My wife is a big true crime fan. She reads books about serial killers, watches all manner of true crime shows on television, and even does murder mystery puzzle books. She also holds an associate’s degree in digital forensics. I have become ensnared by her true crime addiction. Here are some things I have noticed in my larger-than-normal true crime observations.

Most of the television shows regarding homicide investigations, or live-action police department documentaries fail to include or read the Miranda rights to the subjects within the series itself. I know it is cut for time purposes, but there seems to be a conspiracy-level collusion to avoid sharing one’s Miranda rights on the show. We go from walking into the interrogation room right into the confession, blaming, or witnessing. Whatever the situation we rarely see the Miranda Rights on display. When it does come up, the suspect has elected to remain silent… No drama. No “he said, she said.” No cool story line. Just silence. Then after the commercial break we get a subtitle that says, “Joe Jim Bob Zachariah Smith pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years.”

The live-action television documentary police shows that follow eight or nine departments over a few weekend shifts are pretty interesting. I prefer the ones that are not edited or have language bleeped out. These can be incredibly amusing. I’ve seen a woman give a chicken wing to an officer that pulled them over for speeding. Another officer pulled a car over for no tail lights, only to find that they did not know how to turn the lights on in their car. The other fun ones, are the people who just don’t shut up. They have entered a deregulated state where they can’t shut up. Whether it is taunting or accusations about how they can do the job better, or just going on and on about their rights, etc. That last one usually involves a private business asking them to leave or be arrested for tresspassing…. The suspects always say once the cuffs are on, “I didn’t do nothing wrong,” or “I ain’t did nothing to be arrested.” The number of double negatives in an episode boggles the mind.

These live-action shows, show police officers on their best behavior. I’m sure that camera in their face encourages the officers to think twice before doing something they would regret for the rest of their lives. They are good public relations pieces as they show the humanity of the officers as they deal with people on their worst day. Some of those people have more “worst” days than others.

Another interesting thing about these shows is the criminal cultural differences of the various geographical areas visited. In Alaska there are so few officers per square mile, that they have a chief citizen that has to fulfill some of the duties of the officers. This includes manning the public jail, or confiscating alcohol that is not permitted in the village. Yes, I was surprised that alcohol is prohibited in some of the remote villages of Alaska. Unlicensed alcohol is a huge problem in the bush country. It is incredibly expensive as well.

Alaska is also the least restrictive state for purchasing firearms. When you live in an environment that wants to kill you in hundreds of ways, you obviously need a firearm(s.) I am not a fan of weapons of any kind, but I understand if I were to live there, I would need to get over that issue, and learn to properly service and fire any number of firearms. When you see bears and moose walk down Main Street, you may need to have something for self-defense.

The number of idiots officers come across amazes me. How difficult is it to stand still? Or stop when you see the lights go on? Or try running away in the process of being arrested? Why, just why? By running or moving you just add more charges. You also get hurt. Obviously, they have never seen the Rodney King video… police brutality can happen due to some of this behavior. Just play it safe. Stop, accept responsibility. Live another day…

Then there is the number of drug-related charges and arrests. I don’t understand why marijuana is not legal and taxed like alcohol and tobacco in the USA. If you want to replace revenue for property tax relief… this is your source… Iowa… Looking at you… I don’t partake in the drug. I’m boring. I know lots of people who do over in Illinois. The number of arrests and fines on these true crime shows over marijuana is outrageous. If they are not impaired… let it go…

Now the other drugs: heroin, cocaine, meth, crack, fentanyl, acid, other party drugs… I can understand these arrests and trying to stem the trafficking of those drugs or funding criminal enterprises. Our society is not in a place yet to understand, treat, or ask why people use these substances regularly. We also do not understand addiction behaviors or markers. I wonder, due to these shows, what mental illnesses or trauma are these users (criminals) hiding from with these drugs? I’ve seen a lot of big busts on these shows. Hundreds of pounds of marijuana, heroin, cocaine… I am appalled at the risks being taken… the dangers… the desperation… How many people in these situations are sitting in prisons? Why did they do this? What were the motivations? Then I feel intense empathy for the officers who have to place themselves in these dangerous positions dealing with desperate people. No one really wins. We just hope everyone survives….

The most fascinating cultural difference is the procedures used for high-speed chases and the PIT maneuvers used to end them. It seems like Arkansas is willing to do a PIT maneuver at any speed putting the offender and officer at great risk. I believe some Georgia and Florida municipalities have adopted no-chase policies for minor offenses. A few years ago we saw a high-speed chase near Clinton, IA and it ended in nearby Dewitt, IA. I think Iowa law only allows state troopers to perform PIT maneuvers. We passed a traveler that lost their tires to a spike strip as did the offender car. The offender was flipped in the PIT maneuver on the West side of Dewitt. We managed to see the end of the event as the driver and passenger were arrested. We also caught the beginning of the chase as the offender car whizzed by us at a stoplight doing 60 or so. They were followed by four Clinton squads. We drove our legal speed limit, and happened to be going the same direction for the most part. Thankfully we avoided the worst of that chase.

It is never boring with my wife’s fascination with crime and police procedure. She served as an EMT for a time, and drove ambulances for emergencies. I have learned more about the dark side of our civilization than I ever wanted. It definitely has given me different perspectives and thoughts on a lot of naive assumptions I had before. Learning is something that will never stop for me, and by sharing in an interest with my wife, it just helps our bond. Maybe I can make her a DMB fan one day… That may be reaching…

Stay safe… watch the emergencies and crimes from home… alongside your puppies… until next time… so it goes…