Premise
The show describes itself as a cross between Cops and Punk’d, setting up elaborate sting operations to snare people wanted on outstanding warrants. These sting operations include opportunities for felons to work as an extra on a movie set and as a model in a fashion shoot, among others. Once the trap is set and the actors have had their fun with the unsuspecting criminals, police officers arrest and haul them off to jail.
All of the cases featured in Smile…You’re Under Arrest! involve the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department of Phoenix, AZ under the command of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is known as “The Toughest Sheriff in America”. He has a reputation for unusual law enforcement tactics such as reinstituting chain gangs, housing prisoners in a desert “tent city” and forcing them to wear pink underwear. Arpaio believes that these stings provide a unique service to his community.
Some have criticized the show and questioned the law enforcement priorities of Sheriff Arpaio. The persons lured into the elaborate ruses are all nonviolent persons with outstanding warrants for low-level crimes. Maricopa County, meanwhile, has 40,000 outstanding felony warrants for persons wanted for much more serious crimes. Some see the show as an attempt at self-promotion by the sheriff which deflects department resources from more serious lawbreakers.
Read more about this topic: Smile...You're Under Arrest!
Famous quotes containing the word premise:
“We have to give ourselves—men in particular—permission to really be with and get to know our children. The premise is that taking care of kids can be a pain in the ass, and it is frustrating and agonizing, but also gratifying and enjoyable. When a little kid says, “I love you, Daddy,” or cries and you comfort her or him, life becomes a richer experience.”
—Anonymous Father. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 3 (1978)