By Katie Kull
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis police department wants to hit the small screen with a reality TV show highlighting the city’s efforts to cut down on violent crime.
The show, produced by Dick Wolf of “Law & Order” fame, would air on the network A&E, according to a proposed contract. It does not yet have a title.
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“This is an incredible opportunity for us,” said police spokesman Mitch McCoy in a meeting Wednesday.
Mayor Cara Spencer urged the board to reject it.
“It appears to hand a commercial production company broad access to our department and our residents, permanent ownership of everything it records, and final control over how St. Louis is portrayed,” she wrote in a letter Wednesday.
The department will not be paid as part of the contract.
For decades, police and fire departments have partnered with television crews for live or serialized productions. The show “Cops” premiered in 1989, ushering in a new era of spinoffs, including “Live PD,” which was itself replicated with “Live Rescue,” which featured the St. Louis Fire Department.
But criticism has followed the genre. In 2020, amid protests over the death of George Floyd, “Live PD” and “Cops” were both canceled. “Live PD” had captured the death of a man in custody in Texas, similar to Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.
The man, Javier Ambler , died after sheriff’s deputies repeatedly used stun guns on him, despite cries of help and pleas that he was sick and couldn’t breathe.
The fire department’s own partnership with “Live Rescue” ended after a federal probe into alleged violations of patient privacy.
McCoy, however, said the production being considered by the St. Louis police department would not be like either of those shows.
He said that over the years, multiple live, documentary-style shows had reached out to see if the city was interested, but he had declined, raising concerns about victims of crime and the accused being featured without their consent.
This opportunity was initially discussed with federal partners, McCoy said, and brought to the St. Louis police department in order to highlight their work together.
The production company, Lucky 8, is already working with the federal government on shows about border protection, and produced “Live Rescue” when it featured the fire department.
McCoy said he trusted that the show would portray the city and its officers in a positive light. The premise, he said, would be to highlight how the city and its federal partners are reducing gun violence.
The project has also been discussed with Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore , he said. They hoped to highlight the work of the city’s homicide detectives, crime lab and efforts to make downtown safer.
“This allows us on a national level to show how we are making St. Louis safer every day,” he said.
Mayor Spencer said she believed the show could do the opposite. The city — not the show — would bear the brunt of the damage if something went wrong, she said.
She noted that after Ambler died in sheriff custody, the Texas legislature passed a law prohibiting law enforcement agencies from contracting with reality TV productions.
“The city absorbs the reputational harm of a national series built around our most difficult nights, at a time when we and our civic and business community leaders are working hard every day to show progress on public safety and attract investment,” Spencer wrote.
In addition, she said, victims and people accused of crimes who may never be charged may also be subjected to reputational damage. The department may also be liable for privacy violations, she warned, citing a U.S. Supreme Court case that prohibits officers from bringing media into a home during police activity.
“Our police officers should not be placed at personal legal risk to serve an entertainment production schedule,” she said.
The contract would give the producers domain over all footage collected, but gives the department the right to review material for factual accuracy and for confidentiality concerns.
Citing Spencer’s concerns, the board tabled the proposal until the next meeting. Spencer was traveling and was not present.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect who was involved with discussions about the show.
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