Lessons from District 31 | Press

Until the end, the series shattered visual records by bringing together more than a million viewers in front of their small screen from Monday to Thursday. In the age of digital platforms and catapult viewing, this is an achievement that has gone unnoticed.

For years, the political-legal-police maneuvers imagined by Luke Dion corresponded to reality, which made the series even more interesting.

But high quality District 31Beyond the well-designed storyline and the immense talent of the cast, this is undoubtedly its work of popular education.

By bringing us into the world of Commander Siason, Detective Sergeant Stephen Boulett, Bubov and lawyer Sonia Blanchard, the world of police and criminal law that the teacher made famous to the Quebec public.

Before District 31Some people know the meaning of the acronym, DPCP (Director of Criminal and Penal Cases). Few in the public could have explained the difference between an independent inquiry office and an internal affairs office. Or who knows how to distinguish the hierarchical quality of a lieutenant, a major and a detective sergeant. All of these details will no longer hold any secret to the regular audience District 31.

Over the course of several weeks, Luke Dion instructed the public on the process of police investigation: from suspicion to arrest, including interrogation (“Here is a camera, another is there …”) and the organization in charge, he took us with him. Inside the police station where ordinary people rarely set foot. He explained to us the work of the technician in the forensic identification service, the sometimes tense connections between politics and the legal system, as well as the turbulent waters conducted by swimming analysts, beyond the boundaries of human drama passing in front of the police. Research for investigators.

He shed some light on the blind points of our organization, its failures and its contradictions. In his good shots.

Through the colorful, rough and utterly desirable characters, the author was able to humanize the image of the police officers, which is often misused by public opinion. Quebecs demand their police force with good reason. Sometimes, behind the uniform, one can forget that there are men who live in drama, frustration and stress. The most recent data provided by the police unions shows that more and more of them are seeking mental health care. Indication that they will not be adequately supported in their new realities. But it’s a different topic …

District 31 Above all entertainment, there is a wonderful work of fiction written by Luke Dion at the top of his game.

When a work of fiction delights and informs, it deserves to be celebrated.