I noticed that this week, in the lectures, readings and tutorials, that we didn't really discuss in much depth the fictional representation of police in the media and that much of the focus was on the representation on police in the news and crime 'faction' programs. So I decided it would be fitting to discuss this in my blog this week. It was also conveniantly coincidental that this week's topic (police and the media) coincided with the debut of they very latest poice drama: Detroit 187. Apparently the show is really popular in the US and was really well received over here too (here comes my cynical side) and why wouldn't it? It's set in a part of the US that has a high rate of violent street crime, creating the perfect arena to watch cops at work; fighting crime and delivering justice for the victims and the communtiy. For those of you who missed out, here's a trailer:
It's highly typical that the show tracks the investigations made by the city's homicide unit, a team of highly trained professional investigators. 'The fictional presentation of crime control tends to reinforce the stereotype that police work is mainly consumed with investigation, detection and capture of criminals. Downplaying the mundane, less visible aspects of daily work, or ignoring them altogether...' (White and Perrone 2010: 36). We were shown car chases, foot chases, hostage situations and wacky interrogation methods, the works! The cops are portrayed as heros with abilities and powers that normal people don't have. In turn, what is reinforced is that we the public are safe, because these guys are out there catching the baddies and locking them up for good.
One of the points raised by Strath in the lecture was that the police are often shown as kind and compassionate people. A scene from Detroit 187 showed an investigator holding the hand of the victim's mother whilst they delivered the news that her daughter had been killed. Again, one of the cops delivers a highly emotional speech when diffusing a hostage situation. Clearly portraying that cops are great at their jobs; not only do they have these superhuman qualities that give them the ability to stop criminals dead in their tracks, they also have a very human side that allows for human compassion. The coupling of these characteristic traits conveys a very clear message to the public: the police force are a force to be reckoned with.
References
White, R. and Perrone, S. (2010). Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Great discussion, and yes, it was a shame we didn't spend more time on fictional representations of police in class. I do like how you merged the class discussion with this example. I have seen the ads for this show and they certainly seem to ramp up the 'action' and 'excitement' factors.
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