Bad boys, Bad boys: COPS film crew shoots footage of Prichard City Council (original) (raw)

A COPS camera crew shoots footage of the Prichard City Council meeting on Jan. 16, 2014, in Prichard, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

PRICHARD, Alabama – Not every day does the Prichard City Council garner a Hollywood atmosphere.

But that was the appearance on Thursday, where camera crews shot footage of the City Council in action.

This wasn't local TV media. The cameras belonged to a California-based production crew filming for a production of COPS, the long-time TV series that documents crime fighting in a variety of communities.

"They are following around our wonderful police department," Prichard city spokeswoman Melanie Baldwin said. "They are getting footage of the inner workings of government as well as some of the mayor's initiatives we are handling in the city Prichard."

Four crew members with Langley Productions were at the City Council meeting shooting footage of what is typically a rather mundane meeting. The footage could be used in a final production, which does not have a determined release date yet.

Baldwin said the crew is in Prichard until Jan. 26, and will continue shooting footage of Prichard police officers in the line of duty.

"They have been very kind and not intrusive," Baldwin said. "It's been a good experience for us."

Baldwin said that COPS has a history of working with new Prichard Police Chief Jerry Speziale, who was hired to head up the city's police department in October. Speziale is a former police executive with the New York/New Jersey Port Authority.

Baldwin said it's an opportunity to showcase what she said is a decrease in Prichard's crime rate since Speziale's hiring.

"Even though it might not seem like it, crime has decreased 13 percent," she said. "We are looking forward to making Prichard a safer city."

Since arriving to Prichard less than two weeks ago, the crew has shot a high-speed chase and has followed Speziale to crime scenes.

The Prichard City Council gets the Hollywood treatment on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2016, as a camera crew for COPS films footage during the weekly meeting. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

COPS, which is in its 26th year and is one of the longest-running shows on TV, airs on the Spike network.

"It's showing that Prichard is a progressive city and it's moving toward deterring crime," Baldwin said. "Even though it may show a negative light on crime, it shows that the police officers are trained and qualified and that Prichard is becoming a safe place."

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