Alan and Susan Raymond, who pioneered the concept of reality TV with their 1973 landmark series An American Family, shifted the focus from a dysfunctional family to a dysfunctional city with The Police Tapes, filmed in New York—particularly the South Bronx—circa 1976. Riding alongside with the police through the city's most dangerous neighborhood, the film offers a raw look at law enforcement in an environment where order appears to have broken down. Unlike the long-running COPS TV series in which can-do cops wrap up minor crimes in neat 10-minute segments, The Police Tapes finds demoralized police officers complaining endlessly about the thankless nature of their work (to the casual observer they seem either unwilling or unable to maintain a sense of safety for the neighborhood's residents), while local street gangs (who have no false modesty in making their presence known, both to the cops and the camera) appear to be the ones who are really running the neighborhood. As an historic document (today's South Bronx is worlds away from the crime-ridden area depicted here), The Police Tapes still packs an emotional wallop and continues to offer a valuable lesson for those with an interest in urban sociology and criminal justice. DVD extras include an interview with the filmmakers. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
The Police Tapes
(1976) 88 min. DVD: $26.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7670-8939-1. August 21, 2006
The Police Tapes
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