How Police Shows Skew The Narrative

     Police officers and those who wish to reform the police have one thing in common: they cannot stand police shows. For police officers, these shows skew reality. People get the impression that police work is an adventure, a drama that always brings definitive, quick closure, with no repercussions for anyone. The fact is that police work ranges from the mundane to the emotional, prank callers to victims of the most heinous crimes. There are lessons learned, and there are friends lost.

     An estimated 1 in 5 people has police contact in a given year, which means that 4 in 5 draw their very perception of reality from media, which increasingly comprises television. These shows portray do-no-wrong cops who use brutality, violate the rights of defendants, and bypass rules in order to achieve their ends. This portrayal hurts law enforcement, for citizens often believe that law enforcement routinely does this, which can cause relations to deteriorate. On the flip side, some people think that this is necessary and routine when it, unfortunately, does happen in real life. 

     Police work is dangerous. It involves tragedy, it involves criminals destroying their own lives, and it involves inherent risks. It also involves the complex job of balancing public safety with the founding principles of liberty and justice, and TV producers out to make a quick buck have no place weighing in on it.