On Police Violence in Crime Fiction

Let’s talk about crime fiction!

In light of the recent protests against anti-Black racism and police violence in America, there have been many discussions on the way the police are portrayed in pop culture. Cops Are Always The Main Characters by Kathryn VanArendonk and How White Crime Writers Justified Police Brutality by John Fram highlighted how crime fiction books and TV shows written by white writers have shaped the way we see the police. The characters of police officers and detectives take center stage as the heroes and we’re conditioned to support them even when they do something wrong.

Crime fiction is one of my favourite genres to read but like many readers, I have been guilty of glossing over police violence scenes as long as it furthers the plot. Truthfully, how many times have we read scenes of police brutality and thought, oh that’s a good way to advance the story? Or that maybe it’s not good, but acceptable because the characters are just doing their job? Why do we protest the police’s treatment of Black people in real life but accept it in fictional stories?

Crime fiction shouldn’t be exempted from criticism just because it’s about good guys catching the bad guys. When we consume stories that glorify police violence without examination or reproval, we are sending the message that these kinds of stories are acceptable and even encouraged.

For many of us reading is an escape. I totally understand that! And as readers we‘re not in charge of making decisions on what books to publish. But we can start by being more proactive about the books we consume and promote. Meaning not just reading books by Black authors but also looking critically at books written by non-Black authors.

If a book has scenes of police brutality, mention it in your review. Talk about how it makes you view the characters. Are the villains predominantly Black or People of Colour? What is the book trying to say? By reading critically we can show publishers that books glorifying police misconduct, violence, and brutality are not needed or wanted anymore.

Do you agree with my take? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

You can find resources for the Black Lives Matter movement here.

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