'Cops' makes third Des Moines visit

It took all of four hours for Des Moines Police Sgt. Joe Morgan to give a television camera crew from "Cops" usable material for the program.

A foot chase and an officer tackling a shirtless suspect — it was classic "Cops," which features raw clips of officers out on the streets, in situations involving everything from road rage and police pursuits to domestic disputes and drug busts.

Morgan was featured a decade ago in several episodes of "Cops." Now the popular cable show is back in the city for a third time, filming encounters between police and suspects for the show's next season and providing viewers an up-close view of a police officer's job.

The show has come under plenty of scrutiny over the years. A civil rights group has asked that the show be discontinued because of its portrayal of African-Americans. Others have said the show reduces complicated issues like poverty, drug abuse and mental illness into short clips for viewers' entertainment.

Bur for Morgan, spending time with the film crew "was fun."

"Everybody knows 'Cops,' " he said. "Then you find out they're coming to town, and then you find out they're riding with you."

While the program highlights crime in whatever city it films, Des Moines officials said they aren't concerned.

"I don't know that it's necessarily a negative. It shows we have a darn good police force, which is a good thing," said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Sometimes it shows off the city as being a major city. I think some people who have never been to Des Moines or don't have an image of Des Moines don't realize the caliber of city we have here."

The Des Moines City Council, at the recommendation of Police Chief Judy Bradshaw, on June 23 unanimously approved allowing the show to film in Des Moines. Crews arrived the following week. They'll be here through Aug. 30.

"… We've been fairly portrayed," Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said. "I didn't see any negatives then, and I don't anticipate any this time."

Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley said there was little discussion or concern about allowing the show to film in the city again. Officials received positive feedback after previous visits, she said.

Particularly important to city officials was a clause in the contract that gives Des Moines police prior approval over anything that airs.

"That's important because I think that addresses the concerns about unfairly showing different minority groups on the show," Hensley said.

Still, some people in the community have concerns about the show, including Ako Abdul-Samad, an Iowa state representative and CEO of Creative Visions.

Abdul-Samad said he wished "Cops" showed ways to prevent crime rather than just how to fight it. "It's not a TV show set up to be part of the solution," he said.

Abdul-Samad also said he worries the show may "feed into the perception of racial profiling and how crimes are committed by people of color."

"You have to think, 'Is it going to enhance it or correct it?' " Abdul-Samad said. "I think it's probably going to enhance it."

Others view the show differently.

"Cops" will serve as an opportunity to teach the public about police work, said Mel Pins, president of the Somerset Neighborhood Association and chairman of the zoning board of adjustment.

"I think it's more about the quality of our officers and what they do for us every day," Pins said. "We don't see some of the challenges they face at 2 o'clock in the morning."

Pins said show will "let officers have the opportunity to show their skills … and sometimes the risk they face."

Des Moines resident Marta Villarreal, 32, said "Cops" will show the criminal activity in the city, but also the community's good side.

"The good side is it can show we do fight the crimes," said Villarreal, a downtown Des Moines resident.

Morgan Langley, the show's executive producer, called "Cops" a consistently pro-police show and said cities generally have little to fear from being featured.

"Crime happens everywhere, in every city," he said. "I think the audience is smart enough to know that. More than that, it shows people that cops are generally very professional and are doing a good job and a tough job."

Police in Stockton, Calif., found the filming of "Cops" beneficial for the department and the community, said Joe Silva, the department's spokesman.

"The 'Cops' camera crew, the director, they were very professional, very community oriented," Silva said. "The community really took a liking to how they showed what our police officers do in their day-to-day work to a national audience."

The show filmed in Stockton in May and June 2013, and aired in September, Silva said. He said the show helped attract more police recruits.

"When we have recruit orientations, some of the recruits I talked to said, 'Oh, I've seen you on 'Cops'... there is a lot of exciting police work here," Silva said.

Langley said his crews might work 50 hours to get a single, usable seven-minute segment. Some nights, or even weeks, are dull, even in the biggest cities. Other times there's nonstop action, he said.

Police approval must be given to any footage that producers plans to use in the show, which gives departments the chance to exclude any footage that could compromise an ongoing investigation or court case, Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Halifax said.

A "Cops" camera crew was with officers at the scene of a July 2 homicide. Rupert Anderson, 97, was beaten to death and his wife, Harriett, 94, was seriously injured. An image captured by a "Cops" camera person and shown around the neighborhood led to the arrest of a suspect, a search warrant showed.

"Cops" producers have not yet asked to use footage from the homicide, but Halifax said the department would likely decline because the case hasn't yet gone to trial.

"Cops" is essentially a road show," Langley said. "We go all over the country. In each episode we try to represent the different flavors of the country. Departments on the East Coast are different from the West or the Midwest.

"Des Moines allows us to round out that profile, and we think people will appreciate that."

Morgan, the police officer filmed in previous shows, said he's excited for the officers being featured this year. He hopes his now 9-year-old daughter can watch clips of her father at work.

And for the department, it can be a recruiting tool to lure potential new officers to the city, Halifax said. Sometimes videos from the show are used as training tools after the fact.

"We feel we have a professional organization that does things correctly, and we're proud of the work the officers do," Halifax said.

"Cops" factoids

Premiered Saturday, March 11, 1989. Now in its 26th season. Has followed officers in 140 U.S. cities, Hong Kong, London and the former Soviet Union. Each episode is about 22 minutes and consists of three segments. New 33-episode season premiered July 12 on Spike TV.

Source: "Cops" website