at about 9:30 PM, Jo, Natalie, Tootie and Mrs. Garrett
come in to room 85 at the Peekskill Community Hospital...

JO
How ya doing, Blair?

BLAIR
Hey... I'm doing okay. The doctor fixed me up and said I'd be out
in about five days. They killed Wilkins, didn't they?

JO
Yep, both Wilkins brothers, Carl and Roger. Carl got it when he
tried to get me and Gabriel in a city park.

BLAIR
Well, as far as I am concerned, the two of them can rot in hell.

JO
I'm just glad that you're alright and that life can go on.

TOOTIE
Without you, the four musketeers would be over.

JO
Well, we would make a mighty fine quartet in heaven.

NATALIE
And I hear they serve Blintzes with Sour Cream everyday!

BLAIR
Who knows, maybe they have the worlds best Bloomingdales
up there and there will be an eternal half-price off sell!

TOOTIE
Maybe there'll be peanut butter sandwiches all the time!

JO
And maybe pizza and philly cheese steaks on the side, delivered
by a grease-haired angel on a kawasaki!

EDNA
Well, girls, it's time to go for the night. Blair needs her rest.

BLAIR
Bye, girls.

ALL
Bye, we'll see you, etc.

Thursday, January 22, 1981
In the morning at 7 AM, classes are officially back in session at
Eastland as a long line of students assemble for first breakfast,
served from 7-8 AM. Breakfast this morning is Belgian Waffles
with assorted toppings and Eggs Benedict on English Muffins.

Jo, Natalie and Tootie are doing their required labor for Eastland
as they serve students breakfast. With Blair still in the hospital,
Alabamian Cindy Webster deputizes for her as the fourth server.

In the line waiting for breakfast are school snob seniors Margo
Jones and Boots St. Clair. Margo is red-haired and Boots raven-
haired, but both have one thing in mind:making life miserable
for students who dislike them, especially Blair Warner and Jo
Polniaczek.

MARGO
Well, I heard poor little Blair is Peekskill Community. What's wrong
now-did she catch cold from the draft that we left behind?

BOOTS
I would ask her to clean and polish my loafers, but she would
probably die from the smell. She always had a delicate nose!

JO(O.C.)
I heard that, and don't think I won't come back there if the two
of you wolves keep it up!

MARGO
(mock fear)Oh, I'm absolutely terrified!

BOOTS
My white pantyhose are trembling with fear!(both laugh)

From behind the lunch counter, Jo Polniaczek steps forward and
comes face to face with the two snobs, brandishing her right fist.

JO
I don't allow anyone in this school or out there to say anything
bad about Blair or any of my friends. You two have a choice-
either shut up and get your breakfast or breakfast and two fists
will be delivered to you-understand?

Jones and St. Clair go silent and Jo leaves them to join the other
three girls at the serving booth.

NATALIE
Do you think they'll start up again?

JO
Well, Nat, if they do, they know the consequences.

TOOTIE
Jo, you know I don't like violence.

JO
You're right, Tootie. I should have learned my lesson last time
about violence. If they start up again, I'll just take it to Harris.

NATALIE
Jo, we're all worried about Blair. She's gonna be alright.

JO
I know, I just never came that close to losing a friend.

Jo and the girls carry on with serving the other girls as the time
approaches 7:15 AM at Eastland Academy.

At 8 AM, first breakfast is finished and a second quartet of girls
comes in to replace Jo and company. The girls are already in their
school uniforms, so they quickly head for their first classes. There
is a surprise waiting for them as they approach their lockers.

GIRLS
WAY TO GO, JO!!!

About 30 teenage girls suddenly appear waving a banner reading
the words "JO IS OUR HERO!" Jo herself stands speechless.

JO
I don't know what to say...

Girl #1:
You don't have to say anything. Your actions were the only words
we needed last night. And now we want to return the thanks
and give you a heroes welcome back to class.

JO
I don't really deserve it, guys. I don't consider myself a hero.

Girl #2
As far as we're concerned, you are a hero. And after school lets
out, we're taking you for a hero's dinner at Pizza Hut.

Girl#3
With lots of Pizza, Ice Cream and drinks!

JO
Alright, I'll indulge you guys for one day because I want to be nice

Harris suddenly comes up to the assembly of girls

MR. HARRIS
Jo, there is something I have to say...

JO
I think I know what it is, and I think these girls should also hear.

MR. HARRIS
Very well, Jo. I'm sorry to say this, but I just come from a 15
minute meeting with the board of directors and they feel that
since you violated school policy by bringing a weapon-namely
a shotgun-on to school property, they have no choice but to
bar you from the school building and confine you to the custody
of Mrs. Garrett pending a disciplinary hearing and possible
expulsion. It's school policy, Jo, I'm sorry.

JO
Mr. Harris, you have nothing to apologize for. I broke one of the
major rules of this school and I am ready to accept whatever
punishment they wish to give to me.

MR. HARRIS
Jo, I am willing to stand by you whatever decision you make-
if you choose to fight it, I will fight with you.

JO
Mr. Harris, there will be no battle-I shall willingly accept expulsion
from Eastland if the board decides that is the penalty in my case.

MR. HARRIS
Jo, I cannot say enough that you are a class act, an excellent
student and an inspiration to this fine body of students. I only
wish that I did not have to take this action on behalf of the board.

JO
I still think of you as a great man and a fine headmaster, sir.

Jo shakes Harris' right hand and then turns to the crowd

JO
I ask of you girls that you do not cause riots or any other sort
of trouble in my name. To do so would damage the reputation of
this school as a fine center of academic learning and bring
dishonor to Mister Ronald Harris as headmaster and shame to
me as one of your fellow students. I want the good name of
Eastland Academy to be upheld for all time.

Harris leaves the assembly as Jo is talking to the girls

JO
I want you to carry on as if I were still in this building, I want
you to be the school you were before I came here. I want
Mister Harris to be proud to call you his students and friends.

Jo looks for any replies or responses from the girls...

JO
Now, I will need three minutes alone to clean out my locker.

Girl #1
Can we still take you out later for pizza?

JO
I'm afraid not. In addition to being barred from this building, I also
cannot leave campus for any reason during this suspension.

Girl #1
Can we bring you back some pizza later?

JO
That would be okay. Just bring it to the cafeteria building.

Girl #2
That's great, Jo. We'll leave you alone now so you can clear out.

JO
Thanks, guys.

The girls leave as Jo Polniaczek takes one last mournful look at
her locker before obeying the wishes of the school board.

Jo walks with a resigned look but with a sure and steady gait
down the hallway of the school building and out the door, past
the apple and pear trees and rose bushes with no roses making
her way toward the cafeteria building on the other side of the
Eastland campus. Mrs. Garrett comes to her side as soon Jo
comes through the double doors.

EDNA
Jo, I heard from Harris on the phone just now. I'm so very sorry.

JO
Mrs. Garrett, as I told him, don't waste your time on sympathy-
I broke a major Eastland rule and I deserve severe punishment.

EDNA
Jo, surely the school board can't be that hard...

JO
They agree on everyone I just said, and Mr. Harris said I most
likely will be expelled from Eastland. There's no need for you or
the girls to try and defend me before the board. I dished it, so
I now have to take it. I better tell ma the news.

Jo heads up the stairs leading to Mrs. Garrett's apartment and
and Mrs. Garrett stands at the bottom of the stairs with a sad
look on her face. She wants to help, but she is not able to.

That night, Natalie and Tootie are downstairs playing checkers
in the student lounge when the phone next to them rings.

Natalie picks it up...

NATALIE
Eastland Academy, Natalie Green speaking. Yes, Captain Davis,
she's upstairs in her bedroom. She has been suspended from
Eastland proper pending a disciplinary hearing and possible
expulsion due to the whole thing with the shotgun. Yes, I will
tell Mrs. Garrett to tell Jo that you called. Goodbye, Captain.

TOOTIE
Why did the Peekskill Police call?

NATALIE
Captain Davis has said that the district attorney has decided
not to press criminal charges against Jo for the shotgun. He also
said that the Peekskill Police Department and the Mayors office
want to give comendations to Jo and to Officer Hernandez for
bravery. They plan to give Hernandez the departments first
medal of valor for his bravery.

TOOTIE
That's wonderful news, Nat. Let's go tell Jo!

NATALIE
I think Mrs. Garrett ought to get her. I don't want to disturb her
when she's in a bad mood. I want to keep all my teeth.

TOOTIE
Wise idea. Mrs. Garrett!

Edna comes in from the cafeteria into the lounge...

EDNA
Yes, girls?

NATALIE
Go get Jo, tell her we have some good news.

EDNA
Sure, hold on a minute. Don't know if she wants to come down.

TOOTIE
Do you think Jo will get a medal?

NATALIE
I don't think police give medals for private citizens.

TOOTIE
Well, there's always a first time for everything.

Friday, January 23, 1981
10:30 AM

We are at Peekskill City Hall on 3539 Peekskill Road. Mrs. Garrett
is there along with Jo, Natalie and Tootie. All three girls are
dressed in their school uniforms as they sit at tables waiting for
mayor Jason Carlton and chief Nathaniel Green to come in.

JO
Mrs. Garrett, how were you able to swing things with Harris?

EDNA
I told him that this was a special occasion in which a hero was
being honored for saving the lives of students at Eastland-even
the board of directors was hard pressed to argue with me.

JO
One thing I have to say about you, Mrs. Garrett, is that you know
how to use fancy words to get people to see your point of view.

EDNA
Well, a woman with a point of view can be pretty strong.

JO
If it makes you happy, I'll accept that award for heroism even
though I don't really deserve it-me and Gabriel were just
doing what we felt we had to do. The title "hero" is a false
designation in my honest opinion, a word they use to make
certain people look larger than life. If a person is not realized
just for being a person, then any sort of award will not make
that person look any more human.

EDNA
I respect your opinion, Jo. But in my personal opinion, you are
indeed a hero to all of us. A hero is a person willing to make a
difference, willing to take a risk, willing to protect people at any
and all costs. I know some Peekskill police officers who match
that description very well, one of them is a good friend of yours.

NATALIE
And a good friend to me.

TOOTIE
And to me as well, Jo.

Jo signals the trio to be quiet as Mayor Carlton takes his place
at a podium to address the audience seated before him.

MAYOR CARLTON
Once in a while, there is a man or a woman who is willing to take
any and all risks to protect the citizens of their city. We have two
such people in this audience today and we are here to honor
them-JoAnn Polniaczek and Officer Gabriel Hernandez of the
Peekskill Police Department. In the early morning hours of
Wednesday, January 21st, Officer Gabriel Hernandez was taking
a young woman named JoAnn Polniaczek on a ride-along to see
how Peekskill police officers serve their city everyday. A man
named Carl Wilkins placed a bomb in a police station and then
attacked Officer Hernandez and Miss Polniaczek with a loaded
shotgun, forcing Officer Hernandez to discharge his own shotgun
to end the threat. Then using bravery and resourcefulness,
Officer Hernandez give the right information to a special bomb
squad, resulting in the speedy disarmament of the bomb, saving
the station and countless police officers from disaster.

Edna and our three girls watch as the mayor continues...

MAYOR CARLTON
Just when one tragedy had ended, another began. Officer Jessica
Woodward was abducted at gunpoint by Roger Wilkins, the
brother of Carl Wilkins who was being held on a charge of armed
robbery. Wilkins took Officer Woodward to Eastland Academy,
an all-girls private school just outside the city. There he held
Officer Woodward and two young girls, Natalie Green and Dorothy
Ramsey, hostage as a woman named Mrs. Edna Garrett and a
young woman named Blair Warner slept, unaware of the disaster
occuring just below them. SWAT officers with the Westchester
County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene and
attempted to negotiate the release of the hostages with Wilkins.

Gabriel and Jessica look on as mayor Carlton speaks...

MAYOR CARLTON
Officer Hernandez and JoAnn Polniaczek orchestrated a plan to
rescue the hostages using JoAnn as a decoy to lure Wilkins away
from the school while SWAT officers freed the hostages. As Wilkins
met JoAnn at the enterance to the schools cafeteria Building, Blair
Warner suddenly confronted Wilkins with a shotgun. Wilkins
struggled with her and got control of the shotgun, wounding both
girls with the shotgun. At that moment, police quickly came on the
scene with Officer Hernandez forced to use deadly force to end
the situation. Both girls were wounded, but neither fatally. The
actions of Officer Hernandez reflect the highest standards of
police professionalism and the actions of JoAnn Polniaczek
reflect bravery and a devotion to her friends and to her school
and for these reasons we are here to honor both of them.

Chief Green is standing to the right side of the mayor...

CHIEF GREEN
Officer Hernandez, Miss JoAnn Polniaczek, step forward.

Jo and Gabriel, who is seated next to Jessica Woodward, step
forward to the left hand side of the podium as Chief Green takes
a medal out of a case and puts it around Gabriel's neck.

CHIEF GREEN
Gabriel, I and this city are truly proud of you this day. Please
accept the very first medal of valor award from the Peekskill
Police Department. I am proud of you, young man.

GABRIEL
I am very proud to be a police officer for the city of Peekskill, Chief.

MAYOR CARLTON
JoAnn Polniaczek, please accept this city's highest civilian award,
citizen of the year for 1981. I know you represent Eastland
Academy with diginity and pride and you deserve this honor.

JO
Thank you for this honor, Mayor Carlton. I proudly accept this
award on behalf of the students at Eastland Academy. And I
would be a fool not to give honor to the real heroes on this
stage-Gabriel Hernandez and the officers of the Peekskill Police
Department. Their bravery and professionalism are an inspiration
to the citizens of Peekskill, New York. God bless them all!

MAYOR CARLTON
Peekskill, New York, here are your heroes!

The audience, including Mrs. Garrett, Natalie and Tootie, applaud
Jo and Gabriel as they stand alongside Mayor Carlton and Chief
Green, the Eastland student and the police officer both smiling.

After the ceremony, Mrs. Garrett and all three girls are walking
through the lobby of city hall with Gabriel, Jessica, Chief Green
and Captain Davis accompanying them.

EDNA
Jo, you should have listened to all of us cheering.

JO
I admit, I do kind of like getting medals like this.

GABRIEL
I am just glad to be here on this earth. I forgot to ask:how is
Blair doing?

JO
Blair's doing fine. She outta get out of Peekskill community soon.

GABRIEL
Well, that is good news indeed. I heard that it did not go over
well with the Eastland board of directors.

JO
Yes, I have been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.

GABRIEL
Well, I think you do not deserve that. You just made a mistake.

JO
Well, the school board made a decision and I'm gonna support it.

GABRIEL
I admire your dignity and devotion to Eastland, Jo.

JO
And I enjoy having you as a new friend. How did the two
shootings go? They were ruled justifiable, weren't they?

GABRIEL
Well, I have to wait for the official decision, but likely they will
be ruled justifiable. Thank you for your concern.

NATALIE
Hey, Uncle Nate, wanna come to mom's house next week for
dinner? We're having stuffed cabbage rolls, one of your favorites.

CHIEF GREEN
I will try to set aside some time for my favorite niece, honey.

GABRIEL
Well, Chief, I need to get out of here. Today is my day off and I
want to have the morning and afternoon with Ina and the kids.

CHIEF GREEN
Sure, Gabriel. You deserve the day off, I wish I could take the
day off, gotta get back in my office upstairs.

NATALIE
Well, don't wanna keep you here, bye.

CHIEF GREEN
See you later, Natalie

Chief Green heads upstairs to his office on the second floor of
city hall while everyone else heads to their own destinations.

Later that day, Jo is upstairs in her room as Mrs. Garrett comes in

EDNA
Jo.

JO
Hey, Mrs. Garrett.

EDNA
I just wanted to say again, you and Gabriel were the hit of
the morning. Everyone wanted to show their appreciation. Ina
Hernandez, Gabriel's wife made some black beans and rice
and some Kugelis and also a Lithuanian blueberry soup.

JO
Kugelis?

EDNA
Some kind of Lithuanian casserole made with mashed potatoes,
bacon, eggs and sour cream. I hear it's supposed to be good.

JO
No thanks, Mrs. G, I'd rather have breakfast foods side by side
than together in one casserole dish-no offense to Lithuania.

EDNA
Gabriel told me to tell you that he is doing alright as far as the
two shootings are concerned. He said his wife Ina and his children
are helping him through any problems he might have.

JO
Mrs. Garrett, I've been thinking about what Gabriel said earlier
and I think he's right-I broke a school rule but I feel I need to
stay in Eastland and make my mother proud of me. I am going
to tell the school board that I made a mistake and that I deserve
another chance. You and the girls can back me up if you want to.

EDNA
Jo, I love you, not just as a student at Eastland, but as a long-
lost daughter. I am proud to be surrogate mother to you girls.

JO
I love you, Mrs. Garrett.

The pair hug for about a minute and then Natalie and Tootie
come in...

NATALIE
Is Jo getting all the loving? Come on, hug us too!

Mrs. Garrett pulls Natalie and Tootie to her and three girls and
their mentor hug together...

JO
Nat, Toot, I've decided to fight expulsion. I am staying.

TOOTIE
Oh, Jo...

NATALIE
We love you, Jo...

JO
I love you, Nat. I love all you guys.

The quarter continue hugging as the scene fades to black...

Directed by
Assad Kelada


Written by
Lee A. Scott

Created by
Dick Clair
Jenna McMahon

Developed by
Ben Starr
Howard Leeds
Jerry Mayer

Co-producer
Rita Dillon

Cast(in order of appearance)
Jo Polniaczek... Nancy McKeon
Edna Garrett... Charlotte Rae
Officer Gabriel Hernandez... A Martinez
Dispatcher... Bonnie Franklin(voice only)
Katherine Chandler... Elizabeth Montgomery
George Chandler... William Shatner
Sgt. Jack Graziano... Joe Santos
Capt. James Davis... Martin Milner
Chief Nathan Green... Peter Graves
Roger Wilkins... Charles Bronson
Officer Jessica Woodward... Dana Kimmell
Sgt. Clay Jones... Felton Perry
Carl Wilkins... Robert Mitchum
Reporter... Adam West(voice only)
Sgt. Joseph Goldberg... Michael Ironside
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey... Kim Fields
Natalie Green... Mindy Cohn
Deputy Morris Williams... Carl Weathers
Officer Jacob Thompson... Richard Hatch
Cindy Webster... Julie Anne Haddock
Sue Ann Weaver... Julie Piekarski
Nancy Olson... Felice Schachter
Margo Jones... Amy Gibson
Headmaster Ronald Harris... Kenneth Mars
Blair Warner... Lisa Whelchel
Boots St. Clair... Jami Gertz
Girl #1... Justine Bateman
Girl #2... Melissa Gilbert
Girl #3... Kari Michaelsen
Mayor Jason Carlton... Harry Morgan

A T.A.T. Communications Company Production
1981 T.A.T. Communications Inc.

I just finished reading your story and it was a good story. Keep up the good work

I like all the characters...

THIS AGAIN WAS A GREAT STORY I READ IT TWICE BEFORE I REPLIED !!!!!!!!!!!