The Good and (Breaking) Bad of Deceptive Police Practices

Abstract

This article appears in a special edition of the New Mexico Law Review dedicated to the critically acclaimed television drama, Breaking Bad. It discusses the possible association between Breaking Bad’s depiction of investigative strategic police deception and the Department of Justice’s recent finding of a “pattern or practice of excessive force” by some Albuquerque Police Department officers. The shared timeline between the two phenomena provides an opportunity to explore the dual role of television as both entertainer and educator, and to analyze recognized research in behavioral social science. The article contrasts the favorable public exposure Breaking Bad bestowed upon Albuquerque with the possibility of its damaging influence on the local police subculture.

Keywords: criminal law, criminal procedure, Albuquerque, APD, police tactics, strategic police deception, Fourth Amendment, search and seizure, Albuquerque Police Department, Breaking Bad, Walter White, Hank Schrader, excessive force, law enforcement, police brutality, investigative tactics