Cops?

I'm not sure if I've just missed it all of these years...but it seems that most cops on TV recently need the help of a civilian or multiple civilians to solve crimes.

Bones - Forensic Anthropologist from Smithsonian like place (and staff)

Castle - Crime novel writer

Monk - Former detective

Psych - fake psychic & friend

Mentalist - former fake psychic

Fringe - Former (and currently crazy) scientist & son

Chuck - Super Cute Geek Squad employee

Medium - real psychic (with super cute husband)

Numb3rs - mathematician (that killed Lucy and stabbed Carter in a former life)

The Forgotten - volunteers searching for missing people

White Collar - well-coiffed former criminal & sidekick Stanford

And those are just the TV shows who's premise I'm familiar with. Is this a commentary on our society? Do we find the police so incompetent that the only people capable of helping them are completely untrained individuals? Or are these civilians like the companion in Doctor Who, a surrogate for the audience...someone we can identify with?

Cause I've got to say the only one I actually identify with is Shawn Spencer...not because I've got amazing skills of observation (which I don't)...but because I usually get most of his 80s references and make many...not as well written...80s references myself.