Editing Police procedural (section)

==Criticism==

===Masculinity and racism===
The police procedural is considered to be a male-dominant genre which very often portrays the [[masculine]] hero dedicated to the professional realm. The introduction of women as protagonists is commonly attributed to either adding [[sexual appeal]], introducing gendered issues like investigating [[sex crimes]], or delving into the personal relationships of the characters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feasey |first1=Rebecca |title=Masculinity and popular television |date=2008 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press}}</ref> It also often portrays [[rape myths]], such as that rape is more often committed by strangers rather than a known acquaintance of the victim, that the majority of rape claims are false, and that rapes only happen to "bad girls".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Merken |first1=Stacie |last2=James |first2=Veronyka |title=Perpetrating The Myth: Exploring Media Accounts of Rape Myths on "Women's" Networks |journal=Deviant Behavior |date=2020 |volume=41 |issue=9 |pages=1176–1191|doi=10.1080/01639625.2019.1603531 |s2cid=150690014 }}</ref>
 
The portrayal of the criminal justice system also under-represents issues of race and [[institutional racism]]. A report by [[Color of Change]] Hollywood and the USC Annenberg [[Norman Lear Center]]<ref name=":1" /> identified that in these shows there was a severe lack of portrayal of racial bias in the criminal procedure, discussion about [[criminal justice reform]], and victims who are women of color. There is also little representation of people of color in the creation of these shows.

===Biased narratives===
The police procedural genre is becoming increasingly popular and has accounted for about 22% of all scripted shows on US [[broadcast network]] in the last 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/heres-how-network-tv-depends-cop-shows-1299504 |title=TV long view: How much network TV depends on cop shows |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Rick |last=Porter |date=20 June 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> This prevalence implies that viewers are often facing [[TV series]] that place [[police officers]] at the center of the story, showing exclusively their vision of the world. This approach has been denounced as enforcing the idea that the life and views of policemen are more important than the ones of the communities being policed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/tv-cops-are-always-the-main-characters.html
|title=Cops are always the main characters |work=Vulture |first=Kathryn |last=VanArendonk |date=1 June 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
 
In police procedurals, police officers are more often than not presented as the "good guys" or even close to superhuman, leading to a potentially biased narrative.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/06/police-procedurals-george-floyd-brooklyn-99-cbs.html |title=Cop shows are undergoing a reckoning – With one big exception |work=Slate |first=Sam |last=Adams |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> Illegal practices are often presented as a necessary decision made in the [[Common good|general interest]]. A report by [[Color of Change]] Hollywood and the USC Annenberg [[Norman Lear Center]] revealed that police procedural shows were normalizing unjust practices such as [[Search and seizure|illegal searches]], [[surveillance]], [[coercion]], [[intimidation]], [[violence]], [[abuse]], and [[racism]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://hollywood.colorofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Normalizing-Injustice_Abridged-1.pdf |title=Normalizing injustice |last=Color of Change Hollywood & USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center |date=January 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316034516/https://hollywood.colorofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Normalizing-Injustice_Abridged-1.pdf |archive-date=16 March 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Misrepresentation of reality===
Criticisms have been raised against the genre for its unrealistic depiction of crime. Particularly, police procedurals have been accused of possessing an unrealistic preoccupation with incidents such as [[homicide]] and [[terrorism]].<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Tasker |first1=Yvonne |title=Television Crime Drama and Homeland Security: From "Law & Order" to "Terror TV |journal=Cinema Journal |year=2012 |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=45–64 |doi=10.1353/cj.2012.0085 |jstor=23253576 |s2cid=144701090 }}</ref> In the United States, plot points involving murder investigations appear at more frequent rates than those involving [[theft]], [[substance abuse]], or [[domestic violence]],<ref name=":2" /> which citizens are more likely to personally experience.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crime in the U.S. – 2019 Preliminary Report |url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/preliminary-report/tables/table-4/table-4.xls/view |website=fbi.gov |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref> Police procedurals have additionally portrayed attempted terrorism incidents at unrealistically high rates since the [[September 11 attacks]] and the start of the [[war on terror]], prompting accusations of [[racial profiling]] and [[fear-mongering]].<ref name=":2" />
 
The manner in which crime has been portrayed in the media has subsequently been linked with discrepancies both in popular perception of [[crime rates]], as well as [[sentencing]].<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Pfeiffer |first1=Christian|last2=Windzio |first2=Michael|last3=Kleimann |first3=Matthias |title=Media Use and its Impacts on Crime Perception, Sentencing Attitudes and Crime Policy |journal=European Journal of Criminology |date=2005 |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=259–285 |doi=10.1177/1477370805054099|s2cid=145153535}}</ref> In a 2005 study conducted on the [[Germans|German public]], it was found that despite a decline in total offences between 1992 and 2003, "the German public believes or assumes, on balance, that crime has increased".<ref name=":3" /> It has been further posited that the distorted public perception arising from the prevalence of police procedurals has been a factor in influencing sentencing rates. Countries such as the US, UK and Germany—while experiencing declines in crime rates—reported increases in the volume and severity of [[incarceration]].<ref name=":3" />

===Recent efforts and developments===
Alongside protests against [[police brutality]] in the United States and abroad, and debates on the role of entertainment in the portrayal of law enforcement in society,<ref name=":3" /> the genre has been facing increased scrutiny.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cothran |first1=Casey |last2= Cannon |first2=Mercy |title=New perspectives on detective fiction: Mystery magnified |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317435235 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4i9CgAAQBAJ}}</ref> As a result, some [[television networks]] have been making an effort to address and correct the aforementioned criticism. In August 2020, it was announced that [[CBS]] writing staff would partner with 21CP Solutions, an advisory group on [[public safety]] and [[law enforcement]], on the network's [[legal dramas]] and police procedurals.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cbs-tv-studios-21cp-solutions-advise-police-legal-dramas-1234733087/ |title=CBS TV Studios Inks Deal for 21CP Solutions to Advise on Police, Legal Dramas (EXCLUSIVE) |work=Variety |first=Elaine |last=Low |date=12 August 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> CBS producers stated that the team, including [[civil rights]] experts, lawyers and police veterans, would fix issues with CBS police procedurals to make them more realistic and accurate.<ref name=":4" /> As a result, the main objectives and partnership's attention is supposed to focus on an increase of inclusivity, diversity and authenticity in the production of police procedurals.<ref name=":4" />