PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A crew from the TV show “Cops” is back in Green Bay to follow police officers for possible segments.
The show debuted in 1989, and new episodes can be seen on FOX Nation.
An arrest last week at Bay Beach Amusement Park has been seen by thousands through videos posted on social media. It also has a chance to be viewed by a much larger audience, as “Cops” was documenting the man being detained. He has since been charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
“I doubt they will use it,” said Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis.
Davis was on “Cops” nearly 20 years ago in his patrol days with the Portland Police Department. He says he’s found the show typically won’t air segments if they involve juveniles or sensitive issues, like a mental health crisis.
Plus, the show requires signed waivers from all non-police people that are shown. We asked how the show gets the people who are being arrested to consent.
“You’d be surprised. I’ve seen it happen,” Davis said. “People that I would not think would consent to that do.”
Davis says he also doubts the show would air the Bay Beach segment because the “Cops” crew didn’t arrive until after the suspect was in custody.
This isn’t the first time “Cops” has been in Green Bay. In 2016, segments aired that were shot here. Davis says a crew was also here for a few weeks last fall.
“When they film something they want to use, they’ll put the segment together and then they send us a proof or a link, really to a proof of it,” said Davis. “We have the final say about whether something airs.”
Davis says they have not needed to say no to anything that “Cops” has wanted to air.
Say the segment at Bay Beach had worked out. Would the city really want a nationwide audience for an arrest at one of its crown jewel tourist destinations?
“There’s a balance we want to strike between the interest of the city, but we also want to be transparent with the public about what we do as police officers, so we’d need to have that conversation,” said Davis.
“Cops” does not pay the city to follow and film officers.
Davis says there is potential benefit in recruiting new officers and providing a realistic understanding of what the job entails.
Some people have raised concerns about the use of force seen in the arrest videos from Bay Beach. A review process used for all use-of-force situations is underway.
Davis reminds people body cameras can often provide a window to an incident that can’t be seen from a cellphone.
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