What incentive do police departments have to be on the show "Cops"?

[chefIL11]

Do they get money? And if so does anyone know how much?

[Cisco]

I would love to know the answer to this question. Cops is still one of my favorite shows after all these years and I’ve often thought about starting a Cops thread.

One thing I assume is that they probably pay the suspects. I’m guessing they offer them $50-$100 (or maybe $500, I don’t know) and most of them are in just a bad enough situation to take it. The ones who weren’t hard up enough to take the cash either get their faces blurred or, well, it probably wasn’t a very interesting arrest anyway.

I think it’s great to have a show out there that shows how our police forces act and paints them in such a positive light. Sometimes I wish is that they would show the Cops screwing up or acting like dicks more often though. Maybe these could be shown later at night so as to not scare kids away from the police.

[asterion]

There was an article in the Albuquerque Journal about COPS’s effect in and on Albuquerque. (Note to mods: I’m going to try a couple of different links. However, due to the source, I’m not sure anyone will be able to get to them, so I might be posting a bit too much.)

“Appearances on ‘Cops’ May Not Aid City’s Image” (Jan. 25, 2004)

Some highlights:

“They, for some reason, have a great interest in us,” said Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Jeff Arbogast on Tuesday. “I think it’s our willingness to work with them.”
“Cops” first filmed in Albuquerque back in 1995, said Brian Collins of Langley Productions, the Los Angeles-based production company that makes the show. “We were welcomed with open arms; it was one of the friendliest cities I’ve ever been to,” he said.
The show returned to Albuquerque in 1998 and in 2002. Sometimes, the “Cops” cameras rode with Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies, but mostly they rode with APD officers.
“Their officers are some of the most professional we work with,” Collins said.
Each time they came to the city, the show’s cameramen filmed enough footage of drunken transvestites and toddler-beating ex-cons for eight to 12 shows, Collins said.
“We got so much great material there,” he said. “We’re still getting shows out of footage from the 2002 visit. We’re going to air some new footage from Albuquerque sometime in February.”

APD wasn’t paid for allowing the show to film officers. No police department is.
Arbogast said APD agreed to do “Cops” because it was good publicity for the police department. He said he had worried that the show could harm the city’s image.
“But we try to work with people,” he said.
Collins sees no downside to a city’s appearance on the show. “I think it sends a good message that it doesn’t pay to commit crimes in your city,” he said. “Your tax dollars that pay for the police department are put to good use; they’re getting the bad guys off the street.”

There was another article, same day, saying that Mayor Chavez has banned the filming of COPS in Albuquerque.

“Mayor Has Banned ‘Cops’ In Albuquerque”

Mayor Martin Chávez said he couldn’t agree more that being on “Cops” is bad for the city.
“The city’s police officers are portrayed in a good light (on ‘Cops’), but the rest of the city looks horrible,” Chávez said. “That has a real impact. That’s all people see, and that’s not who we are.”
Chávez said Wednesday that sometime after his election in 2001, he told Albuquerque Police Department Chief Gil Gallegos not to let “Cops” film here again. “They haven’t been on the show since my election,” he said.
But “Cops” camera crews were here in fall 2002, about a year after Chávez took office. And the “Cops” moratorium was news to APD spokesman Jeff Arbogast, who is the department’s liaison with the show.
After checking with Gallegos on Thursday, though, Arbogast confirmed the ban. “The department has decided to hold off on having ‘Cops’ return,” he said.

So, it looks like the departments don’t get anything other than possibly publicity.

[Cisco]

“They, for some reason, have a great interest in us,” said Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Jeff Arbogast on Tuesday. “I think it’s our willingness to work with them.”

I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s your crime rate, bud.

[EvilGhandi]

Jeese Asterion,

Your post points out, in graphic detail the two edged sword that is a free press.

On one hand we get to see the professional men and women of law enforcement, preforming (highlights of) their duties.

On the other, we get to see what scumbags inhabit the streets of most major cities.

I know a few people who wont even watch the news because it scares them. They are actually afraid to leave the house.

I wonder if people in other countries are influenced by our newscasts and draw erronious conclusions about the danger of the American street.

Appologies in advance if this response goes into GD or BBQ teritory.