They then track down leads so that they can affect an arrest. The show glamorizes the crime scene investigator; giving the appearance that being a crime scene investigator is thrilling and fast paced. Everyone else appears to have only a minimal supporting role by backing up the crack CSI team.
4. Another big myth that is depicted in almost every crime drama show is where every suspect arrested must be read his or her Miranda rights. Not only that, but the Miranda must be read from a printed card. A good example of this is when I used to watch Dragnet and Adam 12 as a child. Every time a suspect was caught, the first thing the officers on those programs did was pull out a pre printed card from their shirt pocket and advise the arrestee of his or her rights. Even in comedy movies such as Police Academy, they make fun of reading the Miranda rights to criminals. The character Mahoney walked around a cage full of drunk suspects and told the they had the right to remain silent, and they had the right to sing the blues, and the right to cable TV. This leads one to believe that if they are apprehended then they must be read their Miranda rights or they will be let go on a technicality.
5. Law and Order is a crime drama show that portrays criminals going through the whole judicial process from arrest to arraignment to trial and conviction or acquittal to sentencing if required. Law and order does show its viewers a time line during the course of the show. This is done in an hour time frame, which gives one the impression that crimes are solved rather quickly and efficiently, and that the judicial process is also efficient, and the right to a speedy trial always occurs. .
6. Tracing phone calls is time consuming and requires sophisticated equipment on hand. This is another myth that is portrayed in crime dramas as well as in the movies. The movie Mission Impossible is an excellent example of this myth.