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Law & Order boss says cop shows are "miscontributing" to society

Photo credit: Randy Brooke - Getty Images
Photo credit: Randy Brooke - Getty Images

From Digital Spy

In light of the George Floyd tragedy, Law & Order: SVU showrunner Warren Leight has addressed TV's portrayal of law enforcement.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he was asked whether cops are "too positively" represented on screen, to which he replied: "Collectively? Yes. Individually am I miscontributing to society? I don't know. Collectively, are we? Yeah."

Leight went on to discuss his hope that Law & Order: SVU fans interpret the fictional elements of the NYPD, in that they reflect his wishes of what they really were.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke - Getty Images
Photo credit: Randy Brooke - Getty Images

Related: Law & Order: SVU boss teases the return of Christopher Meloni as Stabler

"I think that the audience is sophisticated enough to know that this is not the day-to-day reality [in policing sexual assault]. I think people wish it were more like [it is on SVU]. I think I wish it were more like this."

Just yesterday (June 5), the series boss tweeted his response to a video of police officers attacking protestors with batons out on the streets.

"This is getting worse and worse everyday," he wrote. "A real leader would try to defuse the crisis, instead we are under a regime that seems hell bent on carnage."

Photo credit: NBC
Photo credit: NBC

Related: Friends star David Schwimmer reunites with ex-wife to share message of support for Black Lives Matter protest

Elsewhere, executive producers on CBS series SWAT, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan, recently vowed to "do better" following the death of George Floyd.

"We are watching recent events in horror and sadness along with everyone else, and we will continue to mine the truth about these issues in the writing of our upcoming season [4] as we all work towards a fairer, better system," read a statement.


For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.


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