The 5 Biggest Police Procedure Mistakes on Screen (And How to Fix Them.)
Ready to bring some real-world accuracy to your scripts? Let’s get into it.
1. The "Loud and Proud" Interrogation Room
For some reason, every TV detective thinks the best way to get a confession is to start screaming like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. They lean in, raise their voice, and within minutes, the suspect is spilling everything from the crime to what they had for lunch.
What’s wrong here:
In real life, yelling at someone won’t magically make them confess—it’ll just make you look like you need anger management. Most interrogations aren’t about shouting matches; they’re about psychology and knowing when to push and when to back off. We’re not out here interrogating people for days on end, either. That’s just a waste of time.
How to get it right:
Less Vince McMahon, more Sun Tzu. Interrogations are about patience, precision, and outthinking your opponent—not kicking down doors. Interrogations are quiet, strategic, and a lot more about reading body language than raising your voice. You can still have tension, but it comes from the subtle push-and-pull, not the yelling.
2. The "Feds Steal the Show" Trope
There’s a moment in every show where the feds barge in, start throwing their weight around, and say they’re taking over the case. The local cops get all upset, and suddenly there’s a turf war. But here’s the truth: the feds aren’t sitting around waiting to hijack local investigations for fun.
What’s wrong here:
Federal agencies like the FBI or postal inspectors deal with federal crimes—stuff like mail theft, interstate extortion, or terrorism. The locals handle the local stuff. More often than not, the locals are begging the feds to get involved when they stumble onto something like interstate fraud. So, it’s not about who’s the big dog; it’s about knowing when to bring in the right people.
How to get it right:
Instead of the feds swooping in and taking over, flip the script. Have the local cops call the feds for help because they need it. That’s how it goes in real life—it's a team effort, not a takeover.
3. CSI in Record Time
We’ve all seen it: the detective grabs a single hair, and within minutes, the lab spits out a full DNA profile. It’s fast, it’s clean, and it’s... entirely fiction.
What’s wrong here:
DNA testing takes time. Days, if not weeks. And the idea that someone’s going to match a blurry surveillance video to a face in a matter of seconds? Only in TV land. In reality, we’re often working with grainy footage that barely helps, and DNA results don’t just magically appear.
How to get it right:
Show the waiting game. The detective is on edge because the results haven’t come back yet, and that’s what drives the suspense. Real detective work is all about balancing old-school methods with the slow grind of tech results.
4. Technology to the Rescue... Instantly
TV detectives act like they’re working with Iron Man tech. They track phones with pinpoint precision, enhance grainy photos until they’re crystal clear, and hack into systems in seconds. Yeah... no.
What’s wrong here:
Surveillance footage is usually a mess, phone tracking is far from perfect, and no one’s hacking into anything that fast. It’s not that we don’t use tech, but it’s not this flawless, all-powerful tool that solves everything instantly.
How to get it right:
Show the limitations. Detectives don’t have the perfect shot or the exact location—they have to piece it all together with what they’ve got, and it’s usually not much. That’s where the real detective work comes in.
5. The Detective Who Does It All
Apparently, TV detectives are superhuman. They’re chasing down suspects, analyzing evidence, booking people, and still managing to crack jokes over coffee. But in real life? They’d be drowning in paperwork before they even got to the action scenes.
What’s wrong here:
Detectives don’t handle every part of an investigation—there’s a whole team involved. Crime scene techs, patrol officers, forensics specialists—they all play a part. No detective is running around doing everything themselves.
How to get it right:
Spread the work around. Show the real team effort it takes to solve a case. That way, your detective can focus on doing what they do best: solving the mystery, not playing all the roles.
Final Thoughts
Of course, no one’s flipping on Netflix to watch a detective spend three hours filling out paperwork. Creative license is necessary to keep the pace up and the drama high. But balance is key. By getting the core details right—whether it’s how interrogations really work or how different agencies interact—you ground the story in enough reality to make those creative stretches feel believable.
That’s where I come in. As a working homicide detective, I bring the experience and modern knowledge to help you strike that perfect balance between drama and authenticity. Whether you’re writing, directing, or producing, I’ll make sure your crime stories have the right mix of realism and compelling storytelling.
Why rely on outdated knowledge when you can have the expertise of someone who’s in the trenches today? Let’s work together to bring your crime scenes, characters, and investigations to life in a way that’s both true to the world of law enforcement and engaging for your audience.