Highlights
Length – Eight to ten weeks filming Tuesday through Saturday with Sundays and Mondays off.
Crews – Usually, we send one or two crews. A crew consists of a cameraman and a soundman.
Approval – Every agency has full control over the material we film with their department. No story or footage will air without the department’s written approval.
Benefits – Positive National Exposure, Boosts Recruiting, Boosts Morale
COPS has been documenting law enforcement for over three decades. Police work has evolved over those 30 years, as have the stories we tell on COPS. Some examples below.
De-Escalation Example
Not all Stories are Car Chases and Foot Pursuits
Officer Friendly
Entertaining
How COPS Production Works
Generally, we film in a city for 8 to 10 weeks with 1 or 2 crews. A crew consists of a cameraman and a soundman. It’s not a big Hollywood production – the two-man crew usually attends roll call and then rides the entire shift with an officer, filming the calls that he or she is dispatched to. Our show requires no additional manpower or specialized equipment, just an officer to ride with. We are a pro-law enforcement program, and our intent is to showcase your officers in a highly professional manner while they do a job that is rewarding yet demanding, stressful, and sometimes dangerous. Far too often I think people forget that these are real men and women who keep their communities safe, and I would like to believe that not only does our show entertain but it lets people see the human side of law enforcement. COPS allows the community to connect with the officers who keep them safe every day. It is also important to note that your department would retain full editorial approval of all material filmed with your agency, so no story or footage will air without your department’s written approval.
I can confidently say that there are several benefits to having our show film with your agency. First, it is great for morale because officers have the opportunity to showcase their skills on a national level and gain recognition from their peers. Second, it is an effective recruiting tool. I have worked with officers who have chosen a specific agency simply because they wanted to work with an officer they saw on COPS. Third, it is positive press on a national stage, over which you would have complete control since your department’s written approval is necessary before we air any material. I can provide references upon request from other agencies with which we have worked recently. I would encourage you to speak with them as they can provide a professional reference and their personal experience working with our crews and company.
COPS and Recruiting
I believe recruitment is one of the biggest draws for a department when making the decision to allow us to showcase their agency on COPS. Given that many young adults these days get a lot of information from the internet and television, it stands to reason that someone looking to get into law enforcement is likely watching television shows about that profession and probably “like” those shows on Facebook, as well.
In 2011 I began to develop our social media presence. I quickly realized it was also a great way to help the agencies we filmed with publicize their recruiting efforts. COPS has a presence on almost all of the social platforms. With the biggest concentration being on Facebook and YouTube.
Facebook 2.7 million followers. The average post reach is 50k to 100k per post.
YouTube 739k subscribers Average 8.5 million views per month.
Instagram 137k followers
Twitter 23.7k followers
Cops.com 18.6k unique views a month – https://www.cops.com/jobs
Typically it is most effective to promote an agency’s recruiting efforts when episodes from that agency are beginning to air on COPS. However, we can also post behind-the-scenes photos while we are out on patrol filming and then add recruitment information to those posts. Here is a link to some behind-the-scenes photos that we have posted to our FB page: COPS FaceBook Pics