THE COP SHOWS

Grandma didn't turn on the television during the time they were raising their children but my parents did. We started our television viewing in 1952. Dragnet was already on the air starring Jack Webb or Sgt. Joe Friday.

Although forensics had been around for centuries, most of the apprehending of crooks was done by foot work, interviews in person or by phone, and of finger prints. We didn't see the Y cut in people's chests when they did the autopsies.

The detectives sat at desks with their phones WITH CORDS. There were no cell phones or beepers. They didn't ask for "phone lugs", voicemail, computers and email, credit card charges and bank statements. Nor did they ask about videos of the easy pass and store cameras.

Rape kits and sperm cells, stomach contents and tox screens were not part of the lingo.

We learned the cause of death and the time of death. We knew what the word ballistics meant as well as finger prints. There was no Miranda Rights until the mid sixties. We saw lots of line ups. We didn't see court cases but we knew the sentence.

DON TA DON DON--- DON.

I am totally a Law and Order person. Some times I get confused because Dick Wolf has written so many crime dramas over the years. I am having trouble with Jack McCoy being the District Attorney but in this 19th season, I suppose change happens. "Jack" joined the show in its fifth season.

Perhaps my favorite character was "Lennie". He had twelve seasons with the show. In his real life, Jerry died of prostate cancer. I liked his off the wall humor and considering he was in his late sixties when he left the show, he didn't look like it! Besides, Lennie only had three partners. Logan left, I don't know why, Curtis left to take care of his wife, and then, there was Ed Green.

I did a ten different show check list using twenty five+ common things they said:

Cellphone
Beeper
DNA/blood sample
Phone lugs
Bank Statements
Credit card charges
Easy Pass
Autopsy
Rape kit
Sperm
Under the nails
Computer/seize laptop
Microscope
Lividity
Time of death
Cause of death
Ballistics
Tox screen
Stomach contents
Cheating partner
Warrant
Murder weapon
Finger prints/other prints
Run them through the system
Miranda rights

I am certain you can add many more to the list!

It is said that on the Law and Order banner it says which episode of which year. I will need to look for that.

Mean while: DON TA DON DON--- DON. What? You don't remember the Dragnet song?

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