Crossing the Blue Line

Randy Bishop a veteran cop in the early 70’s, chose to remain in a Philadelphia neighborhood he was originally assigned, rather than climb the ladder of promotions. He realized over time, the job of policing became much easier, having gained the trust of the locals. After 18 years of working police cars and a police wagon in the same area, he was offered a steady day-work assignment. It was a foot beat on Frankford Avenue, a business district situated under the loom of the elevated train that traveled to and from center city. The elevated train station in the center of the beat, was a hub to busses and trollies coming from other parts of the city. That in itself, would give you an idea of the amount of people he came in contact with daily.

He had a reputation of being objective when dealing with the public, and at times he would be asked by younger cops, his opinion about an assignment. Sometimes their questions would carry into their personal lives, and they were questions he always tried to avoid.

He had a series of encounters with a police woman named Delores Johnson, whose nick name was Champ. Against his better judgement, he listens to her problem. As he becomes more involved, he’s surprised to hear Champ’s problems were many. Seemingly not being able to get her life on track, she deepens Randy’s involvement. After she goes missing for a few days, she’s found dead by a gun shot wound, in a small bathroom in the basement of the district they worked. Was it suicide? Many questions would have to be answered.