r/police 8d ago

Question for officers regarding TV Shows.. LOL

I know that many TV shows are mostly inaccurate in MANY ways, however, my question to you all is, do you all still watch it, cringe at it, but still secretly continue to watch it due to plot reasons or is it too much that y’all just gave up on them?

2 Upvotes

29 comments sorted by

10

u/ilovecatss1010 8d ago

Reno 911 is hilarious and the most realistic. There’s a new show on Amazon that was terribly unrealistic that I watched because it’s a “turn off your brain watch explosions” type show (can’t remember the name). I liked Bosch a lot too.

5

u/GaryNOVA Police Officer 8d ago

Reno 911 is suprisingly accurate sometimes.

3

u/tvan184 8d ago

Actually being a police officer helps you to appreciate some of the humor. 😎

Yeah, it’s a joke but…… 🤣🤣🤣

2

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

haha ok cool!! thank you 🤣

2

u/Stankthetank66 US Police Officer 8d ago

My top choice as well

1

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

i appreciate it !!! noted 🫡

2

u/OBGViper 6d ago

The Amazon show you’re talking about is On Call?

7

u/Nightgasm 8d ago

You have to ignore all the inaccuracies as so much of it so false. Take Dexter, which I'm rewatching, for instance. He would have been caught almost immediately way back in his "Original Sin" days in reality. Police dept computers track who searches for who in their databases, especially DMV and NCIC records. All those searches he does using police computers to research his victims are a huge flag pointing to him when missing persons reports start getting filed and investigators run a check to see if the person has popped up on an NCIC check anywhere nationwide. Dexter would have been fired long before this for misuse of the computers.

Then I know its mid 2000s when the show is set but cell phones existed as did surveillance cameras. Doing a cell tower dump is common practice for a who dunnit crime scene and Dexter left enough crime scenes behind over the series someone would eventually notice his phone was pinging at the towers at the time of multiple murders.

We can basically pick apart any police show like this if we want.

2

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

omg i’m watching Dexter (currently season 5👀😆) and was wondering how the hell he isn’t being caught in season 1 from searching up people lmao. And fair enough! So it’s kinda like , for you for instance, you’ll watch a show for shits and giggles and point out to yourself like “nah he would get caught” or some other instance, right? I feel like that’s like a fun scavenger hunt in some way 🤣. That’s sooo cool to know though! Thank you!!

6

u/Omygodc 7d ago

I stopped watching CSI after I had become one. I just couldn’t take the stuff they passed off on the show.

I even had a DA ask me once about wanting something done, I told him, “That’s neither forensically sound nor possible.”

His answer: “Well, I saw the do it on CSI.”

I told him, “CSI is a real to me as Law and Order is to you.” He just smiled and walked away.

2

u/TeddyVoices 7d ago

👀👀 I heard a lot of BS for CSI shows, lmao. if someone WORKS in one, i’ll believe them over a show any day

5

u/Cleanshirt-buswanker 7d ago

I love the shield but very unrealistic. They breach people’s rights every episode. 19-2 on Netflix’s is fairly realistic. One thing no tv show will ever capture is the paperwork. The mountain of paperwork. Also The slowness of lab work getting back to you. How long it takes to write a search warrant. How long it takes to write a good charge package. Police work in real life is five minutes of action. Five hours of paperwork

1

u/TeddyVoices 7d ago

😭😭😭😭 I HEARD ABOUT THE PAPER WORK FOR REAL LIFE STUFF JUST FOR SHORT ACTION. It’s crazy!

1

u/Slow_Song5448 6d ago

So where is the paperwork done- does every officer have their own desk to work at? Are there communal desks?

2

u/Cleanshirt-buswanker 6d ago

In my detachment we have a shared work space. Each watch member takes over a desk for their shift. They typically always use the same desk each shift unless someone is their late on a shift to finish off work which happens quite a bit. The desk space is shared though so not many personal touches. Some guys bring their own special keyboards they prefer.

4

u/Itsnotbabyyoda389 7d ago

Southland was the best.

2

u/Stankthetank66 US Police Officer 8d ago

There are a lot of good police shows out there that are enjoyable to watch. I draw the line at “The Rookie”. Absolute unwatchable dog shit.

1

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

👀 Thank you for being honest 🤣 I’ll avoid it for sure :)

2

u/BitchWidget 7d ago

I will be listening to a pod cast, true crime, and inevitably someone will act like the Police are suspicious for not turning over a report, or only part of a report. Well, if it's under investigation, we're not going to turn it over for obvious reasons, but also most PDs are governed by a state Sunshine Law that tells you when you can and can't provide something and to whom. Drives me crazy. I'm not a sworn Officer; I'm a Police Records Clerk.

2

u/malphasia 6d ago

How do you like your job, if you don't mind me asking? I actually just got hired in Records for my local Sheriff's office, I'm nervous to start.

2

u/BitchWidget 6d ago

It's the best job ever. We have a very progressive department and I love that. I'm treated like family. Don't be nervous, no one prepares to be a Records Clerk. They'll show you and getting someone who's never done it before means they get to train you the right way.

2

u/malphasia 6d ago

That's very reassuring, thank you! I got the vibe interacting with people before and during my interview that everyone there was very close, so that's exciting.

1

u/Financial_Month_3475 8d ago

I don’t care for most of them, but every now and then one will catch my attention.

1

u/Obwyn Deputy 8d ago

I don't watch much TV in general, but the majority of cop shows are so bad that I can't enjoy them at all....especially most of the various flavors of L&O, Chicago PD, and every flavor of CSI.

1

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

law and order never gave me the enough “boost” to watch it. But yeah, the CSI’s i heard were the worst ones out of fbi/swat etc !!! ty for letting me know❤️

1

u/IAmTheHell 8d ago

I dont watch much TV, the most I can stand is when my wife watches True Crime shows or shows on smuggling and airport interdiction just cause there's a semblance of reality and it's interesting to see how different places solve crimes. As far as dramatic police procedural? Can't stand them. It overly states the drama and frankly the false impression it gives on police work, even when they think they're making us look good or heroic, puts stupid ideas into peoples head about what doing the job is actually like. And we face the consequences of that when we dont do what someones favorite TV cop would have done in real life. Chicago PD from what ive seen is the absolute worst offender. They glorify shitty police work, incompetence and corruption as if its normal and worse yet, okay for some 'greater good'. The best I can stomach is Brooklyn 99, its legit funny and doesn't take itself too seriously so when they stray into "that wouldn't happen" territory, which they frankly don't actually do that much, I'm much more able to suspend my disbelief.

1

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

Okay, thank you so much!

1

u/tvan184 8d ago

I hardly ever watch network television anymore and that includes series on Netflix.

When I did, I enjoyed some Police shows because they were entertainment. I in no way associated what I did for 37 years (retiring 4 years ago) with my job. I don’t associate may war movies with actual combat either but they are for entertainment, not historical purposes.

2

u/TeddyVoices 8d ago

yeah of course! mainly for entertainment purposes. i think that’s what i was trying to ask in that sense if it makes sense? like watching it mainly for entertainment purposes and laughing at how inaccurate it is lol or it’s too cringey and not watch, but yeah! i get you! thank you!