Pet Peeves

[IgnorantDirtbag]

Simple enough of a question: What are some of your biggest pet peeves in books, movies, or television when it comes to the portrayal of your profession?

[J2H]

Making street cops look stupid... ie detective shows

[Zeitgeist1]

I was a Detective and we would NEVER treat street Cops like the way they're portrayed. A good beat Cop knows the area, the perps, activity etc. You have to be an arrogant #@!% not to be willing to get a Cop's opinion, ideas, intuition etc. It shows insecurity on the Detective's part IMO to be that obnoxious.

[John from Maryland]

Off hand, I would remark on officers racking the slide of pistols before taking action. In U.S. law enforcement agencies, we keep a round chambered at all times so that you can immediately present and engage a threat. Weapons that seem to be taken off safe or cocked when there is no need to do so are somewhat annoying, but I understand a screenwriter's need to illustrate impending danger. Still, jeeesh!

Secondly, it is extremely rare for someone to join an agency and immediately become SWAT or detective bureau even if they are transferred from another department. It may rarely happen in some places and I can understand that a cohesive plot is more important than strict reality, but jeeesh again!

[careerchange#2]

- Grooming standards (why does the lead guy always have a button undone, uniforms a size too small and stubble??)
- Cliches (good cop/bad cop, grizzled divorced veteran with two dead partners, scared virgin rookie)
- No paperwork despite a pursuit and subsequent gunfight
- horrific gunhandling/lack of tactics/muzzling each other
- using a flashlight during daylight while bypassing light switches (CSI I'm talking to you!!!)
- no radio traffic until that lead character is called and it's loud and crystal clear

[Retired96]

Without a doubt one of the best cop detective shows is the Amazon Prime series "Bosch"

[eagleI]

I love the show (and the book series) but no one walks around without a cover coat. And I don't think LAPD detectives can wear jeans every day.

[Zeitgeist1]

The Wire, though dated, was great in terms of how Police relate to citizens and perps.

[ateamer]

Rookies as detectives.
Detectives taking point on a SWAT entry.
A dozen officers milling around the front desk at HQ, mostly doing nothing.
A village of 900 people having 20 or 30 officers, again mostly goofing off at the station.
A sheriff can’t be fired by the mayor. The sheriff is an elected county official.
The FBI showing up at a crime scene and taking over.
Technology instantly identifying the suspect.
Transporting an arrestee with lights and siren.

[HI629]

Improper shooting techniques. Some of the stuff I see out there is outright dangerous!
Way too many OIS. Lead characters in many series have more OIS in one season than the majority of an entire precinct of officers would have in their entire career.

[Cockney Corner.]

Perhaps not a peeve as such, more a source of amusement. The investigating officer (OIC over here) reacting with outrage when another department or agency state they're going to take over the investigation. Personally speaking, if I lose one investigation, I'm not exactly twiddling my thumbs. The only TV programme I can think of where they get the whole "It's your investigation" "No, it's your investigation" bit is the second season of The Wire with the deaths of the trafficked sex workers. I don't even work in the US but the resulting brouhaha was instantly recognisable.

[ThinBlue404]

Officers entering and clearing houses alone. Or really doing anything high-risk alone. Yes, there are situations that dictate an officer may have to take immediate action. Overwhelmingly however, we wait for a back and try to do things as safe as possible.

[IgnorantDirtbag]

Great responses so far, guys. Thanks! A few of these replies have made me reconsider some of my ideas. This is all very valuable input. Keep 'em coming!

[Zeitgeist]

I think it's comical that when actors are moving w/ their weapons out, they hold it like it weighs a ton. The above comments all made me laugh as they are so true. The series The Wire, though dated, has a lot of truth in it. A lot of it being the conditions in the hood, the relationship between the Police and the citizens/criminals etc.

People get shot left and right. When an officer has to shoot someone, they are usually taken from the scene. It's a tough thing to grasp that you've just taken a life.

[Rick Shaw]

I get tired of cops being portrayed as hot heads and ice cold emotionally. Yes, we all know those couple here and there who truly are! LOL! But shows often portray that officer characters are devoid of all other facets of emotion and feelings other than anger and disinterest.

I believe this perpetuates the belief that some have that cops are unfeeling elitist thugs.

Fact is, good and bad- cops are regular people. And because the job is so intense and demanding at times, you literally end up putting your own personal life on hold from time to time to help others on the job. At the expense of your own well being. Folks don’t get to see that in the 5 minute contact on the street.

Looking at the Way Back Machine, I thought Hill Street was ground breaking for it’s time becuase you got to see the individual daily life struggles of the members of the precinct. Some of it really shocking stuff, which is REAL LIFE. And you got to see Renko cry when Bobby got seriously hurt. I ain’t too proud to admit I’ve been there. Lots of us have.

Ohhhh- and sloppy weapons and gear handling makes me nuts. Get good tech advisors and this should be an easy fix!

oh....and please...no more “I want that report on my desk in the morning!”


Rick

[SAGoogle]

-FED's coming in and taking over, and the local cops all cowering in awe and deference.
-Detectives coming to the scene and berating the patrol officer's and sending them off for coffee.
-Racking the slide before making entry (its been mentioned previously but bears repeating).
-Being involved in an OIS and back to work the next day
-Tension between Detectives from different cities working on a case, most times in real life they apt to help each other out.
-Wearing the badge on the wrong side of the uniform (SHIELD)
-20 round revolvers. Sorry, it still happens.

[eagleI]

Pretty much any tactic portrayed on Blue Bloods.

[just joe]

The improper use of technology. In one of the shows (hell, probably all of the shows) an investigator feeds a scrap of information into a computer database and it spits out the suspect's picture, his background, his vehicle information, his place of employment, etc. It really creates false expectations because people think this stuff is real.

When I collect evidence I let people know that evidence collection doesn't work like it does on TV.