In a video for Insider, Master EOD Technician Jay Ly takes SWAT to task for the bomb disposal scene in the season 5 episode "Short Fuse," where a character triggers a pressure plate by sitting down in a car. Ly specifically calls out the fact that there's a huge countdown timer, explaining why that wouldn't happen at all. The expert also addresses the trope of hot wires versus cold and the focus on the color of the wires, which isn't reflective of reality at all. Ultimately, Ly gives SWAT just 2 out of 10 when rating its accuracy. In the video below, the segment begins at 2:43, and Ly's explanation is as follows:
Why Professionals Need To Correct Shows Like SWAT
Three heavily armed SWAT team members striding up the street flanked by shiny black vehicles
On the surface, the appeal of an expert video might appear to be watching an expert criticize popular shows and movies. While that's part of the charm, there's value in correcting the record. For the vast majority of people watching an action movie or a police procedural, they won't know the ins and outs of the scenes. In a lot of cases, they're generally accepting what they're seeing at face value, even though they recognize the obviously dramatized details.
This can have real consequences. In the early 2000s, because of CSI's success, there came to be what was known as the "CSI effect." In practice, this meant that jurors were surprised to learn that forensic evidence (things like DNA tests, blood tests, and ballistics) aren't as reliable as they are shown to be on hit series like CSI and others. This could be manipulated, leading to verdicts that are reached because of largely false beliefs.
Source: Insider
