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Law Enforcement On TV Essay

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...

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…

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Works cited:

Doyle, A. "Arresting Images: Crime and Policing in Front of the Television Camera," (University of Toronto Press, 2003)
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