Cops. With shows like CSI, and others of that nature, do people seem to think they know all?

Question

Have you noticed any big changes in how people react when questioned? Compared to before the shows.

Also, how many local CSI teams actually drive Hummers or GMC Yukon Denalis? And all the female staff are drop dead gorgeous wearing designer clothing that never gets blood on them. LOL

Answer 1

My only problem with shows like CSI is that people think we are going to do all these thousand dollar test to determine who threw the rock through their $50 window.

Yes some of the test in these show are real and for a homicide, yes we will spend the money on the testing, but when the testing out weighs the crime we are not going to do it.

Also the testing takes time. They only have an hour on T.V. In real life it takes months to get some of the results back from the lab.

Answer 2

The laughable yet dangerous thing about these cop programs is many people actually believe real police work is like the TV shows. Most police departments have nothing like the sci fi gadgets and personnel shown on TV.
The TV stories are almost always the same basic plot. A bad man is trying to: a) abuse a woman b)abuse a child c)kidnap or kill a woman or a child. This makes the public look at everyone as a criminal.
It makes the cops into super-heroes who play god and do no wrong, like one popular pale red-haired TV cop who always promises a woman or a child "I'll see to it you are never hurt again." I am sure cops and cop wannabes are in ecstasy when they watch this, as that is their fondest dream, to be the Lone Ranger shooting down every man who looks at him the wrong way.
Reality is nothing like that. Cops make horrible mistakes and are blamed for lots of mistakes they never make. Lots of times bad guys get off scott-free while innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time get thrown in jail.
Just look at cop shows as entertainment, although for me its entertainment I can do without. I read a statistic yesterday where 2.4 million crimes occurred last year in this country where police took over an hour to respond or didn't respond at all, so the private citizens had to handle it themselves.
That's the real America. Cops are just regular guys and girls trying to do an impossible job. Let's take care of our own and our neighbors' homes ourselves and not let our free Republic go any further toward a police state.

Answer 3

People do think they know more about the law, especially the criminal side of it. They're TV shows, I just ignore people, and go on about my business.

I had one tell me there was no way I could have clocked her speed since she was not the closest car to me. I informed her that it would be true if I was using a radar. I then informed her with the laser in my car, I can actually pick out the car I want. I told her the car in front of her was speeding, but she was going faster than he was. That is why I chose to pull her over. I also informed her that I radioed another unit down the way to keep an eye out for that car.

She just said "oh, well can we hurry this up please then?"

Paperwork would kill ratings, or the endless times I have to come in on my day off to make it to court for any of the people I pulled over.

Answer 4

Just keep in mind that COPS, CSI and the other shows show all the highlights or exciting equipment and tests to attract your attention and gain ratings. Also...they never show the countless hours police spend on paperwork...that would be a ratings killer.

Answer 5

TV shows like CSI and their ilk are making things rough on the real criminal justice system. Victims think that much of that fantasy technology depicted is real, and when criminals get off, they blame the police for not being able to do what those actors do on tv.

Answer 6

I recently had a citizen ask me why I didn't "roll code 3" to take her burglary report. LOL

I think that here in Cali people are immune to, or not affected as much by what they see on prime time tv.

Answer 7

Fictional people watching fictional tv shows.

Answer 8

Absolutely. Citizens have become more demanding and giving more advice about how to solve crime. Unfortunately their expectations are unreasonable about what we are able to actually do.

Answer 9

All I have to say is keep spouting these TV quotes...it's entertaining at the least...lmao

Answer 10

people you are arresting arent that well at discriminating wrong from right. you expect them to apply real world tactics at evading questions, incrimination sp?