Media portrayals of the police have had an effect in police officers in operational settings. In recent years, television shows have adopted a new kind of realism where real-life operations are filmed and presented as entertainment. These television shows include NYPD Blue, COPS, and Real Stories of the Highway Patrol. In real-life operations, police officers need good practical field skills. Police officers that show exceptional skill with firearms or defensive tactics are allowed to teach these skills to new and in-service police officers. In addition, exceptional police officers are rewarded with special assignments where they can cultivate their skills. Ethics training is gaining ground in the law enforcement education curriculum, but it needs to move faster and better. Police officers need to understand there is a reward for doing their jobs correctly and for living up to professional policing traditions. Police officers who imitate tactics demonstrated in television shows need to be placed on notice that their methods must change. 1 photograph