This article considers the reception of police series from the police officer's point of view, in a profession geared towards secrecy yet omnipresent in fic- tion. Based on a three-month ethnographic survey on street-level police, the author reveals the ambivalent attitude of 'police audiences'? with regard to this media mirror. To a very large extent, the series are accused of harming the police's reputation and of causing general confusion as to its status, power and mission. Yet when they do resonate with the professional experiences of policemen and -women, police series can serve as an anchor for the establish- ment of professional identities.