Good actors entertain viewers, but great actors inspire them. Martin Milner wasn't just a performer; he was also an idol to those young viewers who would grow up to become police officers.

For years, Milner played Officer Pete Malloy in this hit police series, Adam-12. Milner, with co-star Kent McCord, worked hard to give an honest and enthusiastic portrayal of what life in the LAPD was like, and fans were receptive.

After Milner's death in 2015, one fan, Ted Storck from Minnesota, revealed that seeing the actor in Adam-12 convinced him to join the force.

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"You see, it was Milner - who played Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Officer Pete Malloy on the TV show Adam-12, along with his partner, Kent McCord, who played Officer Jim Reed - who enticed me to become a Los Angeles police officer," wrote Storck in the Star Tribune.

"I started watching the show in San Diego in 1968 after my return from Vietnam, and continued watching it when I was transferred to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Finally, in 1972, I left Navy blue for LAPD Blue."

This sentiment was echoed by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. "The show inspired thousands of men and women to become LAPD officers," said Beck

"I never did work 1-Adam-12, which the two worked, but I did work 8-Adam-12, and when the show ceased in 1975, I was given the magnetic seal that adorned the Adam-12 car," said Strock, who confessed that he had kept the seal to this day.

It was precisely the sort of impact Milner had hoped for when Adam-12 began all those years ago.

"I think our new show will help bridge the gap between ordinary citizens and the law, to show what police work really is," said the actor during an interview with the Tyrone Daily Herald.