For the past seven years, violent video games have become increasingly popular. In these games the player advances in the game by killing. Even more disturbing this year is the fact that the best selling games are not only extremely violent, but feature brutal violence towards police officers. This trend has reached truly alarming levels with the Grand Theft Auto series produced by Take 2 Interactive Software. In these games players are rewarded for such actions as stealing the guns and squad cars from police officers and brutally murdering them.

These games are more realistic, more bloody and more popular than any game in history.

It is the position of the National Institute on Media and the Family that rewarding players for killing cops should never be a source of entertainment. Take 2 Interactive Software is making enormous profits from a video game that promotes a culture of disrespect and condones criminalized violence. This is insulting and harmful to law enforcement professionals and concerned citizens everywhere.

We respect the First Amendment and do not advocate censorship. However, we have the right to tell the industry that we will not accept the glorification of violence towards police officers. Therefore, we are calling on Take 2 Interactive Software to do the only decent thing: Publicly apologize and STOP KILLING COPS AS ENTERTAINMENT! Sign the petition urging Take 2 to stop depicting cop killings and other acts of glorified violence in their video games.