Academic Research

Portrayals of crime, race, and aggression in “reality‐based” police shows: A content analysis






“Although the possible effects of these programs on viewers’ attitudes are unclear at this point, some researchers have suggested that portrayals of crime related topics in fictional police programs mat serve to cultivate perceptions of a ‘mean and dangerous’ world, to enhance positive perceptions of the police” -






http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08838159409364255#preview






This quote links in well with my critical investigation because what these researchers have suggested is exactly what I have found as the main reason for why programs such as ‘Road Wars’ and ‘Police, Camera, Action’ have sensationalised the police and is what my critical investigation hopes to support.













Children’s viewing of crime shows and attitudes on law enforcement






“VIEWING OF CRIME SHOWS WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH (1) IDENTIFICATION WITH A TELEVISION CHARACTER ASSOCIATED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT; (2) BELIEF THAT CRIMINALS USUALLY GET CAUGHT”






https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=64933






My research on this topic and been consistently based on the reaction of an adult audience, whoever this research has shown me a completely different angle to which I could approach my critical investigation. Perhaps it is arguable that these types of program could be instead targeted at young members of the audience. This can be supported by the cartoon like styles that have been integrated into these program types.












“The representation of the police over time can be viewed as the gradual erosion of respect and authority” - MediaMagazine -






This quote can be argued to be true because time and time again we see the police involved in controversy which does lead to the gradual erosion of respect and authority for the police.




www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/index.html





"With the Stephen Lawrence case in 1993, the reputation of the police fell to an all-time low" -





The inquiry into why Lawrence’s murder was not properly investigated and why his killers weren’t prosecuted made headline news throughout the 1990s, culminating with the Macpherson Report of 1999, which found that the Metropolitan Police was a racist organisation, suffering from institutional racism.




www.britsoccrim.org/volume5/003.pdf





"Fetveit (1999) notes that the reality television show relies on three types of visual evidence, 'authentic footage from camera crews observing arrests or rescue operations; footage from surveillance videos and recordings (often by amateurs) of dramatic accidents and dangerous situations'. The reality police show is predominantly shot using camera crews and surveillance videos." - www.britsoccrim.org/volume5/003.pdf






The programs that I am basing my critical investigation on follow Fetviet's findings. These programs follow a expository documentary style. This can be seen by the use of hand held camera and the lack of a voice over. Also, these programs are in fact real life footage gathered from either amateur recordings and footage shot using camera crews.




www.britsoccrim.org/volume5/003.pdf




"At the same time, the public widely perceived they had lost the presence of the community policeman on the beat." -


This quote links in well with my linked production. Programs such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action!' has sensationalised the police so much that they have made the audience feel as if they are always chasing criminals in car chases and flying around in helicopters rather than just patrolling the local community.



http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC42folder/UKpoliceShows.html




"Power in this new type of society, has drained deeply into the gestures, actions, discourses and practical knowledge of everyday lives."


This programs can be related to Althusser Ideological state apparatus  because they use these texts as a form of suppressing a revolution. This can be seen by the themes and narrative of the text. In short, 'all the texts seem to display criminals that always take a wrong turn into a dead alleyway' meaning that they always seem to get caught strengthening the idea that a revolution will fail.

By using these programs to control the ideology of audience, this in turn has 'has drained deeply into the gestures, actions, discourses and practical knowledge of everyday lives' because we take into consideration of the high level of competence of the police and therefore choose to continue to live using a capitalist system because we are scared to revolt. However, before making this argument we must first consider how much these types of programs have an affect on the behaviour of audiences. As Palmer puts it 'These programs are about constructing a new citizenship through fear.'





"Given that most people rarely encounter the police in crime-related incidents and that only 40% have any contact with the police in a twelve-month period, exciting technologically-driven television programs about the police cannot help but inform people's perception of law enforcement agents as controllers rather than carers."





These statistics are interesting from a media perspective because although this is a documentary style programs, they clearly lacks social realism because they are unrepresentative of what happens in reality. "harnessed both to the needs of policing and the journalistic value of offering verisimilitude to the audience."Despite the fact only '40%' have no contact with the police in a twelve month period, programs such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action' depict a police force that seem to be everywhere, arresting everyone and controlling the streets when in reality they are carers instead of controllers of the streets.

books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=1857286936