Hi pc:
Certainly you remember me by now ? you know, twenty plus years in law enforcement?
Well, let me share a little secret with you. Contrary to popular
belief the law enforcement all officers I know despise cop shows and
avoid them like the plague. The problem is that very few things in
many of those shows is realistic and the program cannot be enjoyed to
the fullest if the fantasy is spoiled. The difference between reality
and absolute nonsense on many of the cop shows is to overwhelming to a
real police officer that knows better. As a rule, the older they are
the more absurd and cheesier they are. It?s like watching a magician
when you already know how the trick is done.
I reality, when a shooting incident occurs, a post-shooting
investigation is immediately launched. A crime scene unit is often
summoned and everything is examined under close scrutiny. Crockett and
Tubbs shot people or shot ?at? people a dozen times a week and never
(or rarely ever, perhaps) got suspended, but that?s not how it really
works at all. Invariably the officer is relieved of duty and placed on
administrative leave. His badge and gun are taken from him and he is
sent home until a board or committee reviews the incident and
determines if it was avoidable or not, if it was justified or not, and
if the officer acted appropriately or excessively under the
circumstances. Occasionally the post-shooting investigation is
conducted by an outside law enforcement agency and handed over to the
District Attorney or County Prosecutor for additional review.
Needless to say, an officer involved in as many shootings as Crocket
and Tubbs were would not be around long. Why? Several reasons:
First, because no officer on earth has that many justified shooting
incidents in his entire career, much less in a year?s time. I know
officers who worked twenty and thirty years in huge metropolitan areas
like New York and Los Angeles who never once had a situation that
required them to pull their gun, never mind having to fire it.
Secondly, an officer cannot be in a shooting every week and have every
single one of them turn out to be justified. The probability of that
happening is overwhelmingly slanted against reasonable odds. Crockett
and Tubbs had more shooting incidents in a years time than probably
occurred in the entire Miami Police Department in five years, all
officers? incidents combined.
Third: Officers with increasingly dangerous liability are removed.
Never mind shooting incidents, if an officer gets involved in too many
pursuits, too many brutality complaints, too on-the-job injuries, too
many car accidents, etc his or her personal liability comes under
review. After a while it becomes apparent that he or she may be
provoking violence, driving carelessly, taking unnecessary chances and
in general placing himself or herself and others at risk. A mandatory
transfer to a desk job, beat work, and other assignments can, and
sometimes do, result from these types of liabilities but (in my years
of experience) they are also sometimes the final stop in an effort to
salvage the officer before resorting to termination.
Fourth: The public would not stand for it. Justified or not, the
officer would probably be crucified by the media and, like politicians
do, the bureaucrats would cave to popular sentiment and have the
officer?s head on a pole in short order if the masses beat the drums
in protest.
Finally, the civil court would eventually find in a plaintiff?s favor.
In other words, Crockett, Tubbs and the City of Miami would have been
sued so many times that they would be drummed out of the business. As
evidence by today?s liberal courts, even the bad guy sometimes wins a
civil suit. Realistically there?s no way these two hotshots could have
won them all, especially after some of the plaintiffs started
mentioning how they shoot two or three guys every week with a machine
gun from the sunroof of a speeding Ferrari.
In short: Oh yeah! In real life law enforcement, you start shooting at
people too much and you?re outta here. You can bet on it. In fact, in
today?s law enforcement world, too many complaints of ANY KIND with
get you canned.
Miami Vice made for good entertainment I suppose, but so did the Muppet Show.
I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher |
