Police procedurals and law enforcement dramas have been mainstays on television since the 1950s. Some of television’s longest running and most watched shows have depicted police officers, FBI agents, and other law enforcement working to fight crime and bring lawbreakers to justice. In the vast majority of these shows, the police are the “good guys.” These shows want us to cheer for law enforcement and view them as the heroes of these stories.
However, over the decades that these police procedurals have been on the air, several series have featured officers and agents using unethical, extrajudicial, and even illegal tactics to achieve their goals. Sometimes these television shows suggest that these officers have gone too far but remain good guys. In other cases, series indicate these tactics are necessary and the most effective way to fight crime. And some shows even seem to argue that officers’ willingness to flout regulations and ethics is what makes them good cops.
Glorifying renegade police officers and unethical policing practices is more than misguided. This trend is dangerous. In light of George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement, it is time for producers, writers, directors, networks, and streaming services to stop glamorizing police misconduct. If our nation is going to hold law enforcement officers accountable for their unlawful actions and adherence to systemically racist policies, television shows must stop romanticizing these behaviors.
Within the last 20 years, shows like 24 have greatly popularized the idea of an officer/agent willing to bend or break the rules to apprehend a suspect, prevent a crime, or execute someone. Jack Bauer frequently tortured individuals for information, ignored the constitutional rights of suspects, and killed foes. He and his allies engaged in racial profiling and other actions that ignore due process. And Internal Affairs and legal oversight are always presented as nuisances that hinder real progress.
The minds behind 24 and fans of the show (including myself) have defended the series as a work of fiction and argued that the show depicts these actions solely for entertainment purposes. But presenting Jack Bauer as a heroic badass undoubtedly sends the message that torture and other unethical behaviors can be justified. As real-life police officers utilize lethal chokeholds, engage in stop-and-frisk and other forms of racial profiling, and use brutality and unnecessary force to quash largely peaceful protests, it is not hard to see how certain police procedurals could desensitize viewers to recent events. Shows like 24, The Shield, and Chicago P.D. also make it easier for police officers and law enforcement agents to justify their actions and adhere to a harmful worldview.
Take the use of The Punisher’s symbol among some police officers. Cops that have adopted the skull logo are identifying with a vigilante that utilizes threats, torture, violence, and extrajudicial murder to achieve his goals. While the Punisher is ex-military and not actually a police officer, the appropriation of his symbol illustrates how law enforcement officers and some of their supporters can use fictional characters to perpetuate a dangerous view of who they are and what their job is.
If our nation is going to reform the criminal justice system and put an end to unethical police tactics, we must consider how we portray law enforcement officers in popular culture and how those portrayals may inadvertently support police brutality and misconduct. Television networks and streaming services have a responsibility to consider what messages they are sending. And viewers must be critical of the content we watch. Television must recognize the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and make necessary changes. And the time for that change is now.
