Representations of law

The wire:


IMDB defines this series as "Baltimore drug scene, seen through the eyes of drug dealers, and law enforcement." Thinking generally to stereotypes, the people using the drugs would consist of the ethnic minority. The people situated around are also of an ethnic minority. In the extract above, it seems person of slightly more authority is the member of an ethnic minority. However, just from visual aid, it is unclear if this person is a police man or just someone who the alleged suspect can confide in. 

here some people are shown who seem to be witnesses of the scene. Considering the setting of "drug scene" this scene and choice of casting has followed the stereotypical route. From this screenshot it seems the people around at the scene are mostly female which can suggest the general "stand back" approach thought of by females in politics. The best known female politicians, globally are Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Julia Gillard. The others may generally known as wives. This shows the possible position of women in the area, possibly showing the thoughts of the law and its officers.

This scene shows a police man noting down some points and evidence of a crime scene. Compared to the other characters, this police officer is standing up suggesting more of authority than the rest of the public, this is a realistic approach and idea conveyed through this. This police man however, is not of an ethnic minority, like the other characters in this extract. This is a stereotypical view of the law. This scene also suggests the location to be a city due to the background street lights, this is also a stereotype - suggesting all the crime and "action" occurs in the urban areas of a town.

This screenshot shows the police handling a suspect, although seem as violent, they are not being violent but this position is the general position held by police when arresting someone. The police men are wearing high visual jackets, these are usually associated with police if they are working a night shift or a when there is limited daylight. Another stereotypical representation of law is the gender. The two members of the police force holding the suspect are both male. Although there are female members of the police force present, they are not seen in a scene with a nature of brutality. This shot shows the characters on the third, suggesting there is fast paced action about to occur due to the way they are facing along with the third.

 This screenshot portrays the general image of a police raid. There are police cars and vans suggesting the order the back up in case of a larger criminal scene forming. There is also a RSPCA van in the background - this shows the caring side of the general police image as they are helping out an organisation for cruelty towards animals. This caring side is not often portrayed within the media, most the police portrayal includes scenes of brutality or mistreatment of a case. This shot shows 3 vans and 1 police car aiding the police raid. There are more police associated vehicles than the actual animal organisation, this suggests they have more of an authority than the others organisations present. The smoke along the background implements the chaotic scene, the steam/smoke represents something that has possibly been over used. The fact the the smoke mainly comes out from behind the RSPCA shows the are a major part of this police raid.

This final screenshot show a female police officer. She is dressed differently showing a slightly higher status, this is not a normality for most portrayals of women within the law field. The female character is also standing next to David Jason, suggesting a similar status within the force. Although there is equal portrayal of gender in this screenshot, there is not equal portrayal of ethnicity. Showing all of the members of the police force to come from an ethnic majority. This scene also shows David Jason as the main police officer, here he is shown wearing a suit showing authority he is also not wearing an uniform alike the other members of the police force. Another idea about this is the age of the main character. The main character is quite old, prior to this scene, there was a slight moment implicating the main character to be clueless. That was a use of the ageing character to their advantage. The two guys who were fooled by the "clueless" facade would most likely have been security guards or body guards ensuring people would not just walk in and see the illegal activity going on. This mid shot shows the leaders in the middle. with the rest of the police force surrounding them, possibly awaiting further instructions.