The NEWS index
Is TV giving us
unrealistic expectations?By Norma-Lee
We've been watching them for years; "Law and Order", "CSI", and "Cold Case Files" to name just a few of the crime dramas that fill our prime time. They portray a tight team of police investigators and scientists who are presented with a weekly mystery and they always solve it. Whether it's a decade-old homicide or a newly missing child, fingerprints are lifted from impossible surfaces, trace evidence is pulled from the trunk of a crushed car, or previously reticent witnesses now come forward with key testimony. Although the "bad guys" don't always get convicted, they always get caught and we law-abiding citizens sleep more soundly in our protected beds.
Then the unthinkable happens. You come home one day to find that the one safe place you thought you had on this earth has been violated! The front door is standing open and you walk through it to see your ransacked home. Gone are the treasures you've amassed over a lifetime. It's not bad enough that they took your new computer and plasma TV, but Grandma's wedding ring and great Uncle Jack's pocket watch are just two of the irreplaceable heirlooms that you will never see again!
Your first reaction is disbelief. This can't be real how could this happen in such a nice neighborhood? Then comes the anger; the impotent rage that you feel when you realize some vermin has violated your privacy and touched you personal belongings carelessly deciding what has "street value" and what just gets dumped on the floor. Finally, reality sets in and you pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. The conversation goes something like this: "9-1-1, what is the nature of your emergency? "My house has been robbed!" "Is the perpetrator still on the premises?" "No, but I'm sure he left fingerprints." "I'm sorry, but this is not an emergency. Please call your local police station to file a report."
Now you're back to disbelief? Why isn't this an emergency? The "perps" can't have gone far but the evidence trail is growing cold. So you quickly dial your local police headquarters and repeat your story only to be told that all officers are busy with life-threatening situations. The officer kindly offers to take a report and give you it's number to file with your insurance company.
What!? Where are the crime scene detectives? Why aren't the police interviewing neighbors for leads on suspicious activity? This is not how it happens on TV!
Well my friend, welcome to a little thing called "reality". That's right, in the "real" world, the police are often too busy with higher priority crimes to respond to your house burglary, vehicle theft, purse snatching, or other property-related incidents and forget noise complaints. But you say you have fingerprints The sad fact is that it cost a lot of tax-payer dollars to process fingerprint evidence and there is no guarantee that prints will lead to an arrest; what if it was an "inside" job? There would be no strangers' prints to find.
When the dust finally settles and you realize that your precious things are gone and nothing will be done to retrieve them, the last emotion sets in; sadness. For me, it was when I realized that I was wearing the only jewelry I had left in the world, which was a couple of inexpensive rings and a plastic, beaded necklace. The special pieces that were given to me over the years by people who love me have long since been sold for drug money. The sentimental things in my jewelry box that had no real value have long since been thrown away.
We do live in a violent world of crime gone crazy and law enforcement agencies in all major cities are feeling the strain. The best thing we can do to ease the pressure is to take steps to protect our own property and lives. Invest in a home security system; believe me, it's a small price to pay compared to the alternatives. Put your valuables in a safe. Lock your car doors when you're driving. Most important, be aware! Many victims advertise their vulnerability through some kind of personal negligence.
So, does TV give us an unrealistic expectation of "Service and Protection". Definitely my friends; most decidedly so! But wait; there's hope! These problems exist in big cities and unincorporated county communities that depend on the big city police forces. Small, incorporated towns still enjoy very low crime rates because they have their own police forces. Something to think about.