Cops on Film
Hollywood’s Depiction of Law Enforcement in Popular Films, 1984–2014
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6098418 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle C Pautz (0000-0002-1941-7194, University of Dayton, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 250-258 |
| Publication date | 2016-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | PS Political Science & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1049-0965 • E-ISSN: 1537-5935 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1049096516000159 |
| OpenAlex | W2340634059 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 14 |
With numerous recent incidents in which law-enforcement officers played a role in the deaths of citizens, there is a renewed focus on cops and their actions. Part of that discussion is related to the nation’s preconceived notions of cops and where those ideas might originate. Popular culture contributes to those images; this study explores one source of those images: film. More specifically, it investigates the image of law enforcement on the silver screen from 1984 through 2014. With a sample of 34 films and more than 200 cop characters, this study finds a mixed general depiction of law enforcement in movies but a positive depiction of individual cop characters. The prevalent descriptor of those characters was good, hard-working, and competent law-enforcement officers. This exploratory study informs broader discussions about the images of cops found in popular culture
Advertising · Art · Art history · Box office · Business · Depiction · Enforcement · Exploratory research · Hollywood · Law enforcement · Media studies · Political science · Popular culture · Social science · Sociology · Visual arts · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
Shots in the Mirror
The Politics of the Police
Cops, Teachers, Counselors
Heroes in Hard Times
The Reality of Motion Pictures
Fiction and Imagination
Government on the Silver Screen
Argo and Zero Dark Thirty
Public Health Policy and Gay Bathhouses
The Impact of ''Media Contact'' on Attitudes Toward Gay Men
The Effect of Movie Portrayals on Audience Attitudes About Nontraditional Families and Sexual Orientation
The Impact of Social Issue Television Programming on Attitudes Toward Rape
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2025 (9) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |