Talk:Cops (TV show)

Fun fun fun
Cops is a great show! Se7enEight 03:13, 12 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't watch it a lot but agreed! Rabbitxhampster (talk) 06:24, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

"police state"
Really now, RW? I thought you were better than that. 74.8.88.191 (talk) 21:42, 4 December 2012 (UTC)
 * This sounds like a shallow parody of a "liberal", which fails because it talks like a totalitarian communist calling out "imperialist pig-dog oppressors". I am not sure whether this is a troll from Conservapedia making a shallow parody of us or a person who sincerely talks like a liberal Glenn Beck. Crow7878 (talk) 19:55, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've removed the "America is turning into a police state" speculation. It's really not fair to cry "police state" while using a show composed entirely of violent encounters with police officers as evidence. WarlordFred (talk) 03:28, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * I've put it back in -- while not an amazing argument, it raises an interesting point about police comportment. You can edit it if you think the conclusions are too broad. Inspiration Move me brightly. 03:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Really, where does it say "America is turning into a police state"? It's talking about the militarization of the police, which has been a result of the war on drugs. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 03:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * It's a bit better with the term "police state" removed. I'm okay with it staying now, but I still disagree that the difference in violence between earlier episodes of Cops and later episodes is reflective of a change in violence in the real world, as it could just as easily reflect a change in focus by the editors of the show toward more violent clips. WarlordFred (talk) 03:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Reality TV is not evidence
I have to disagree that Cops can be considered a "document" of a "frightening" increase in police violence. Reality TV is scripted, of course. Any change in content only reflects an attempt by editors to increase ratings. There may or may not have been a recent trend of increased police violence (or, with the rise of ubiquitous cell cameras, such violence may be better documented than before) but Cops isn't any kind of evidence for that. I also wonder if Cops "promotes" moral panic. I suspect rather that like all reality TV it just promotes voyeurism. Weorthe (talk) 23:21, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * I've added a counter-argument to the "police violence" section. I'd like to know what everyone thinks. WarlordFred (talk) 08:04, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I like what you wrote. Mind you, the last time I saw an episode of Cops was nearly 20 years ago, so I have no idea how it's changed in that time. Spud (talk) 08:11, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I would argue if you watched a recent episode and watched an episode from say the early 90's, you'd notice a huge difference in the demeanor and discretion officers use for minor crimes that while could warrant arrests, are often overlooked. Mind you I wonder if the camera could also have an effect on the officers in regards to enforcing laws more stringently. The cops I know from my line of work say that the body camera has zero bearing on them letting people off with a warning during traffic stops and other minor things like possession of a small amount of pot. However, this show is something that'll end up national tv so I would argue they become a lot more hard-assy because of it. The taser definitely changes how they handle violent suspects, though it's a double-edged sword. Tasers have probably helped save lives from violent scuffles that could end up with a cop getting his gun taken from him and used on him. On the other hand, it seems to become a hammer to some cops who see nothing but a world of nails.PeeBay (talk) 09:29, 1 November 2017 (UTC)

I deleted the hysterical part of it being a document of an "increase" in "police brutality" as I'm very confident statistics show otherwise.