In response to the protests over George Floyd's death, Paramount canceled its hit TV show "Cops" after a 23-year run. Until now, police dramas have rarely been controversial.

But their fixture on prime-time lineups was no accident. University of Oregon's Carol Stabile tells the story of how, beginning in the 1930s, law enforcement agencies, looking to burnish their public image, collaborated with network producers to create popular TV and radio series. This symbiotic relationship ensured the point of view of the police would dominate the airwaves for decades.

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    Arts + Culture Editor

    Actors Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smits on the set of ‘NYPD Blue.’ Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

    During Floyd protests, media industry reckons with long history of collaboration with law enforcement

    Carol A. Stabile, University of Oregon

    For decades, there's been a concerted effort by law enforcement to ensure their perspectives – and not those of people being policed – dominate prime-time television.

    Arts + Culture

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