Miami's police authorities may not be the best, but at least they are living in the real world. Frederick H. Bealefeld III, the police commissioner in Baltimore, is apparently really, really pissed off that the fictional Miami police officer on your TV set are sexy and cool and awesome. All Baltimore got was The Wire, which in addition to be one of the most critically beloved shows of all time, hasn't been on TV in nearly three years.
Bealefeld told an audience at an Amplify Baltimore event that HBO's The Wire was a "smear that will take decades to overcome."
Here's his diatribe on sexy Miami police via The Baltimore Sun:
"You know what Miami gets in their crime show? They get detectives that look like models, and they drive around in sports cars. And you know what New York gets, they get these incredibly tough prosecutors, competant cops that solve the most crazy, complicated cases."Yeah, but The Wire is considered not just one of the greatest television shows of all time but practically a transcendent piece of work. Meanwhile, Miami has David Caruso's sunglasses and wooden dialogue. We've also got a fictional serial killer detective. Not to mention the fact that most Miami TV shows portray Miami as a cradle of crime and cocaine, and aren't exactly highlighting all the wonderful things happening in the 305.
"What Baltimore gets is this reinforced notion that its a city full of hopelessness, despair and dysfunction. There was very little effort - beyond self-serving - to highlight the great and wonderful things happening here, and to indict the whole population, the criminal justice system, the school system."
The Wire was also mainly watched by people who can tell the difference between fiction and reality, unlike, say, the audience of CSI: Miami.
But at least we realize it's only television. Bealefeld probably has real world problems to deal with. Then again, at least he's not dropping violent catch phrases in reality TV episodes like Exposito.
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