# Things I learned from watching TV cop shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 9, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820 "2023-05-09T18:54:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/121 "2023-05-12T22:14:48Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > make out the name brand of cigarette he’s smoking even though they don’t know when or even if he And pick out his completely unique tattoo so the detective can say “I know that tattoo” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/122 "2023-05-12T22:15:39Z")
It’s possible to drill a guy with an automatic weapon with absolutely no gore. The wall behind him may be pocked with bullet holes, but not a drop of blood will be seen. Chances are you won’t even see the bullets impacting on the victim either. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/123 "2023-05-13T01:01:21Z")
That’s the way it used to be in cop shows. Now you’ll see everything… stuff you never wanted to see and pictures you will never get out of your head. Anything goes-- blood, of course, but gore, torture, cigarette burns on people (even kids), internal organs spread all over the floor, severed limbs (including genitals, although we don’t actually _see_ those-- yet), even severed heads. Almost no limits. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/124 "2023-05-13T01:37:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And why are they now calling the police car a “shop”? That’s actually something they took from real life. In The Rookie, they explained that the car was where they worked, so they called it their “shop”. But that’s not the real explanation. In the LAPD, each police car has a unique number painted on its door, which is used to identify each car for maintenance purposes. In other words, it’s the car’s “shop number”. Over the years that got abbreviated to just “shop”. I don’t know what they are called in other cities. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/125 "2023-05-13T01:49:25Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I don’t know what they are called in other cities. A car. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/126 "2023-05-13T02:05:14Z")
Anyone who goes out in the early morning to walk their dog or bird watch will surely come across a dead body. Usually all covered picturesquely with dew drops. Sometimes the dog finds the body. The birdwatcher will drop their binoculars. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/127 "2023-05-13T02:53:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > > > I don’t know what they are called in other cities. > > A car. That was the snarky answer and mostly true. The NYPD was the first police force to have a fleet of cars equipped with radios. That was just about 100 years ago. They used the term Radio Motor Patrol for those cars and the term RMP is still used today. LAPD and NYPD love their jargon. Makes them feel special. Most departments just use plain English. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/128 "2023-05-13T02:58:50Z")
If there is a private high school/academy full of rich kids in your precinct you might as well park your detective car out front because the rape and murder rate there is 1,000 times higher than the worst neighborhood in the city. The suspect is probably going to be the kid with the high powered lawyer for a father. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/129 "2023-05-13T03:35:16Z")
To hide that they’re a murderer, a lot of people will just keep on murdering and murdering. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/130 "2023-05-13T04:10:50Z")
Or two guys having a completely inane and non-specific conversation stumble upon the body. “So you see the score of the game last night? Yeah it was a pretty high score. I thought our quarterback was doing well and OH MY GOD!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/131 "2023-05-13T04:20:48Z")
Someone has always moved the body. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/132 "2023-05-13T04:37:16Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Anyone who goes out in the early morning to walk their dog or bird watch will surely come across a dead body. Usually all covered picturesquely with dew drops. Sometimes the dog finds the body. > The birdwatcher will drop their binoculars When I started running before dawn on weekends, I naturally assumed I’d find two or three dead bodies a month, and have to wait around to be interviewed by the cops. Of course, when they showed up, my skin would be dry, my socks would be clean, and all the sweat stains would have magically disappeared from my shirt and shorts. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/133 "2023-05-13T04:49:18Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > and NCIS has access to every security camera in town, burn phones, and credit card usage They also always have a friend over at the FBI/CIA/NSA who owes them a favor which can be cashed in at any time. Need a satellite re-tasked for some very specific coverage? Let me make one call, it’ll get done! Need some door kickers to go get someone from the hinterlands of Afghanistan? No problem, this guy I used to work with is up in that area right now! Need some impossible to breach firewall taken down yesterday? Let me ask my contact who can cut through it like butter! The person who owes the favor is sitting by the phone waiting. > [@abcdefghij](#): > > An ambulance, obviously We really need a like button on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/134 "2023-05-13T06:48:52Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A car. That’s crazy talk. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a good Lennie moment on _Law & Order_ where a building super let’s him and Rey into the apartment of a possible murder victim. > > Lennie: “Do you smoke cigars?” > Super: “Yeah.” > Lennie: “Light one.” Can someone please explain this one? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/135 "2023-05-13T06:50:51Z")
The person they’re looking for has been killed, and his body not discovered for several days. Lennie is telling the guy to light a cigar to cover the smell of the body. ---
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/136 "2023-05-13T06:53:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The person they’re looking for has been killed, and his body not discovered for several days. Lennie is telling the guy to light a cigar to cover the smell of the body. Ah right, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/137 "2023-05-13T08:43:28Z")
I’ve watched the first couple of episodes of _The Night Agent_ on Netflix and (no spoiler as it happens in the first few minutes) I can _guarantee_, as the villain is shown to have an elaborate tattoo whilst fighting the protagonist, this becomes important later in the series. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/138 "2023-05-13T11:18:47Z")
The most important, expository conversations always happen while walking _down a hallway_. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/139 "2023-05-13T14:44:14Z")
I think we can thank [Aaron Sorkin](https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/create-walk-and-talk-scene/) for that. 🧐 * * * * * * When the cops are following someone and they’re ready to pounce, they always call out, “Police! Stop!” when they’re still at least a block away from the quarry. And the person **always** runs, even when it would be impossible to get away. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Why don’t the police wait until they’re ten feet away, and one of them has circled around to block the crook when they run (which they certainly will). ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820/140 "2023-05-13T18:59:15Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > My wife watches the ION channel onTV. This has shown me that the Chicago Fire Dept. is only marginally less corrupt than the Chicago Police Dept. I regularly say “If NWA knew some of the people I do, the song would have been called Fuck the Fire Department” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-watching-tv-cop-shows/983820.md?page=8)