# Things I Have Learnt From Cop Movies... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768 "2007-05-28T11:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/61 "2007-05-29T14:58:06Z")
Detectives work on one case at a time and have all the time in the world to solve it. They will find the unsub if it takes years. Every cop is a computer genius and can do anything on the computer. They never have to ask for help (I love that Criminal Minds actually has a real computer expert that the agents defer to). ---
**Author:** ![Ferd\_Burfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Ferd\_Burfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferd_Burfel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/62 "2007-05-29T15:00:08Z")
Being partnered with Harry Callahan lowers your life expectancy to roughly that of the red shirt in the landing party on Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/63 "2007-05-29T15:35:34Z")
When engaging in a high speed car chase down a narrow alley. A van will always back out of an adjacent alley between the perp vehicle and the cop car. Said van will stop dead, and be unable to shift into any foreword gear. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/64 "2007-05-29T15:45:53Z")
When a perp is running from the cops and suddenly his escape route is blocked by a police cruiser, the perp will never think to run up and over the hood and roof of the car. ---
**Author:** ![Miscue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Miscue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miscue)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/65 "2007-05-29T16:40:10Z")
When trying to hack into government servers the resident computer geek (or detective) will always say “Damn. It’s password protected”. In 2007. I have 70 year old neighbors who know they need encryption on their networks. The hacker will then get into the system in seven seconds by slapping the keyboard like a chimpanzee. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/66 "2007-05-29T16:58:46Z")
[QUOTE=Miscue] Whatever dog is partnered with a cop will \*not \* be a German Shepherd, though it will slobber a lot. [/QUOTE] That’s American movies, there’s a… Austrian? TV series where the doggie is a German shepherd. Mom’s hooked on cops series, what can I say. Her other Most Watched Program is the Murder, She Wrote reruns. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/67 "2007-05-29T18:31:12Z")
**Anything** you hide behind, including a wooden fence with thin slats, a barrel made out of 1/4" thick aluminum, or even a chain link fence, is sufficient to deflect bullets. Getting shot in a non vital area really doesn’t hurt that much. Going through a plate glass window will not cause you to be cut. Getting your lungs perforated by machine gun fire will not in any way hinder your ability to scream at the top of said lungs. If you are shot while standing near a rail, even a chest-high rail, you must fall over it. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/68 "2007-05-29T18:40:48Z")
Oh, and you can get beaten to within an inch of your life and have **no** visible injuries by the next day. (One reason I love **The Shield** is because you can STILL see those burn scars on Ronnie’s face 5 years later!) ---
**Author:** ![Miscue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Miscue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miscue)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/69 "2007-05-30T11:57:25Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] That’s American movies, there’s a… Austrian? TV series where the doggie is a German shepherd. Mom’s hooked on cops series, what can I say. Her other Most Watched Program is the Murder, She Wrote reruns. [/QUOTE] I did put a U.S. slant on that without thinking, sorry. The intended irony was that German Shepherds are the most common police dogs in the states in actuality, but not so much in movies. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768/70 "2007-05-30T18:56:17Z")
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King] Undercover cops are never charged with assault, mayhem, reckless driving, or held accountable for property damage. Level half of a major city, and you might earn a minor scolding from your captain. [/QUOTE] In Lethal Weapon 2 the captain tells Riggs and Murtaugh, “Murtaugh, all that damage you caused downtown is comin’ out of the department’s budget!” “Fine. Pay it off in Krugerrands,” replies Murtaugh. Whenever there’s a parking garage scene it’s a sure bet there’s going to be a big car chase through it and lots of shots fired, because all those concrete pillars and parked cars make for good ricocheting bullets and exploding cars. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-have-learnt-from-cop-movies/405768.md?page=3)