Rollo Quotes

Ed Exley: Do you make the three Negroes for the Nite Owl killings?
Jack Vincennes: [puzzled] What?
Ed Exley: It's a simple question.
Jack Vincennes: Why in the world do you wanna go digging any deeper into the Nite Owl killings... Lieutenant?
Ed Exley: ...Rollo Tamasi.

Jack Vincennes: Is there more to that, or am I supposed to guess?
Ed Exley: [aftre gathering his thoughts] Rollo was a purse snatcher. My father ran into him off duty, and he shot my father six times and got away clean. No one even knew who he was. I just made the name up to give him some personality.
Jack Vincennes: What's your

point?
Ed Exley: Rollo Tamasi is the reason I became a cop. I wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it. It's supposed to be about justice. Then somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that... Why'd you become a cop?
Jack Vincennes: [long pause] I don't remember.
[brief hesitation]
Jack

Vincennes: What do you want, Exley?
Ed Exley: I just wanna solve this thing.
Jack Vincennes: The Nite Owl *was* solved.
Ed Exley: No; I wanna do it right.
Jack Vincennes: Even if it means paying the consequences?
[Exley nods his head, Vincennes stands up from his chair]

Jack Vincennes: All right, college boy, I'll help. But there's a case you boys in Homicide don't care about, you think it's just another Hollywood "homo"-cide. Well, I don't. You help me with mine, I'll help you with yours. Deal?
Ed Exley: Deal.

Captain Dudley Smith: [Captain Smith briefs the squad room on Jack Vincennes' death; Exley is standing beside him] Sergeant Vincennes was killed by a .32 slug to the heart. Time of death, approximately 1 a.m. Although he was found in Echo Park, preliminary forensics indicates his body was most likely moved. I want two-man teams to scour that entire neighborhood. Our justice must

be swift and merciless. That is all.
Captain Dudley Smith: [Exley starts to leave with the other officers] Edmund, might I have a word with you? We're trying to run down a lead on an associate of Vincennes. The records check has led to a dead end.
Ed Exley: What's the name?
Captain Dudley Smith: Rollo Tomasi. Have you ever

heard Vincennes mention him?
Ed Exley: [poker-faced] No. No, I haven't.
Captain Dudley Smith: Well, it's probably nothing. Still, keep your eyes open, eh, boyo?
[Captain Smith exits as Exley glares at him from behind]