Law enforcement representation in television

Cops

Law Enforcement TV Shows

The mass media in the contemporary society and for the last few decades has seemed to be addicted to sensationalism. The masses appear to be particularly supportive of stories that have been exaggerated for the simple purpose of captivating viewers' attention. As a consequence, diverse media devices take advantage of the opportunity and produce a series of works specifically designed as a response to people's needs. TV police shows in particular are aimed at providing viewers with stories that are likely to impress them and in many cases certain aspects of these respective stories are fabricated.

Reality TV shows involving law enforcement officers catching criminals have become more and more common in recent years. Most of these shows display both the honorable and risky lifestyle of police officers and the ruthlessness of criminals. However, in many cases it is difficult for viewers not to feel sorry for these so called ruthless criminals. When considering the U.S. TV series Bait Car, it would seem that the show's producers direct their attention toward low-income areas where individuals are more likely to steal a car. This actually demonstrates that the show is more concerned in increasing its ratings than in the well-being of underprivileged people.

Numerous cases of individuals stealing cars or performing other types of crimes show minorities like African-Americans or Hispanics. Police officers are typically white men and this creates a deep contrast between the two communities. While this says a lot about how the show is only interested in sensationalism, it also makes it possible for viewers to observe power division in the country, with particular minorities being predisposed to being underprivileged. Furthermore, these respective minorities are being taken advantage of, as Bait Car acknowledges their tendency to do everything in their power in order to survive and thus tempts them by placing apparently vulnerable vehicles in their neighborhoods.

American Detective is yet another show that tends to discriminate against particular types of groups. In one case the media device shows law enforcement officers chasing after two Hispanic suspects and coming across a household that had nothing to do with the two. Police officers proceed to go against people in the house and film the whole scene as these respective people have their rights violated. The fact that they too are Latino apparently played an important role in influencing the authorities to believe that they were somehow connected to the suspects (Doyle 52)

In some cases, TV shows go much too far both by influencing police officers to behave in a particular way and by filming the degree to which these people are affected by their jobs. Real Stories of the Highway Patrol shows dangerous drivers as they put their lives and the lives of others in danger. By looking at the show one can feel the pressure that is put on these law enforcement officers as they struggle to act in accordance with the law.

In spite of the fact that Real Stories of the Highway Patrol can be considered educational when regarding the way it presents the lives of police officers, the show also tends to emphasize individuals belonging to a particular race as being more likely to put across criminal behaviors. This episode in particular shows how police officers interact with African-Americans that are seemingly inclined to engage in criminal activities. The fact that police officers are white men further contributes to the issue, as it would seem that particular racial groups can easily be associated with stereotypes.

The general public seems to be supportive of watching depictions of violence mixed with a type of ironic humor. Many individuals in popular law enforcement TV series are uneducated and belong to controversial minorities. This contributes to them putting across attitudes that the masses believe to be amusing in some cases and thus generates larger ratings.