Good Cop/Bad Cop offers the first extended review of the influence of the mass media on local and federal law enforcement in the US. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach and drawing on popular characterizations of law enforcement from movies, newspapers, television, and literature, Jarret Lovell reveals police reform is inextricably linked to the rise and technological development of the mass media. He also shows how law enforcement officials exert a powerful influence on media coverage of crime and justice policies and practices.

Data from the author's national study of police-media relations uniquely enrich the analysis.