Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Runaway (2001)

Dann Florek: Captain Donald 'Don' Cragen

Quotes 

• Donald Cragen : A girl OD'd and died alone. Her father, a decorated cop, no pension, his family in shambles. But you know what really, really scares me? That all you people are concerned about is some lying murdering sack of crap.

  IAB Detective #2 : In this country, that lying, murdering sack of crap has rights, too, Captain.

  Donald Cragen : Tito. Jill Foster. They're both dead. What about their rights?

• A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot : [about Lance Kanick]  I'm not putting that animal back on the streets. He killed with a tire iron, with a gun. No remorse. He gets out in 20 years, he'll be killing with something else. Murdering someone else.

  Donald Cragen : Alex, we can save a life today, not prevent some hypothetical murder 20 years down the road. There's a girl out there that needs our help now!

• Donald Cragen : This is a cop's child. What else matters? The D.A.'s office has made worse deals. We see murderers out on the street in less time for reasons with a lot less validity every day. We have to stomach that every day. It's not just the people in this room, Alex. Everybody in blue knows about the Foster case. This is in the family.

  A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot : Kanick will murder again.

  Det. Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola : So you're murdering now. How's that supposed to settle with the grunts?

  A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot : What are you saying?

  Det. John Munch : What he's saying is, it's harder to do our jobs if we've lost faith in the D.A.'s office.

  A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot : Are you threatening me?

  Det. John Munch : It's a blanket statement.

• Donald Cragen : [to Frank]  You okay?

  Sgt. Frank Foster : Not gonna be okay till they find Jill.

  Donald Cragen : Your union rep called me. They're trying for ROR.

  Sgt. Frank Foster : What difference does it make? I took hostages. It's over for me.

  Donald Cragen : Frank, we're friends. I stood up at your wedding. Why didn't you call me?

  Sgt. Frank Foster : And tell you what? My daughter had it with her lousy father and decided to take off? What would you have thought of me then?

  Donald Cragen : That you need help.

  Sgt. Frank Foster : Every day, I was out there taking dope off the streets. Jill was putting it up her nose. Smoking it, popping pills, whatever. It was like she was intentionally slapping me in the face.

  Donald Cragen : You're not the first cop whose kid has a drug problem.

  Sgt. Frank Foster : Maybe not, but I did what any parent with his head up his ass would do. I made it about me. How's the narc gonna look if he can't keep his own kid clean?

  Donald Cragen : You saved my ass that night when we were rookies in East New York. Waited one second longer, I'm lying in a box and we're never having this conversation.

• Donald Cragen : [When Ted Bolger comes into the squad room]  Juveniles with a $500-an-hour mouthpiece. There goes your motivational fear.

• Donald Cragen : [to Munch]  John, what the hell were you thinking? A good cop's in prison, his daughter was mixed up with scum, and you and Fin are out of control. If this compromises my investigation, I'm holding both of you personally responsible.