Does police brutality affect your enthusiasm in watching cop TV shows or movies?

[j9ac9k]

Police brutality and/or corruption has always been around. And so have good cops. I have never wanted to watch an episode of "L&O:SVU" because the one thing you know is that it will be about a sex crime and I don't want to see that as entertainment. I wouldn't want to see a cop brutalize or murder innocent people either as entertainment. Most cop shows are clearly fantasy and I am okay with that because I know it's not life.

[titanfan]

In fiction, we know absolutely without the shadow of a doubt of the morality of our heroes so it's more "ok" to watch, even when they may do "ends justify the means" types of actions. (Batman does illegal crap all the time too but he's Batman so it's ok)

It does make you have that 2nd look at some police brutality scenes and I think that's ok too.

[WebLurker]

I don't watch a lot of cop-centric media and while I'm sure the current attention the failings of the current system will have some effect, I can separate reality from fiction. Probably depictions of corrupt and cowboy cops will be harder to watch now, though.

[Sacred Knight]

I've never been into police procedurals in the first place. They just never held my interest. When it comes to law enforcement stuff I like documentaries, true crime stories, etc. I have always enjoyed buddy cop films though and no, it doesn't bother me at all to say I'm a fan and will always be, and can rewatch them often.

[Agent Z]

Not really but I am more aware of when cop characters are acting out of line.

It's starting to get there, yeah. Because double standards of the law depicted on cop shows as ways for them to overcome challenges are becoming more apparent, like an attitude of do the ends justify the means. Excessive violence is one thing, but even cutting corners to get around paperwork (paperwork meant for accurate reporting/transparency) is painted as virtuous because then it means those hero cops yearn for more action and excitement.

It's also starting to happen retroactively, too. I'll watch an old show like the West Wing, which is left leaning but still very positive about police, and half the things in the show that the staff would support would be out of place just a decade later, nevermind two. The most we get is Toby Ziegler's frustration at police flippancy at routine cases.

Oddly enough, I was watching Dairanger from 1993 (weird choice, I know), and the Rangers fear that they might have accidentally killed a civilian. Turns out that a monster possessed the civilian, and that civilian was already dead before possession, so the monster "killed" himself to frame the Rangers. Rather, the civilian was already dead because the police shot him (a thief) to death well before the monster ever came. It's played off as relief for the Rangers, but the shooting and the Rangers' jovial attitudes wouldn't go well over today, even in an adult show.

Speaking of which, do you think Time Force and SPD have aged well in this regard?

[Largo161]

Yes. I avoid them at all costs. F@3k tha police!


...except Columbo.

[Joker]

I've never really enjoyed them because I've long known who the police are.

The stepfather of one of my best friends growing up was a cop. He was a good guy. Genuinely a good guy. But police as a whole? Nah...

[Powerboy]

No, I know the difference between RL and make believe.
I also don’t generalize and believe all police are bad because some police are bad.

We're in a situation right now where every act of police brutality anywhere in the country gets plastered all over the Internet which gives an exaggerated feeling of how prevalent it is. Add that, in some of these videos, we don't see how it started or know what the situation is but the person posting or narrating it knows the assumption will be police brutality. So it doesn't really influence my ability to watch a show where most of the cops are decent. The only flaw in shows is that nobody who is a main character is a bad cop. I'm talking about stuff like L&O. I never watched anything like the Shield because I have no interest in watching a series where pretty much all the cops in the unit are murderers and criminals who get away with it.

Cop shows are really not my interest to begin with so it's not a major factor for me. I'll occasionally see one in the break room at work. I notice they seldom run into situations that happen in real life though. I don't think I've ever seen one where they tell a person he's under arrest and the person just ignores them and starts walking away- running maybe but not just walking away- and they hesitate to engage hand to hand because he might have a weapon. When they draw their guns, the person always assumes he's caught.

[Powerboy]

Absolutely.

Over the years, black media from sitcoms to music to movies like Do the Right Thing (which featured a black man being choked to death) have been talking about how damaging police excess really is and how much it disproportionately affects certain communities. Heck, Richard Pryor had a famous routine about how cops can choke out a black man in 1979!!. Sure there’s more crime in certain communities but the force applied to non-threatening situations is pretty overwhelming and the fact that these policemen almost always get away without any serious consequence has made me take a second look at a lot of cop related media.

I watched a documentary on YouTube during the George Floyd protests that really explained a lot of things. In the past, police weren’t really depicted as heroes and were quite bumbling in fact (like the comedic Keystone cops). It was in later years that pressure was put on Hollywood to deliberately depict cops as heroes even when they cross lines that they shouldn’t.

Growing up, tv shows made me feel that cops were far too restricted and weren’t allowed to get the really bad guys which isn’t the case at all in real life. We’ve seen police unions go out of their way to defend killer cops and entire precincts act like spoiled children when there are calls to regulate them. Movies and tv series almost never show the reality of what’s happening and just how many bad cops have been shielded from persecution.

Now, I’m not saying that cop shows shouldn’t exist but the reality of what’s actually happening needs to be taken into account. The Police by and large are doing good but there’s a lot of “buts” in real life.

I think you go back to the 1960s version of Dragnet (There was a 1950s version also done by Jack Webb that was just a straightforward crime drama but, for some reason, that one never gets rerun). It was nothing but propaganda for the Los Angeles police department during one of the most corrupt eras in its history. In fairness, Webb didn't see it or believe it.

I think the biggest problems are "Qualified immunity" which is a two-edged sword because I know cops and retired prison guards who say removing that would be an equal disaster. The other is that, as in many jobs, cops become a fraternity or frat and sorority but mostly a frat. The attitude becomes "It's us against them". Cops are already authority figures and will inherently be disliked. So there's already an attitude of standing with your brothers and sisters and you don't go against them no matter whether you approve of everything they do. Add that most cops know what will happen to them if they go against their fellow cops.

But, up to now, those issues have seldom been explored in a cop show. It may be they will be now.

[Powerboy]

I dont watch many police shows but there are a couple I enjoy. I really love Blue Bloods, I still watch the original Law and Order (In reruns of course) I still watch a lot of classic cop show Adam 12, Dragnet. Those are great.

I dont like the shows that make cops look dumb or evil. Or make criminals look glorious or the heroes. I get there are crooked cops and doing an episode about a bad cop is fine. but a whole series or movie not my cup of tea. That is why I did not really dig The Shield on FX.

I wouldn't mind watching Dragnet or Adam 12 because they are so straightforwardly about the work and the daily lives of cops albeit in a cartoonish way.

I asked a guy who had been a cop from the mid 1970s until he retired around 2005 what he thought of the old shows like Dragnet and Adam 12. He liked Dragnet because he thought it was pretty much the daily life of a cop but thought Adam 12 was a bit too squeeky clean. Then the big question. What was more true to life, Dragnet or Hill Street Blues? Answer: He'd have to say HSB but only by a little bit and only because it touched on the seedier side of what cops deal with.

[babyblob]

I wouldn't mind watching Dragnet or Adam 12 because they are so straightforwardly about the work and the daily lives of cops albeit in a cartoonish way.

I asked a guy who had been a cop from the mid 1970s until he retired around 2005 what he thought of the old shows like Dragnet and Adam 12. He liked Dragnet because he thought it was pretty much the daily life of a cop but thought Adam 12 was a bit too squeeky clean. Then the big question. What was more true to life, Dragnet or Hill Street Blues? Answer: He'd have to say HSB but only by a little bit and only because it touched on the seedier side of what cops deal with.

I loved Hill Street Blues. That is anohter great one. H&I has the reruns I watch when I cant sleep at one in the morning. And you know it is realistic because not every cop was handsome and fit. There were some ugly people on that show.

[babyblob]

I think you go back to the 1960s version of Dragnet (There was a 1950s version also done by Jack Webb that was just a straightforward crime drama but, for some reason, that one never gets rerun). It was nothing but propaganda for the Los Angeles police department during one of the most corrupt eras in its history. In fairness, Webb didn't see it or believe it.

He also did a radio program for Dragnet before the tv show. it was pure propaganda. but I remember reading somewhere he had a family member who was a police officer. i cant remeber if it was his dad, granddad, or uncle but it was a close male figure. they were hurt pretty bad on the job and that was his reason for doing the show like he did.

The old Show FBI story was also pure propaganda. I recall hearing the story that every script had to be approved by Hoover before it culd be filmed. my dad told me this and I thought no way. But I have seen that same story on many tv boards and a book. Dont know if it is true but it makes a good story.

[Username taken]

I've never really enjoyed them because I've long known who the police are.

The stepfather of one of my best friends growing up was a cop. He was a good guy. Genuinely a good guy. But police as a whole? Nah...

My own half-brother is a retired NYPD officer. He's an ok guy and generally defends his colleagues.

But when i confront him about the problems with the police and how the police union covers up the criminality, he can't really offer any defense.

[Agent Z]

I never watched anything like the Shield because I have no interest in watching a series where pretty much all the cops in the unit are murderers and criminals who get away with it.

The bad cops in The Shield didn't get away with their crimes. But it did take a long time for them to get caught.

[babyblob]

The bad cops in The Shield didn't get away with their crimes. But it did take a long time for them to get caught.

The main guy. Vuc he kinda got away with it. i mean at the end of the show he was demoted to desk duty only but never went to jail. Yes he lost his wife and kids but he never faced a legal consequence for his actions and he killed a cop in the first episode. And Hell he may have violated the terms of his new job because he takes a gun out of his desk drawer and smiles as he leaves the station after hearing police sirens.