The police procedural is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes an accurate depiction of the investigative procedure of police officers, detectives or other law enforcement agencies as its protagonists, in contrast to genres that focus on non-police investigators such as private investigators.
Facts
Place of OriginThe genre's roots have been traced to at least the mid-1880s in English detective fiction, though it did not rival private-detective and amateur-sleuth fiction in popularity until after the Second World War. 1 Notable ExampleWilkie Collins's 1868 novel The Moonstone, about a Scotland Yard detective investigating a stolen diamond, has been described as perhaps the earliest clear example of the genre. 1 Defining TraitA police procedural is defined chiefly by its attempt to accurately depict law-enforcement work itself, including forensic science, evidence gathering, search warrants and interrogation, rather than by its plot alone. 1 Connections
Sources
1. Police Procedural (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
the defining element of a police procedural is the attempt to accurately depict law enforcement and its procedures, including police-related topics such as forensic science, autopsies, gathering evidence, search warrants, interrogation, and adherence to legal restrictions and procedures
Early history section
Wilkie Collins's novel The Moonstone (1868), a tale of a Scotland Yard detective investigating the theft of a valuable diamond, has been described as perhaps the earliest clear example of the genre.
Early history section, opening sentence
The roots of the police procedural have been traced to at least the mid-1880s.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a story a police procedural rather than ordinary detective fiction?
It is defined by its attempt to accurately portray real police work and procedure.
According to the Wikipedia article on the genre, the defining element of a police procedural is the attempt to accurately depict law enforcement and its procedures. That includes police-related topics such as forensic science and evidence gathering, and it centers police officers or other law enforcement agents rather than private investigators or amateur sleuths.
When did the police procedural begin?
Its roots reach back to the 1860s and 1880s in English detective fiction.
The same article says the roots of the police procedural have been traced to at least the mid-1880s, and that Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone (1868), about a Scotland Yard detective, has been described as perhaps the earliest clear example of the genre. It adds that only after World War II would police procedural fiction rival the popularity of private-detective and amateur-sleuth stories.
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