Many of us love a good Netflix binge, and, for me, that usually means a crime drama binge. I started wondering, though, how accurate is the television portrayal of police officers or agents and their real-life day-to-day? As it turns out, not close at all. Here are four ways in which the TV does the justice system, well, an injustice.
- It’s not that sensational.
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TV shows are for entertainment. Criminal proceedings and investigations, however, follow a strict set of procedures backed by departments and laws. TV shows often sensationalize and over-dramatize aspects of police work just a little bit.
- It’s not that simple.
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Many criminal investigations don’t simply wrap up with a neat little bow at the end of an hour. Many investigations take weeks, months, or even years – that is, if they are solved at all.
- There’s a TON of paperwork
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One element of police work that TV shows hardly emphasize is the monumental amount of paperwork. Pretty much anything that an officer does on duty requires some paperwork.
- The day-to-day is pretty routine…and boring.
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The day-to-day of a typical police job involves a lot of paperwork and mundane office duties. On a typical police shift, an assault or shooting is the exception, not the norm.
Now, this isn’t all to say that policing is a boring job overall, it’s just not filled with action every second of every day, and is typically a lot more complicated than many crime TV shows let on. Most of what is portrayed on TV tends to be a bit over-dramatized, but don’t let that stop you from still binging 14 seasons of Criminal Minds… twice.