12 Things Movies And TV Shows Get Completely Wrong About Police Officers

In Die Hard, Bruce Willis's NYPD officer destroys much of Los Angeles, yet no paperwork or documents get finished. Real life demands police departments complete mountains of paperwork for every call. Desk-cops handle this paperwork to run the precinct. Still, every cop must finish the right paperwork. One statistic shows cops spend 85% of their time on this task. John McClane clearly missed this memo.Die Hard, Bruce Willis's NYPD officer destroys most of Los Angeles, but not one scrap of paperwork or documentation is completed. Real life demands police departments complete mountains of paperwork for every call. Desk-cops handle this paperwork to run the precinct. But all cops, regardless of position, must complete the appropriate paperwork. One statistic suggests that cops spend 85% of their timeJohn McClane didn't get the memo. He spends this time on the administrative task.

Most cop movies and TV shows target a male audience. They show little skin, and when they do, it's usually a naked woman. Cops face naked men regularly. For instance, there is the naked man who maced a cop, the naked but armeda man; and that time the cops got thewrong nude guy. Onscreen, fromTrue DetectivetoL.A. Confidentialthroughout these shows, there are many female nudity examples. These usually serve as sexual relief or contrast for male officers. Male nudity stays rare.

OnThe Mentalist, Patrick Janewas a fraudulent psychic who used his skills to help police solve crimes. We often see him working alone, which a specialist like Jane avoids. First, those who investigate crime scenesoften work in groups, and outside help is not common. If a specialist joins, they join a large investigation team. A lone crime-solving hero seems romantic, but it lacks realism.

Hollywood invented the good cop/bad cop routine. One cop is usually relaxed; the other rages and threatens. This does not reflect how most interactions happen; cops rarely use these roles.Training DayThis movie pushes the trope. It shows a naive rookie paired with a corrupt veteran detective. Real people do not fit neatly into "good guy" or "bad guy" boxes, but watching it in a cop show is fun.

This mistake quickly raises the action in a movie. We assume a fight when they reach for defense. Real cops do not aim their fingers at the trigger, nor do they dramatically cockthem either. Recent reports show more police drawing guns too soon, causing controversy surrounding race, police, and the justice system. Some movies push gun use to extremes, glamorizing it. Consider the Lethal WeaponmoviesMurtaugh and Riggs frequently draw their guns. Danny Glover even has his gun drawn in the movie poster. Does this make things exciting? Yes. Is it accurate? No.

Everyone knows the classic image of a cop busting down a door.InStraight Outta ComptonIt made for a thrilling start to the opening scene. Kicking in a door is not easy, no matter how strong you are. Law enforcement and fire and rescue workers get deep training toknock down doorsThese workers knock down doors quickly and effectively. Movies style this action, but every response does not follow that path. In police or search and rescue, this action is called "door breaching" or "forcible entry."

On the TV showCastleMystery writer Richard Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett often questioned suspects. Some suspects talked; some confessed, some shared what they knew, some lied. Yet, they almost always talked. Real questioning is not this simple. You need much persuasion to make a suspect speak. Even then, they often deflect or avoid answering. Plus, an arrested person can use their Miranda Rights to stay silent until they see a lawyer.Some expertseven tell people never talk to cops. Starting a talk with a suspect is very hard, even thoughCastleled viewers to believe.

Remember theSharon Stone interrogation sceneinBasic Instinct? Of course you do—but probably not for the scene's inaccuracy. Stone's Catherine Tramell faces a roomful of cops, which never happens in reality. Suspects are usually questioned by justone or two copsThis makes sense. Having a talk with only a few people is easier than a crowded room. If the goal is getting info, people likely feel more open talking to one or two others instead of a scary group.

Law & OrderLaw & Order has been a popular American TV show for over 25 years. It works because it has a formula that keeps viewers entertained without deep emotional focus; it offers escape at its best. The formula: a crime happens, cops arrive, an investigation starts, and by the hour's end, the crime is solved. Real cases rarely run this smoothly..The evidence trail is never clearly marked. One clue does not automatically point to another or spark a revelation about the crime or the suspect. Often, the trail only connects in hindsight, if it connects at all.

The police-as-vigilante idea has been used in movies and TV for a long time. Years before Steven Seagalwent off the deep end, he was in a movie calledHard to KillHe played a detective. After waking from a coma, he becomes a vigilante. He hunts the person who killed his wife. Real stories of police going rogue for revenge or payback are rare.Police break the rule of law. They often avoid accountability for serious violations. Being a criminal cop differs from being a vigilante.Vigilantes act without legal authority. Criminal cops act with protection.Criminal cops act with the protection of legal authority.Vigilantes lack legal authority.

The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise is must-see TV for millions. Viewers must accept that crime scenes hold law enforcement staff, and forensic science work is fast.CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.Most real-world scenarios differ. Crime scenes are not packed with police. Forensic science takes time.A crime scene is a highly controlled area. Only authorized people enter there. This preserves evidence for investigations. Analyzing evidence and getting IDs in a lab takes weeks or more.A crime scene is highly controlled. Only authorized people enter. This keeps investigations running and evidence safe. Analyzing evidence and getting IDs in a lab takes weeks or more.

Few things are better than curling up with a Murder, She Wrote rerun.Murder, She Wrote.The mystery writer/amateur detective/cop-helper Jessica Fletcher is awesome.Jessica Fletcher.No one in real life solves a mystery as neatly in such a short time. Criminal investigations demand hard, exhaustive work, even with a whole team. A case with just one widow is much harder.Sometimes.Solving a crime takes months or years. People sometimes get away with murder.