What is "dragnet"

Dragnet \Drag"net`\, n. [Cf. AS. dr[ae]gnet.] A net to be drawn along the bottom of a body of water, as in fishing.

Old English drægnet, a net to drag the bottom of a body of water in fishing; see drag (v.) + net (n.). Figurative use is from 1640s; police sense attested by 1894.

n. 1 A net dragged across the bottom of a body of water. 2 Heightened efforts by law-enforcement personnel to capture suspects. vb. To make heightened efforts to catch a suspect.

1. n. a system of coordinated measures for apprehending (criminals or other individuals); "caught in the police dragnet"

2. a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths [syn: trawl, trawl net]

Dragnet was an American radio, television and motion picture series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term " dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.

Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history. The series gave audience members a feel for the danger and heroism of police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers.

Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting; he achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media.

The show's cultural impact is such that after five decades, elements of Dragnet are familiar to those who have never seen or heard the program:

• The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music (titled "Danger Ahead") is instantly recognizable (though its origins date to Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film version of The Killers).
• Another Dragnet trademark is the show's opening narration: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." This underwent minor revisions over time. The "only" and "ladies and gentlemen" were dropped at some point, and for the television version "hear" was changed to "see". Variations on this narration have been featured in subsequent crime dramas, and in parodies of the dramas (e.g. "Only the facts have been changed to protect the guilty").

A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. The term derives from a fishing technique of dragging a fishing net across the sea bottom, or through a promising area of open water.

While a dragnet can refer to any kind of focused police presence, the traditional definition involves defining an area (e.g., a building, or a city block) and/or category (e.g., those of a specific ethnic group within an area) and conducting at least a brief investigation of each person within. Thus, if a criminal was traced to a specific location, everyone in that location might be searched for incriminating evidence. Since the 1950s, such "dragnets" have generally been held to be unconstitutional, as unreasonable search and seizure actions.

While traditional "stop and frisk" dragnets have largely fallen into disuse, New York's strategy for controlling serious crime by stopping many of those loitering in areas where such loitering is thought to be associated with lesser crimes has been called a dragnet. Similarly, controversy remains over other activities held to be dragnets as well. An active area of legal controversy, for example, is that of warrant-less wiretaps. If all cell phones are monitored by machine for certain words or phrases thought to be associated with terrorism, and the results used to cue focused investigations, the ACLU argues that this constitutes a kind of dragnet. There was a large, highly publicized dragnet in Boston after the 2013 marathon race bombing. A dragnet that caught world-wide attention was conducted by French law enforcement after a Paris newspaper was attacked, resulting in the killing of twelve people, in January 2015.

Dragnet may refer to:

• Dragnet, a fishing net used in seine fishing
• Dragnet (policing), a coordinated search, named for the fishing net

Dragnet is the second studio album by English art punk band The Fall. It was released on 26 October 1979, through record label Step-Forward.

Dragnet is a 1947 American crime film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Henry Wilcoxon, Mary Brian, Douglass Dumbrille, Virginia Dale, Don C. Harvey, and Ralph Dunn. The screenplay was written by Barbara Worth and Harry Essex. The original music score was composed by Irving Gertz. It is also known as Dark Bullet and A Shot in the Dark.

Dragnet is a 1954 American crime film directed by Jack Webb and written by Richard L. Breen. The film stars Webb, Ben Alexander, Richard Boone, Ann Robinson, Stacy Harris, Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin. The film was adapted from the radio series of the same name, and is part of the wider Dragnet franchise.The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 4, 1954.

"Dragnet" is an instrumental theme from the radio and television show of the same name. It was composed by Walter Schumann for the radio show, and was also used on the subsequent television series and later syndication of the TV series under the name "Badge 714". The theme is in two parts: an opening signature "Main Title" (the ominous "Dum - - - de - DUM - DUM") and the "Dragnet March" used over the end credits.

Popular chart hit versions were recorded by Ray Anthony and his Orchestra (1953) and The Art of Noise (1987).

Film and television composer Nathan Scott, who began orchestrating for Schumann beginning in 1952, later became Dragnet's second composer following Schumann's departure from the series.

Dragnet is a 1987 American buddy cop comedy film written and directed by Tom Mankiewicz in his directorial debut, and starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks. The film is based on the television crime drama of the same name starring Jack Webb. The screenplay, both a parody of and homage to the long-running television series, was written by Dan Aykroyd and Alan Zweibel. The original music score is by Ira Newborn.

Aykroyd plays Joe Friday (nephew of the original series star) while Hanks plays Pep Streebek, his new partner. Harry Morgan reprises his role from the television series as Bill Gannon, now a captain and Friday's and Streebek's boss.

Dragnet is an American radio series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term " dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.

Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history. The series gave audience members a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers.

Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media.

The show's cultural impact is such that after five decades, elements of Dragnet are familiar to those who have never seen or heard the program:

• The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music (titled "Danger Ahead") is instantly recognizable (though its origins date to Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film version of The Killers).
• Another Dragnet trademark is the show's opening narration: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." This underwent minor revisions over time. The "only" and "ladies and gentlemen" were dropped at some point. Variations on this narration have been featured in subsequent crime dramas, and in parodies of the dramas (e.g. "Only the facts have been changed to protect the guilty").

This is a list of episodes from the first season of the 1967 Dragnet series. The season was directed by Jack Webb.

This is a list of episodes from the second season of the 1967 Dragnet series. The season was directed by Jack Webb.

This is a list of episodes from the third season of the 1967 Dragnet series. The season was directed by Jack Webb.

This is a list of episodes from the fourth and final season of the 1967 Dragnet series. The season was directed by Jack Webb.

Dragnet is an American television series, based on the radio series of the same name. Both shows take their name from the police term " dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. The show starred Jack Webb reprising his role as Sgt. Joe Friday, and his partners, including Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith.

The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music (titled "Danger Ahead") is instantly recognizable (though its origins date to Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film version of The Killers).