Call the Cops The 27th Most Trusted Site in Public Safety
A few years ago the so called “CSI Effect” was driving people into college Forensic Science programs. Today colleges are experiencing what some are calling “Effect Who”, fans of the British Television show “Doctor Who” are flocking to fill criminal justice programs.
Doctor Who causing kids to become cops?
The plot of Dr Who is hard to explain, you almost have to watch it, but even that might leave you confused. In the most basic description an alien named “The Doctor” travels in a time machine helping people in need. His time machine, called The TARDIS, looks like a 1960s era police call box.
Why does an alien have a time machine that looks like a British style police call box? This time machine has adaptive camouflage so he can land it and hide in plane sight. But the adaptive camouflage system is broken so the machine is stuck looking like a Police Call Box.
This is the heart of how this odd Science Fiction show has become a criminal justice recruitment tool. Scores of young geeks dream of taking a ride in this TARDIS box with Police stenciled on the side. Seeing how that is not possible, it is possible for them to drive a car with police on the side.
Professor Bill Hartnell, Criminal Justice department chair at the University of Nebraska, said this. “The Doctor travels around helping people in need. Police officers travel around helping people in need.”
When asked how he sees “Effect Who” changing the face of American police Dr. Hartnell told us. “These kids are smart. They are much more intellectual than a lot of the other students. The next generation of cops could be smarter if they get jobs.”
As a 22 year veteran of the Lincoln Nebraska Police before getting into teaching Dr. Hartnell made this additional observations. “I do fear some of these kids reasons for getting into police work. I have seen many young people who were bullied in school look at Police work as way to get back at the bullies. Many of these Sci-Fi geeks coming into our program seem to me to be the kinds of kids who did get bullied.”
