Tulsa PD drops out of A&E show

Tulsa Police Department has ended its relationship with one of two reality TV shows that feature local law enforcement officers.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan declined to renew a contract with the A&E series “Live PD” in early January, spokesman Leland Ashley said.

“He felt like it was not in the best interest of the department,” Ashley said.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum voiced his support for the chief’s decision Monday as news broke about the contract ending.

“His job and my job is to keep the citizens of Tulsa safe, not providing fodder for reality TV,” Bynum said.

The show features six law enforcement agencies from different parts of the country.

The contract with Tulsa Police Department was for an eight-to-12week stint that started in October and ended Jan. 27, Ashley said.

In Tulsa, film crews shadowed the department’s gang unit. In a previous article, Ashley said participation with “Live PD” was intended to “show what our department is about.”

One of the notable interactions of the gang unit with Tulsans came Feb. 3 when two Tulsa police officers wrestled a suspect allegedly armed with a loaded handgun. The suspect allegedly had his hand wrapped around the firearm during the confrontation.

Bynum said while watching that clip, he saw the camera crew as a distraction for the officers subduing a suspect.

“I’m not worried about public relations,” Bynum said.

“I’m worried about the safety of our officers and our citizens.”

We The People Oklahoma, a local activist organization, remarked in a social media post that the show puts Tulsans in a bad light.

“Shows like this reinforces negativity between the police department and the community,” We The People Oklahoma states in the post. “And it creates celebrity status off the backs of citizens who may very well be innocent.”

The activist group called for an end to “shows of its kind” in Tulsa.

The police department is still contracted for A&E’s “The First 48,” Ashley said. The contract for that show started July 2014 and is up for renewal annually.

“The First 48” follows Tulsa’s homicide unit, “looking into real-life investigations, the personalities of the detectives and the deep heartbreak of the families,” according to a July 2014 news release.

Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office has no involvement with any reality television shows, spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said.

She said the sheriff’s office is looking into possibilities of a show involving the office’s cold case unit, but nothing is definite.