It was stated that the criminal population of the United States was at 4,300,000 criminals. That would be approximately 3.3% of the 130,000,000 people that lived in the U.S. in 1938.
The three dollars the gang gets for the stolen items would be the equivalent of about $65.00 in the year 2023.
This short begins with a policeman's badge, number 117, fading to translucence as a hand-held pistol is pointed at the audience. The gun then fires five shots and fades to two policemen in a car with the siren blaring. At this point, the hand and gun fade out completely, and the scene transitions to the MGM Crime Reporter who introduces Judge Charles Edwin Marshall (William Stack).