Officer Down Code Three is a short 1975 film adapted from Pierce R. Brooks’ book of the same name, presented by Motorola, and was directed by Murray Woroner of Woroner Films. The film reenacts actual case histories to show how the majority of police officer deaths in the U.S. come from officers not “following the book” and being guilty of one of several key mistakes. The film opens with shots of police officers from the state of Florida gathering for the funeral of an officer killed in the line of duty. There is a reenactment of an officer down with a gunshot wound (07:52; 03:42). A police car with lights flashing drives down a highway (04:07). A Miami police officer pulls up to the site of the “code three.” A fire rescue ambulance arrives at the scene (05:08). The film discusses the ten reasons that most likely result in the death of an officer. There is a shot from the street of the Second National Bank of North Miami (12:18), which is the scene of another example of officers not taking the situation seriously-they assume the silent alarm is a malfunction and are unexpectedly shot by bank robbers. Policemen load a flag-covered coffin into a hearse (16:41). A police car with lights flashing drives through a residential area to a house where a man with shotgun is holed up (17:11). The officer is guilty of what the film calls “Tombstone Courage” and is shot and killed in the standoff. A line of police cars drive in procession for a slain police officer’s funeral (19:30). There is a shot of a McDonald’s lit up at night (20:12). The film then concludes with the final scenario (sleeping on the job), which results in the death of the officer for whom the funeral is held.
Special thanks to David Woroner for allowing us to make his father's film available.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com