# Following up on COPS cases **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 1999, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377 "1999-12-13T22:13:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/1 "1999-12-13T22:13:00Z")
Is there any easy way to follow up on the incidents profiled on fox’s COPS? I saw a segment Saturday night for which I would _love_ to see the outcome. A couple of kids had stolen a SUV months earlier, and had a bagful of stolen credit cards and IDs. Both the guy and the girl were extremely snotty (especially the girl) who had the attitude of how dare the cops question her, not giving their names, etc…even though the police caught them red-handed. They both pretended not to know anything about the credit cards that were being thrown out the window. I really want the satisfaction of knowing these two ended up in prison. Is there a website for follow up? If I knew their names, I could try to follow the case in the local paper. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 1999, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/2 "1999-12-14T05:38:00Z")
If you remember the name of the town the segment was filmed in, you could try contacting the local PD or local paper. ---
**Author:** ![Dalcorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dalcorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dalcorn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/3 "1999-12-15T01:50:00Z")
I’ve often wondered about this myself. Shouldn’t they be required to tell you if the people arrested were ever charged or convicted?-Especially where the details of the crime/case are more vague. Also, do you suppose the arrestees have to sign a video release? * * * “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” –Mark Twain ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/4 "1999-12-15T06:01:00Z")
Yes, they do have to sign a video release. That’s why the faces of some suspects are obscured (I think the proper term is “pixillated”) and the faces of others are clear; not all suspects sign a release. ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/5 "1999-12-15T15:01:00Z")
Why would ANYONE sign a release? Not the kinda fifteen minutes of fame I’d be looking for. * * * The odds that the bread will fall butter side down are directly proportional to the cost of the carpet. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/6 "1999-12-15T16:43:00Z")
how about [www.fox.com](http://www.fox.com) ? Anyway, I could guess very accurately what happened to those people. They would be arrested, charged with all sorts of things, seen a judge, get sentenced & thrown in the slammer. That’s pretty much how that show goes. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/7 "1999-12-16T23:40:00Z")
I’d like to know what fraction of the recorded events get aired? Take _Rescue 911_ and all those similar ambulence-chasing shows. You never saw them lose a patient. Not ever. Obvious, every EMS unit in the U.S. doesn’t have a 100% survival rate. They just didn’t snow the people who died. Likewise, _Cops in Wherever_ isn’t going to show you the crackhouse raid that ends with the suspect’s head being blow off (or the officer’s). I’d really like to know how many of the cases do not get shown because the ending is bad. * * * “I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms.” -The Secret of Monkey Island ---
**Author:** ![kylen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@kylen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kylen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 1999, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/8 "1999-12-17T00:19:00Z")
I just heard that Fox is planning a Cops / X-Files cross-over for Feb. sweeps. Maybe the answer is going to be out there… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 1999, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-up-on-cops-cases/5377/9 "1999-12-17T02:33:00Z")
How do you have a fictional show crossover with a non-fiction show? This has bad idea written all over it.