Why Crime Shows on TV Are Dangerous for the Public

Our parents taught us never to believe everything we see on TV, but sometimes we have a difficult time separating fantasy from reality. Crime shows on TV are a prime example of this, and if the public believes what they see, future investigations could be compromised. After all, it is the general public -- and not trained professionals -- who sit on juries for criminal trials.

Crime shows on TV are dangerous for the public because they portray a fictional depiction of what actually goes on during criminal investigations. In reality, it is a painstakingly slow process involving dozens of different specialists and investigators as well as hundreds of hours of work. Simple serology tests might take six weeks to come back from the lab, and in 2005, crime laboratories were backlogged by an estimated 750,000 cases. It is important for the public to understand the mechanisms behind forensic investigation so that they can make informed decisions in real life.

Witnesses to Crimes

One way in which crime shows on TV are dangerous for the public is when it comes to witnesses to crimes. If you are pouring yourself a cup of coffee in a convenience store when a robbery occurs, your eyewitness testimony will be valuable to the police. If you come home to find that your wife has been assaulted in your home, how you conduct yourself until the police arrive will be just as important.

A case here in Houston, Texas in 2004 involved a man who came home to find his daughter unconscious on the living room floor. By the way in which her body was positioned and other artifacts surrounding the crime scene, the man correctly guessed that his daughter had been raped. He called the police from his kitchen telephone, then began to place evidence in plastic baggies that he'd procured from his pantry. By the time the police arrived, he'd completely destroyed any physical evidence they might have been able to use later in court.