"The Shield"

[lich]

So... it's a television show on cable. FX is the network. Who here watches it?

I haven't missed an episode. It's intense, to say the least, but for all the people who say the latest cop show (whatever it is) is as real as they've seen, I can't help but feel this borders on complete implausability.

But hey, I'm not a cop yet, so I can't say for sure just what is realistic.

What do you think?

[Tob2]

I've watched it for a few minutes at a time at work. It reminds me of the movie Training Day, a must see for those of us getting into LE.

Like you, I'm not a cop and so can't say how "realistic" it is. The bald dude seems pretty corrupt and a little nutty to boot. It's like they've made a series out of Training Day.

I love the show though.

[mikegee]

Guys, REALLY!! Mike Chiklis is a great character actor and the " Shield" has brought back a level of intensity since gone from TV cop dramas (law and order is getting steadily weaker). TOO BAD that " Homicide:life on the streets" was panned in favor of NYPD Blue by the viewing public- Homicide was a much better written and thinking mans cop drama- people like the stereotypical grumpy cop on the edge types over Homicides fallible,morally conflicted cast!! Burt in all honesty ,if they made a tV show based on "real" police culture and incidents, it would be too boring.13 yrs of doing the real thing, and I'll tell you this- YOU"D NEVER run across the kind of Cops that make up Vince Mackey's world!!! Don't confuse the kind of fiction being portrayed as similar to the recent scandals in law enforcement here in the US or the few that have occurred in Canada .Most of the corrupt cops are never as smart ,calculating,or devious as the mulit-million dollar screen writers' can write or imagine( and their Depts or the FBI catch them rather quickly, as the "culture" doesn't lend itself to the type of corrupt behavior that other professions over look).When you guys do get into an agency, shows like this will seem more like a bad joke or if,you're bored, escapism for 30mins to 1hr. Everyone, police officers included ,like to see the bad guys "get theirs",sometimes in the worst way possible.But WE are not the final word in the criminal justice system, and the TV versions of us "doing whatever it takes" to hook the bad guy(i.e. planting dope/guns,beating the sh*t out of them is just plain WRONG, and in reality a real waste of time!(perfect example-here in L.A. ofcrs got into a pursuit last month of some gangmembers enroute to do a drive by shooting-the suspects crashed then engaged officers in a "firefight" with semi-auto rifles,pistols and shotguns,wounding officer. (2) of the (4) suspects were shot ,with one killed and the other crippled-hopefully permenently- and guess what? the families of all four are suing in both state and federal court ,alledging that the Suspects "rights" were violated, and they weren't "given" an opportunity to surrender!!! If hollywood had its way, it'd show the bad guys in that incident as the "victims" of society and the cops like Denzel Washingtons Detective in training Day! Just enjoy " The Badge" for its story,but don't expect to get anything else out of it.............