View source for Cops (TV program)

{{short description|American reality documentary police series}}
{{distinguish|text=[[COPS (animated TV series)]] or [[Top Cops]], a 1990–1993 CBS reality TV series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}{{Infobox television
| image              = Logo of Cops (TV series).svg
| caption            =
| alt_name           = 
| genre              = Reality
| creator            = [[John Langley]]<br/>[[Malcolm Barbour]]
| developer          = [[Stephen Chao]]
| director           = Dale Dimmick<br>Gabriel Koura
| creative_director  = 
| narrated           = [[Burt Lancaster]] (pilot episode)<br/>Harry Newman
| opentheme          = "[[Bad Boys (Inner Circle song)|Bad Boys]]" by [[Inner Circle (band)|Inner Circle]]
| composer           = Michael Lewis (pilot)<br/>[[Nathan Wang]] (season 1)
| country            = United States
| language           = English{{efn|[[Spanish language|Spanish dubbing]] available on [[Second audio program|SAP]] for post-2000 episodes.}}
| num_seasons        = 36
| num_episodes       = 1,175 
| list_episodes      = #Episodes
| executive_producer = [[John Langley]]<br/>[[Malcolm Barbour]] (1989–1994, seasons 1–6)
| producer           = Andy Thomas (1989, season 1)<br/>[[Paul Stojanovich]] (1989–1990, season 2)<br/>[[Bertram van Munster]]<br/>(1990–1997, seasons 3–9)<br/>Murray Jordan<br/>(1997–2001, seasons 10–13)<br/>Jimmy Langley<br/>(2001–present, seasons 14–present)<br/>[[Morgan Langley (producer)|Morgan Langley]]<br/>(2007–present, seasons 20–present)
| cinematography     = 
| camera             = 
| runtime            = 30 minutes (season 1–3) <br/> 30–37 minutes (season 4–present)
| company            = [[Malcolm Barbour|Barbour]]/[[John Langley|Langley Productions]] (1989–1999, seasons 1–11)<br>[[Fox Television Stations|Fox Television Stations Productions]] (1989–2013)<br>Langley Productions (1999-present, seasons 12–present)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cops.com/cops/|title=Cops|date=23 April 2021 |publisher=Cops.com|accessdate=October 3, 2021}}</ref><br> [[Fox Entertainment]] (season 33–present)
| network            = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] (1989–2013)<br>[[Paramount Network]]<!--Spike and Paramount Network are both the same company.-->
 (2013–2020)<ref name= "bb"/><br>[[Fox Nation]] (2021–present)
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1989|03|11}}
| last_aired         = present 
}}

'''''Cops''''' (stylized as '''''COPS''''') is an American reality legal [[television documentary]] programming series that is currently in its 36th season. It is produced by Langley Productions<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.langleyproductions.com/series-detail/series-1|title=Cops|publisher=Langley Productions|accessdate=October 3, 2021}}</ref> and premiered on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network on March 11, 1989. The series, known for chronicling the lives of [[law enforcement]] officials, follows [[:Category:Municipal police departments of the United States|police officers]] and [[sheriffs in the United States|sheriff's deputies]], sometimes backed up by [[State police (United States)|state police]] or other state agencies, during [[patrol]], [[call for service|calls for service]], and other police activities including [[prostitution]] and [[narcotic]] stings, and occasionally the serving of [[search warrant|search]] and [[arrest warrant|arrest]] warrants at criminal residences. Some episodes have also featured federal agencies. The show's formula follows the [[cinéma vérité]] convention, which does not consist of any narration, scripted dialogue, [[incidental music]] or added sound effects, depending entirely on the commentary of the officers and on the actions of the people with whom they come into contact, giving the audience a [[fly on the wall]] point of view. Each episode typically consists of three self-contained segments which often end with one or more [[arrest]]s.

It is one of the longest-running [[television show]]s in the United States and, in May 2011, it became the longest-running show on Fox (since then, its duration has been surpassed by the duration of ''[[The Simpsons]]''). It also became the longest running live action series on Fox. When ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' was canceled after 23 years, the show's host [[John Walsh (television host)|John Walsh]], made numerous appearances on ''Cops''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Deci |url=http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-fox-cancels-americas-most-wanted-show-helped-solve-some-local-cases-20110516,0,5549397.story |title=Fox Cancels America's Most Wanted |publisher=[[KTXL]] |date=May 17, 2011 |access-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103084545/http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-fox-cancels-americas-most-wanted-show-helped-solve-some-local-cases-20110516%2C0%2C5549397.story |archive-date=November 3, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8519167/Americas-Most-Wanted-is-cancelled.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8519167/Americas-Most-Wanted-is-cancelled.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=America's Most Wanted is cancelled |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |date=May 17, 2011|access-date=June 15, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2013, the program moved to Spike TV, now known as [[Paramount Network]].<ref name="after_25_years_2013_05_06_la_times">Day, Patrick Kevin,[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-after-25-years-at-fox-cops-moves-to-spike-20130506-story.html "After 25 years at Fox, 'Cops' moves to Spike,"] May 6, 2013, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', retrieved May 27, 2017</ref>

In late 2007, during the premiere of its 20th season, episodes of ''Cops'' began broadcasting in [[widescreen]], though not in [[High-definition television|high definition]]. In June 2020, Paramount Network pulled the show from its schedule in response to [[George Floyd protests]] following his [[murder of George Floyd|death]] while under arrest by the [[Minneapolis Police Department]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Michael |date=2020-06-05 |title='Live PD,' 'Cops' Pulled from TV Schedules in Light of George Floyd Protests (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cops-season-33-paramount-network-george-floyd-1234626422/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> and announced its cancellation days later.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/cops-canceled-paramount-network-live-pd-return-evaluated-ae-1202954910/ |title='Cops' Canceled By Paramount Network, 'Live PD' Return Evaluated By A&E |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=June 9, 2020}}</ref> The show remains in production for its international and overseas partners, and began to film anew in [[Spokane County, Washington]], with its sheriff's department in October 2020.<ref name=oct20>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/cops-back-in-production-new-episodes-following-cancellation-1234590025/ |title='Cops' Back In Production On New Episodes Following Cancellation |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |date=October 1, 2020|access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref> In September 2021, it was announced that Fox sibling [[Fox Nation]] picked up the show. The 34th season premiered in September 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/cops-reboot-season-33-rolls-out-fox-nation|title=Revival season of 'COPS' rolls out exclusively on Fox Nation|first=Kristen|last=Altus|work=Fox News|date=October 1, 2021|accessdate=October 2, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Fox Nation returning"/><ref name=season34>{{cite news|url=https://www.police1.com/television/articles/new-episodes-of-cops-to-air-sept-30-B5iLpLe6oxpt4svW/|title=New episodes of 'COPS' to air Sept. 30|first=Ashley|last=Silver|publisher=Police1.com|date=September 27, 2022|accessdate=October 6, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Fox Nation Still">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/arts/television/cop-shows-after-george-floyd.html | title=The Cop Show Enters the 'Defund' Era | newspaper=The New York Times | date=3 October 2022 | last1=Tracy | first1=Marc }}</ref> Season 35 premiered on April 7, 2023. Following a three month hiatus, the show returned on October 6.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cops_1989/s35|title=Cops (2023)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes.com|accessdate=16 October 2023}}</ref> Season  36 would premiere on April 5, 2024 with several episodes featuring beach patrol officers during [[spring break]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nation.foxnews.com/cops-nation/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=inhouse::mc=CPC::src=google::cmp=cops&utm_source=CPC&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=cops&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQsxUgrsf3NGgCwLgXtehsEFOukd1AmQl0N2evwHxoBcaSKYP-kw3lBRoCK40QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds|title=Cops Spring Break|publisher=Fox Nation|accessdate=April 5, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cops_1989/s36|title=Season 36 - Cops|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=April 5, 2024}}</ref>

==History==
''Cops'' was created by [[John Langley]] and [[Malcolm Barbour]], who tried unsuccessfully for several years to get a network to carry the program. When the [[1988 Writers Guild of America strike]] forced them to find other kinds of programming, the young [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Television]] network picked up the low-cost ''Cops'', which had no union writers.<ref name="after_25_years_2013_05_06_la_times"/><ref name="cops_right_beat_1992_02_16_latimes_com">{{cite news |author=Bunce, Alan |newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-16-tv-4303-story.html |title=Commentary: Fox's 'Cops' Has the Right Beat |date=February 16, 1992 |via=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=May 27, 2017 }}</ref>

The program premiered on Fox on March 11, 1989.<ref name="after_25_years_2013_05_06_la_times"/><ref name="official_cops_website">{{cite web |url=http://www.cops.com |title=The Official COPS Website |publisher=Cops.com |access-date=June 15, 2011 }}</ref> When the show went primetime in 1991, and consisted of two episodes in the 8 p.m. hour, it was called ''Primetime Cops'' in promos for several years. The program was one of only two remaining first-run prime-time programs airing on Saturday nights on the four major U.S. broadcast television networks (along with CBS's ''[[48 Hours (TV program)|48 Hours Mystery]]''). Malcolm Barbour left from producing ''Cops'' in 1994.

For the first 25 seasons, ''Cops'' was broadcast by Fox with reruns of earlier seasons syndicated by local television stations and cable networks, including [[truTV]] and [[G4 (American TV network)|G4]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/12/cops-cruises-into-25th-season-saturday-december-15-on-fox/152727/ |title='Cops' Cruises Into 25th Season Saturday, December 15 on FOX |last=Kondolojy |first=Amanda |date=October 12, 2012 |publisher=[[TV by the Numbers]] |access-date=October 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022142144/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/12/cops-cruises-into-25th-season-saturday-december-15-on-fox/152727/ |archive-date=October 22, 2012 }}</ref> After Fox canceled the show in May 2013, [[Paramount Network|Spike]] picked it up<ref name="after_25_years_2013_05_06_la_times"/> for an additional five seasons, in addition to reruns of previous seasons.<ref name="bb">{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/05/cops-cancelled-by-fox-picked-up-by-spike-tv/ |title='Cops' Cancelled By Fox, Picked Up By Spike TV |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=May 6, 2013}}</ref> The 30th season premiered on June 17, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cops.com/c3001p/|title=On the Dean's List, Show 3001, COPS TV SHOW Official Site|access-date=2017-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729135904/http://www.cops.com/c3001p/|archive-date=2017-07-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On August 21, 2017, ''Cops'' celebrated its 1,000th episode with a live special called ''Cops: Beyond the Bust'', hosted by [[Terry Crews]] (who plays a police sergeant in the sitcom ''[[Brooklyn Nine-Nine]]''), which included historical clips from the run of the program as well as reunions of officers and the suspects that they arrested.<ref name="cops1000">[https://deadline.com/2017/07/spike-tv-cops-beyond-the-bust-cops-terry-crews-john-langley-1202136657/ 'Cops Beyond The Bust': Spike Sets Special To Mark 1,000th Episode Of 'Cops'] ''Deadline Hollywood'', July 26, 2017</ref> The date of the 1,000th episode also marked a shift of episode premieres from Saturdays to Mondays.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfyCQ95Xxd8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ZfyCQ95Xxd8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=COPS is Moving to MONDAY nights|website=[[YouTube]] |date=August 19, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The show follows officers in 140 different cities in the United States, [[Hong Kong]], [[London]], and the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.cops.com/about-us/ |website=cops.com |access-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630052906/http://www.cops.com/about-us/ |archive-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the wake of the protests following the [[murder of George Floyd]] in Minneapolis, Minnesota under police custody, Paramount Network pulled the series from the air ahead of its season 33 premiere, which was scheduled for June 1, 2020. On June 9, 2020, a network spokesperson announced "''Cops'' is not on the Paramount Network and we don't have any current or future plans for it to return".<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/>
The episode "Party in a Box" (season 28, episode 20, originally aired December 12, 2015) featured [[Atlanta Police Department]] Officer Garrett Rolfe, who in 2020 was charged with the [[killing of Rayshard Brooks]] during a [[driving under the influence]] investigation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cops Season 28 Episode 20: Party In A Box|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3nw3kn|access-date=2020-07-02|website=[[Dailymotion]]|language=en}}</ref>

In September 2020, ''Cops'' resumed production. The new episodes were being produced for international syndication and to fulfill contracts overseas that had not expired; Langley did not secure a domestic distributor until 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cops-quietly-resumes-production|title='Cops' quietly resumes production|first=Rick|last=Porter|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 1, 2020|access-date=October 4, 2020}}</ref> Rocket Rights picked up the show for distribution outside the United States in early-2021, with Langley's distribution unit, Langley Television Distribution (as of 2021) handling sales in the United States.

On September 13, 2021, it was announced that [[Fox Nation]] had picked up the show. The 33rd season premiered on October 1, 2021.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nation.foxnews.com/cops-nation/|title=COPS|publisher=Fox Nation|date=October 1, 2021|accessdate=October 2, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Fox Nation returning">{{cite web |title=Cops Finds New Home on Fox Nation |url=https://tvline.com/2021/09/13/cops-returning-new-episodes-fox-nation-streaming/ |website=[[TVLine]]|first=Ryan|last=Schwartz|date=September 13, 2021|accessdate=September 13, 2021}}</ref> Fox Nation would then premiere the show's 34th season on September 30, 2022.<ref name=season34 /><ref name="Fox Nation Still" />

== Production ==
''Cops'' was created by [[John Langley]] and his producing partner [[Malcolm Barbour]]. In 1983 they were working on ''Cocaine Blues'',<ref>{{Citation|title=Cocaine Blues|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313910/|access-date=2020-06-11}}</ref> a television series about drugs. As part of his research Langley went on a drug raid with drug enforcement officers and was inspired to create a show focusing on real-life law enforcement. Before that, there had been only a few instances of [[cinéma vérité]] productions documenting the work of police officers, such as [[Roger Graef]]'s ''[[Police (TV series)|Police]]'' in 1982.<ref name="Doyle2003">{{cite book|first=Aaron|last=Doyle|title=Arresting Images: Crime and Policing in Front of the Television Camera|url=https://archive.org/details/arrestingimagesc0000doyl|url-access=registration|year=2003|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-8504-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/arrestingimagesc0000doyl/page/33 33]–}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, after producing the live [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] specials ''American Vice: The Doping of a Nation'', ''Murder: Live From Death Row'', and ''Devil's Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground'' all with [[Geraldo Rivera]], Langley and Barbour pitched the ''Cops'' show concept to [[Stephen Chao]], a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] programming executive who would one day become president of the [[Fox Television Stations]] Group and later [[USA Network]]. Chao liked the concept and pitched it to [[Barry Diller]], then [[Chief executive officer|Chief Executive Officer]] of the Fox Network. Malcolm Barbour left from producing ''Cops'' in 1994.

A [[1988 Writers Guild of America strike|Writers Guild of America strike]] was occurring at the time and the network needed new material. An unscripted show that did not require writers was ideal for Fox. The first season aired in 1989 and consisted of 15 episodes featuring the [[Broward County Sheriff's Office]]. Since then, it has often been one of the highest-rated reality-TV programs, in part due to its low production cost (estimated at US$200,000 per episode in the early 1990s) and thus its capacity to show new material each week.<ref name="Doyle2003"/>

The original concept of the show was to follow officers home and tape their home lives along with their work. After a while the idea of following officers home was deemed too artificial by Langley and was abandoned. Thereafter, the format of three self-contained unscripted segments without narration or music became the show's formula.

Since the third episode of Season 2, every episode ends with a police radio excerpt referencing the intersection of SE 132nd Ave. and SE Bush St. in the [[Powellhurst-Gilbert, Portland, Oregon]] neighborhood of [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cops Creator John Langley Talks Bad Boys, the Move to Spike, & "Reality" TV |url=http://parade.com/256937/scottneumyer/cops-creator-john-langley-talks-bad-boys-the-move-to-spike-reality-tv/ |first=Scott |last=Neumyer |work=Parade |date=January 24, 2014}}</ref> A female officer says, "132 and Bush, I've got him at gunpoint", and a female dispatcher replies, "132 and Bush. Cover's Code 3." Another woman says, "Units 25, 14 can transmit on Tac 2", and the dispatcher replies, "Okay, we'll still send it Code 3." Then an instrumental version of "Bad Boys" plays over the credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisiontunes.com/COPS_-_Ending.html|title=COPS - Ending Theme Song - TelevisionTunes.com|website=www.televisiontunes.com}}</ref> On the first season of ''Cops'', instead of "132 and Bush, I've got him at gunpoint", it was a police radio excerpt from the [[Broward County, Florida]] Sheriff's Office. In the first two episodes of the second season, a different police radio excerpt from the [[Portland Police Bureau|Portland Bureau of Police]] was used.

''Cops'' aired on Fox's traditional Saturday-night lineup since its debut in 1989. As of 2012, the program retained its traditional time slot, but aired more intermittently as [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]] scheduled more sports programming in Saturday-night primetime, with [[NASCAR on Fox]] in the late winter and spring, [[Major League Baseball on Fox]] throughout the spring and summer, [[Fox College Football]] in the fall, and various [[Fox UFC]] throughout the year. ''Cops'' was then scheduled on weeks without any sporting events, followed by an encore presentation of a Fox drama series.

In 2013, it was announced that Fox had cancelled the program. However, it was later announced that Spike TV had picked up the program for another season.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/08/26/cops-moves-to-spike-tv-saturday-september-14-at-800pm-404410/20130826spiketv01/ |title='Cops' Moves to Spike TV Saturday, September 14 at 8:00PM |publisher=[[The Futon Critic]] |date=August 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cops.com/c2701p/|title=COPS Season 27 Premiere – 7/12/14|access-date=2014-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708223721/http://www.cops.com/c2701p/|archive-date=2014-07-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> In August 2017, Spike moved the show's time slot to Monday.

==Agencies featured==
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! colspan="2" | US agencies<ref name="departments">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cops.com/departments.html|title=COPS TV &#124; DEPARTMENTS|website=www.cops.com}}</ref>
|-
!State!!Agencies
|-
|[[Alabama]]||[[Birmingham Police Department]]<br>[[Mobile Police Department]]
|-
|[[Alaska]]||[[Alaska State Troopers]]<br>[[Anchorage Police Department]]<br>Kodiak Police Department
|-
|[[Arizona]]||Glendale Police Department<br>[[Maricopa County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Mesa Police Department]]<br>[[Phoenix Police Department]]<br>[[Tucson Police Department]]
|-
|[[Arkansas]]||[[Little Rock Police Department]]<br>North Little Rock Police Department
|-
|[[California]]||[[Alameda County Sheriff's Office]]<br>Cathedral City Police Department<br>Colton Police Department<br>Fontana Police Department<br>Fresno County Sheriff's Department<br>[[Fresno Police Department]]<br>[[Fullerton Police Department]]<br>Garden Grove Police Department<br>Hesperia Police Department<br>Indio Police Department<br>[[Kern County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]]<br>[[Los Angeles Police Department]]<br>Orange Police Department<br>[[Palm Springs Police Department]]<br>Pomona Police Department<br>Rancho Cucamonga Police Department<br>[[Rialto Police Department]]<br>[[Riverside County Sheriff's Department]]<br>[[Sacramento County Sheriff's Department]]<br>[[Sacramento Police Department]]<br>Salinas Police Department<br>[[San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department]]<br>[[San Diego County Sheriff's Department]]<br>[[San Jose Police Department]]<br>Santa Ana Police Department<br>[[Santa Rosa Police Department]]<br>Sonoma County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Stockton Police Department]]<br>Victorville Police Department<br>[[Whittier Police Department (California)|Whittier Police Department]]
|-
|[[Colorado]]||Adams County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Aurora Police Department]]<br>[[Denver Police Department]]
|-
|[[Florida]]||Boynton Beach Police Department<br>Brevard County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Broward County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Escambia County Sheriff's Office (Florida)|Escambia County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Fort Myers Police Department]]<br>[[Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Homestead, Florida|Homestead Police Department]]<br>[[Jacksonville Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Key West Police Department]]<br>[[Lee County Sheriff's Office (Florida)|Lee County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Leon County, Florida|Leon County Sheriff's Department]]<br>Marion County Sheriff's Office<br>Martin County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Miami Beach Police Department]]<br>[[Miami Police Department]]<br>[[Miami-Dade Police Department]]<br>Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]]<br>Palm Beach Gardens Police Department<br>[[Pasco County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]]<br>Pompano Beach Police Department<br>Riviera Beach Police Department<br>[[Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Sarasota County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Tampa Police Department]]<br>[[West Palm Beach Police Department]]
|-
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]||[[Atlanta Police Department]]<br>Cobb County Sheriff's Office<br>Forsyth County Sheriff's Office<br>Fulton County Police Department<br>[[Fulton County Sheriff's Office (Georgia)|Fulton County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Gwinnett County Police Department]]<br>Richmond County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department]]
|-
|[[Hawaii]]||Maui County Police Department
|-
|[[Idaho]]||Boise Police Department
|-
|[[Illinois]]||Aurora Police Department<br>[[Cook County Sheriff's Office]]
|-
|[[Indiana]]||Hamilton County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department]]<br>Speedway Police Department
|-
|[[Iowa]]||[[Des Moines Police Department (Iowa)|Des Moines Police Department]]
|-
|[[Kansas]]||[[Kansas City Police Department (Kansas)|Kansas City Police Department]]<br>Lawrence Police Department<br>Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Wichita Police Department]]
|-
|[[Kentucky]]||[[Covington Police Department]]
|-
|[[Louisiana]]||Lafayette Police Department<br>[[New Orleans Police Department]]
|-
|[[Maryland]]||[[Anne Arundel County Police Department]]<br>[[Baltimore Police Department]]
|-
|[[Massachusetts]]||[[Boston Police Department]]<br>Chelsea Police Department<br>[[Lowell Police Department]]<br>Lynn Police Department<br>Revere Police Department
|-
|[[Michigan]]||[[Crime in Flint, Michigan|Flint Police Department]]<br>Lansing Police Department
|-
|[[Minnesota]]||[[Minneapolis Police Department]]
|-
|[[Mississippi]]||Gulfport Police Department
|-
|[[Missouri]]||[[Independence Police Department (Missouri)|Independence Police Department]]<br>[[Jackson County Sheriff's Office (Missouri)|Jackson County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Kansas City Police Department]]<br>Springfield Police Department
|-
|[[Nebraska]]||[[Omaha Police Department]]
|-
|[[Nevada]]||[[Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department]]<br>[[North Las Vegas Police Department]]<br>Nye County Sheriff's Office
|-
|[[New Jersey]]||Hoboken Police Department<br>Jersey City Police Department<br>[[New Jersey State Police]]<br>Passaic County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Paterson Police Department]]
|-
|[[New Mexico]]||[[Albuquerque Police Department]]<br>Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department
|-
|[[New York (state)|New York]]||[[Buffalo Police Department]]<br>[[Erie County Sheriff's Office (New York)|Erie County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[New York City Police Department]]<br>[[New York City Transit Police]]
|-
|[[North Carolina]]||Forsyth County Sheriff's Office

Davidson County Sheriff’s Office 
|-
|[[Ohio]]||[[Cincinnati Police Department]]<br>[[Cleveland Division of Police]]<br>Norwood Police Division<br>Toledo Police Department
|-
|[[Oklahoma]]||Broken Arrow Police Department<br>[[Muskogee Police Department]]<br>Tulsa County Sheriff's Office
|-
|[[Oregon]]||Crook County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Multnomah County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Portland Police Bureau]]
|-
|[[Pennsylvania]]||Hazleton Police Department<br>[[Philadelphia Highway Patrol]]<br>[[Philadelphia Police Department]]<br>[[Pittsburgh Police]]
|-
|[[Rhode Island]]||Providence Police Department
|-
|[[South Carolina]]||Anderson County Sheriffs Office
[[Greenville County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Richland County Sheriff's Department]]
|-
|[[South Dakota]]||Mitchell Police Department<br>[[Pennington County Sheriff's Office (South Dakota)|Pennington County Sheriff's Office]]
|-
|[[Tennessee]]||[[Chattanooga Police Department]]<br>[[Memphis Police Department]]<br>[[Metropolitan Nashville Police Department]]<br>[[Shelby County Sheriff's Office (Tennessee)|Shelby County Sheriff's Office]]
|-
|[[Texas]]||Amarillo Police Department<br>Beaumont Police Department<br>Bexar County Sheriff's Office<br>Corpus Christi Police Department<br>[[Dallas Police Department]]<br>[[El Paso Police Department]]<br>Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Fort Worth Police Department]]<br>Grand Prairie Police Department<br>[[Harris County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Houston Police Department]]<br>[[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock Police Department]]<br>Montgomery County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Pasadena Police Department (Texas)|Pasadena Police Department]]<br>Tarrant County Sheriff's Office<br>Travis County Sheriff's Office
|-
|[[Virginia]]||Chesapeake Police Department<br>Newport News Police Department<br>Petersburg Police Department<br>[[Virginia Beach Police Department]]
|-
|[[Washington (state)|Washington]]||King County Police Department<br>[[King County Sheriff's Office]]<br>Lakewood Police Department<br>Olympia Police Department<br>[[Pierce County Sheriff's Department (Washington)|Pierce County Sheriff's Department]]<br>Snohomish County Sheriff's Office<br>[[Spokane County Sheriff's Office]]<br>[[Spokane Police Department]]<br>Spokane Valley Police Department<br>Thurston County Sheriff's Office
|-
|[[West Virginia]]||[[Charleston Police Department (West Virginia)|Charleston Police Department]]
|-
|[[Wisconsin]]||[[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay Police Department]]
|-
|Federal||[[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]]<br>[[United States Marshals Service]]
|-
|Railroad||Conrail Police Department
|}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! colspan="2" | International agencies
|-
!Countries!!Agencies
|-
|[[Soviet Union|USSR]]||[[Militsiya]]
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]||[[Metropolitan Police]]
|-
|[[Hong Kong]]||[[Hong Kong Police Force]]
|}

== Camera crew involvement ==
In one episode, the [[production sound mixer]] for the camera crew, a former [[emergency medical technician]], assisted a police officer in performing [[cardiopulmonary resuscitation]] (season 2, episode 7).{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

In an episode in season 11 that took place in 1998 in [[Atlanta]], Georgia, camera operator Si Davis, who was a [[Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department]] reserve police officer, dropped the camera and assisted an Atlanta police officer in wrestling a suspect into custody. It turned out that the APD officer had been injured during a foot pursuit; meanwhile, [[mixing console]] Steve Kiger picked up the camera and continued recording the action, which eventually made the air (season 11, episode 5).

In another episode, a rape suspect fled and outran officers, only to have the cameraman follow him the entire time, until police caught up to the suspect and subdued him (season 10, episode 19).

In an episode of season 14 (2001–2002), during the arrest of a man after a car chase in [[Hillsborough County, Florida]], the sound mixer held the suspect's sister away from the deputy after she tried to intervene in her brother's arrest.

During the first episode of season 22, which aired on September 12, 2009, an officer with the [[Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department]] was tackled by a suspect. The camera operator and Las Vegas Fire Department personnel wrestled the suspect away from the officer.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In episode 32 of season 22, an officer from [[Amarillo, Texas]] Police Department responded to a possible  auto burglary. The suspect was found inside the car and attempted to flee from the responding officer, however the suspect was stopped by the [[production sound mixer]] that was standing in the path that the suspect intended on escaping with.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In episode 17 of season 26 that aired on February 1, 2014, during the arrest of a man in [[Sacramento, California]], for battery on his girlfriend, one of the camera crew pulled one of the suspect's [[American Pit Bull Terrier|American pit bull terrier]] away from one of the arresting officers. The dog was biting the officer on the leg after being commanded to do so by the suspect.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

During the recording of episode 7 in Season 27, the camera crew assisted in detaining the passenger of a vehicle whose operator had fled on foot from officers in [[Lafayette, Louisiana]]. As police chased the driver, who successfully evaded arrest, the camera crew secured the vehicle by giving directions to the passenger; at one point, the camera operator can be seen gesturing to the passenger to place the latter's hands on the dashboard.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

=== 2014 Wendy's shooting incident ===
On August 26, 2014, at roughly 9:20&nbsp;p.m., a ''Cops'' crew was recording with the [[Omaha Police Department]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], during their final week working with them since arriving in June. A police officer drove to a [[Wendy's]] restaurant during a [[robbery]] and called for backup. One of the other responding officers had a two-person ''Cops'' crew (a cameraman and audio technician Bryce Dion) present in his or her cruiser. The crew began recording the robbery inside Wendy's.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/omaha-police-chief-says-officers-justified-in-firing-their-weapons/article_f64dc75c-2e06-11e4-9add-0017a43b2370.html |title=Omaha police chief says officers justified in firing their weapons in Wendy's shooting |first1=Maggie |last1=O'Brien |first2=Alia |last2=Conley |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=August 27, 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="nydn14">{{cite news |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/cops-crew-member-robbery-suspect-shot-dead-omaha-police-police-article-1.1919095 |title='Cops' crew member, robbery suspect both shot dead by Nebraska police |first=Sasha |last=Goldstein |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |date=August 27, 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2014}}</ref>

Authorities later identified the robber as 32-year-old Cortez Washington, whom police shot several times during the shootout. A police officer fired through a window, hitting Dion (wearing a bullet-resistant vest) once under the arm. Medics transported both to the hospital, and both died, with Dion being pronounced dead shortly after arrival.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/newsf/crime/officials-cops-tv-show-crewman-dies-after-being-shot-during/article_a919c242-2d98-11e4-9cee-001a4bcf6878.html |title=Officials: 'Cops' TV show crew member dies after being shot during Wendy's robbery |first1=Emerson |last1=Clarridge |first2=Jay |last2=Withrow |newspaper=Omaha World Herald |date=27 August 2014 |access-date=27 August 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ketv.com/news/cops-tv-show-crew-member-dies-after-shooting/27747006 |title='Cops' crew member dies after officer-involved shooting |publisher=[[WOWT]] |date=27 August 2014 |access-date=27 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/911/suspect-killed-tv-crew-member-wounded/article_31af838f-337b-525c-aae3-8f68cbf4439b.html |title='Cops' crew member dies after being shot in Omaha |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |via=[[Lincoln Journal Star]] |date=27 August 2014 |access-date=27 August 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=parole/>

The 38-year-old Dion had worked on ''Cops'' for seven years. Langley Productions stated that, in 25 years of video recording, this was the first incident in which a crew member was seriously injured or killed.<ref name="nydn14"/> A ''Cops'' crew working in [[Springfield, Missouri]], also [[Wrap (filmmaking)|wrapped]] following the Omaha incident.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/chief-cops-crew-leaves-springfield-early/article_86082d33-b773-5ff9-bd7d-22a55b9985f2.html |title=Chief: 'Cops' crew leaves Springfield early |publisher=Associated Press |via=[[Lincoln Journal Star]] |date=28 August 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In Dion's honor, the show aired an hour-long "best of" episode featuring his work on its September 20, 2014 episode.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/2014/09/spike_tv_to_honor_cops_crewmem.html |title=Spike TV to honor 'Cops' crewmember Bryce Dion of Lawrence who was killed by police during filming |publisher=Mass Live |date=September 15, 2014 |first=Ray|last=Kelly}}</ref>

The robbery's events took only seconds to happen.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTgF7r7ApH8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/UTgF7r7ApH8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title='COPS' video footage of 2015 fatal shooting at Wendy's released |author=Omaha World Herald |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=25 April 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Detective Darren Cunningham responded to the call while the ''Cops'' crew accompanied Officer Brooks Riley and Officer Jason Wilhelm. Cunningham and Riley entered the front door and unholstered their firearms, while Wilhelm went to the restaurant's back part to cover an emergency exit door that opens only from indoors. Cunningham and Riley approached Washington, who was at the restaurant's back part and did not see the officers arrive. For unknown reasons, Washington walked to the front counter, where the officers identified him and told him to lie on the floor—but Washington immediately pointed and fired a pistol while moving toward the officers, who returned fire. Cunningham retreated into the hallway toward the restroom and kept firing at Washington, who had then turned the corner and stood where the officers had initiated contact. Riley moved around a column and into the waiting aisle at the counter. As Washington passed the uniformed police officer, he aimed his weapon toward the officer and continued firing as he moved toward the front exit. Dion was caught in the ensuing crossfire as the officer returned fire at Washington, who stumbled into the parking lot and fell from his injuries before his arrest.

After the scene was secured, authorities learned that Washington's pistol was actually an [[airsoft]] handgun that strongly resembled a real [[Taurus (manufacturer)|Taurus]] firearm.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/27/cops-employee-shot/14669517/ |title=Police fired shot that killed 'Cops' crewmember |first=William |last=Cummings |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=August 28, 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2014}}</ref>

Authorities placed the three police officers on paid leave pending the result of an investigation into the shooting. A grand jury [[Acquittal|acquitted]] all three of misconduct.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/metro/grand-jury-clears-omaha-officer-who-fatally-shot-unarmed-robbery/article_f4395a3e-c82b-11e4-bd95-2778142ff97d.html |title= Grand jury clears Omaha officer who fatally shot unarmed robbery suspect |first1=Todd|last1=Cooper|first2=Alia|last2=Conley|newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=March 12, 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Washington had a lengthy criminal record in [[Wyandotte County, Kansas]]. At the time of the Wendy's robbery, he was on parole in Missouri, having been released in September 2013 after serving two years of a seven-year sentence as an accessory to second-degree robbery of a jewelry store, to which he pleaded guilty. In determining sentences and eligibility for parole, Missouri law does not consider criminal records in other states.<ref name=parole>{{cite news |url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article1320185.html |title=KCK parolee sparked Omaha shooting that killed him, TV crew member |first=Glenn E. |last=Rice |newspaper=[[Kansas City Star]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830105717/http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article1320185.html |archive-date=August 30, 2014 |date= August 28, 2014}}</ref> Approximately 20 minutes before the Wendy's robbery, his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jeneva Arias, robbed a [[Little Caesars]] pizza restaurant, using the same airsoft pistol; Washington served as her getaway driver.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/bail-set-for-woman-described-as-associate-of-man-killed/article_0a4d71e2-32dc-11e4-9a69-0017a43b2370.html |title=$250,000 bail set for woman described as associate of man killed in Wendy's robbery |first=Kevin |last=Cole |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=September 3, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Arias in turn was to be Washington's getaway driver in the Wendy's robbery, but fled. While in jail awaiting trial, she committed felony assault via throwing a soap mixture into a health care worker's face and fracturing a jailer's hand. Authorities gave Arias a plea bargain, and she pleaded no contest to reduced charges, and they sentenced her to a maximum of six years in jail through concurrent sentencing.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/woman-linked-to-robbery-that-left-cops-crew-member-dead/article_308fbdfc-1c19-11e5-8772-578f07381395.html |title=Woman linked to robbery that left 'Cops' crew member dead sentenced in earlier robbery, jail assaults |first=Maggie |last=O'Brien |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=June 26, 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Bryce Dion's brother, Trevor Dion, filed a lawsuit in February 2016 against the City of Omaha, alleging that inadequate communication and coordination between dispatchers and the officers arriving at the scene contributed to Dion's death. The suit also blames the authorities' decision to invite the ''Cops'' video crew to go with officers.<ref name="family_sues_2016_02_25_chicago_tribune">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-cops-tv-show-staffer-shot-20140826-story.html|title=Family of 'Cops' TV crew member killed by Omaha police sues|date=25 February 2016|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=27 May 2017|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/brother-of-cops-tv-show-crew-member-killed-in-files/article_f66aabb6-dbdd-11e5-aeec-2f849435ccfb.html|title=Brother of 'Cops' TV show crew member killed in 2014 files wrongful-death suit against City of Omaha |first=Maggie |last=O'Brien |newspaper=Omaha World Herald |date=February 26, 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> On April 24, 2018, a Douglas County District Judge refused the City of Omaha's request to bar the release of the video of the robbery-shooting at Wendy's and ordered the City of Omaha to release all materials related to the death of Bryce Dion, of which only still frames had been previously released.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/video-showing-fatal-shooting-of-cops-crewman-at-omaha-wendy/article_530e613c-b288-57e6-adbd-247182c2b099.html |title=Video showing fatal shooting of 'Cops' crewman at Omaha Wendy's is released |first=Alia |last=Conley |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=25 April 2018 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> On April 25, 2018, the video recorded by the ''Cops'' camera crew was released. The video was shown in open court and the ''[[Omaha World-Herald]]'' requested a copy, which it later released.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://m.tmz.com/#!2018/04/26/cops-tv-show-crew-member-shot-filming-robbery-dead-video-footage/ |title='COPS' NEW FOOTAGE RELEASED CREW MEMBER SHOT, KILLED WHILE TAPING |work=[[TMZ]] |date=April 24, 2014 |access-date=April 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613025249/http://m.tmz.com/#!2018/04/26/cops-tv-show-crew-member-shot-filming-robbery-dead-video-footage/ |archive-date=June 13, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Trevor Dion's lawsuit against the city was dismissed by a judge in July 2019.<ref>{{cite news |first=Todd |last=Cooper |url=https://omaha.com/news/crime/judge-omaha-officers-reasonable-in-firing-36-times-upon-a-robber-killing-cops-sound-man/article_7733ea44-bea1-53f3-9cb7-116f2ece4d31.html |title=Judge: Omaha officers reasonable in firing 36 times upon a robber, killing 'Cops' sound man |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=July 11, 2019 |access-date=July 25, 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== Opening sequence ==
{{listen|pos=right|filename=Inner Circle - Bad Boys.ogg|title=Inner Circle – Bad Boys|format=[[Ogg]]}}
The show's theme song is "[[Bad Boys (Inner Circle song)|Bad Boys]]", performed by reggae group [[Inner Circle (band)|Inner Circle]], which was played over a montage of clips.

All episodes of ''Cops'' began with a disclaimer. Beginning with later episodes of season 2, the wording was:

{{blockquote|text = ''Cops'' is filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. - Harry Newman provided by the following narration on the next episode.|author=|title=|source=}}

The disclaimer in the first two seasons was slightly different: "''Cops'' is filmed on location as it happens. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." [[Burt Lancaster]] provided the following narration on the pilot episode: "''Cops'' is about real people, and real crime. It was filmed entirely on location, with the men and women who work in law enforcement."

During at least the first season, episodes featured original scoring in a vein similar to the instrumental backing of the opening song. Some cues were short, others longer, usually over montages. Among the composers who scored episodes were Michael Lewis and Nathan Wang.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

The Spike TV-Paramount Network version of the show added the [[Twitter]] handle and [[Facebook]] URL as its [[social media]] pages to the intro in 2013 until it was removed in 2020.

== Episodes ==
{{main|List of Cops episodes (seasons 1–20)|List of Cops episodes (season 21–present)}}
{{For|the animated TV series COPS|List of C. O. P. S. episodes}}
{{Series overview|color1=#B8911C|link1=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_1_(1989)|episodes1=15|start1={{Start date|1989|3|11}}|end1={{End date|1989|6|17}}|network1=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|color2=#81DF2E|link2=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_2_(1989–1990)|episodes2=31|start2={{Start date|1989|9|23}}|end2={{End date|1990|5|5}}|color3=#3DA96A|link3=List of Cops episodes (seasons 1–20)#Season_3_(1990–1991)|episodes3=42|start3={{Start date|1990|9|15}}|end3={{End date|1991|8|31}}|color4=#804B23|link4=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_4_(1991–1992)|episodes4=45|start4={{Start date|1991|8|10}}|end4={{End date|1992|12|12}}|color5=#73AA0B|link5=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_5_(1992–1993)|episodes5=46|start5={{Start date|1992|8|15}}|end5={{End date|1993|9|4}}|color6=#472B58|link6=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_6_(1993–1994)|episodes6=46|start6={{Start date|1993|8|7}}|end6={{End date|1994|12|17}}|color7=#FB6926|link7=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_7_(1994–1995)|episodes7=41|start7={{Start date|1994|5|14}}|end7={{End date|1995|11|10}}|color8=#2C6406|link8=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_8_(1995–1996)|episodes8=43|start8={{Start date|1995|2|25}}|end8={{End date|1996|7|13}}|color9=#FF5C6F|link9=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_9_(1996-1997)|episodes9=36|start9={{Start date|1996|8|31}}|end9={{End date|1997|7|26}}|color10=#3A5794|link10=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_10_(1997–1998)|episodes10=36|start10={{Start date|1997|9|6}}|end10={{End date|1998|8|1}}|color11=#FFDAB9|link11=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_11_(1998–1999)|episodes11=36|start11={{Start date|1998|9|12}}|end11={{End date|1999|9|18}}|color12=#DDDDDD|link12=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_12_(1999–2000)|episodes12=36|start12={{Start date|1999|9|11}}|end12={{End date|2000|7|29}}|color13=#00CED1|link13=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_13_(2000–2001)|episodes13=40|start13={{Start date|2000|5|20}}|end13={{End date|2001|7|7}}|color14=#C39797|link14=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_14_(2001–2002)|episodes14=36|start14={{Start date|2001|9|1}}|end14={{End date|2002|9|21}}|color15=#191919|link15=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_15_(2002–2003)|episodes15=36|start15={{Start date|2002|5|4}}|end15={{End date|2003|11|1}}|color16=#FFFF00|link16=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_16_(2003–2004)|episodes16=41|start16={{Start date|2003|4|26}}|end16={{End date|2004|10|2}}|color17=#003366|link17=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_17_(2004-2005)|episodes17=36|start17={{Start date|2004|5|15}}|end17={{End date|2005|8|6}}|color18=#B0E0E6|link18=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_18_(2005–2006)|episodes18=36|start18={{Start date|2005|9|10}}|end18={{End date|2006|7|22}}|color19=#006161|link19=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_19_(2006–2007)|episodes19=36|start19={{Start date|2006|9|9}}|end19={{End date|2007|7|28}}|color20=#999999|link20=List_of_Cops_episodes_(seasons_1–20)#Season_20_(2007–2008)|episodes20=38|start20={{Start date|2007|9|8}}|end20={{End date|2008|8|2}}|color21=#A99B81|link21=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_21_(2008–2009)|episodes21=36|start21={{Start date|2008|9|7}}|end21={{End date|2009|7|25}}|color22=#FF4DC1|link22=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_22_(2009–2010)|episodes22=36|start22={{Start date|2009|9|12}}|end22={{End date|2010|7|31}}|color23=#FFA500|link23=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_23_(2010–2011)|episodes23=22|start23={{Start date|2010|9|11}}|end23={{End date|2011|6|18}}|color24=#FF7F7F|link24=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_24_(2011–2012)|episodes24=22|start24={{Start date|2011|9|10}}|end24={{End date|2012|4|7}}|color25=#226443|link25=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_25_(2012–2013)|episodes25=16|start25={{Start date|2012|12|15}}|end25={{End date|2013|5|4}}|color26=#66CCCC|link26=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_26_(2013–2014)|episodes26=22|start26={{Start date|2013|9|14}}|end26={{End date|2014|3|8}}|network26=[[Spike (TV channel)|Spike]]|color27=#420911|link27=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_27_(2014–2015)|episodes27=33|start27={{Start date|2014|7|12}}|end27={{End date|2015|5|9}}|color28=#AC2121|link28=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_28_(2015–2016)|episodes28=33|start28={{Start date|2015|6|20}}|end28={{End date|2016|4|30}}|color29=#00B679|link29=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_29_(2016–2017)|episodes29=33|start29={{Start date|2016|6|4}}|end29={{End date|2017|4|22}}|color30=#650D5B|link30=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_30_(2017–2018)|episodes30=33|episodes30A=22|start30A={{Start date|2017|6|17}}|end30A={{End date|2017|11|13}}|episodes30B=11|start30B={{Start date|2018|1|22}}|end30B={{End date|2018|5|21}}|network30B=[[Paramount Network]]|color31=#650D5B|link31=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_31_(2018–2019)|episodes31=33|start31={{Start date|2018|6|4}}|end31={{End date|2019|5|20}}|color32=#650D5B|link32=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_32_(2019–2020)|episodes32=33|start32={{Start date|2019|6|3}}|end32={{End date|2020|5|11}}|color33=#650D5B|link33=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_33_(2021–2022)|episodes33=33|start33={{Start date|2021|10|1}}|end33={{End date|2022|7|8}}|network33=[[Fox Nation]]|color34=#650D5B|link34=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_34_(2022–2023)|episodes34=17|start34={{Start date|2022|9|30}}|end34={{End date|2023|3|31}}|color35=#650D5B|link35=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_35_(2023-2024)|episodes35=33|start35={{Start date|2023|4|07}}|end35={{End date|2024|3|29}}|color36=#650D5B|link36=List_of_Cops_episodes_(season_21–present)#Season_36_(2024-present)|episodes36=TBA|start36={{Start date|2024|4|05}}|end36=TBA}}

== Syndication ==
===Domestic===
In September 1992, reruns of ''Cops'' went into broadcast syndication, and like Fox's fellow series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', it became a mainstay of the format, with its carriage being led by [[Fox Television Stations]] itself, be it Fox stations or those stations which belong to its sister network [[MyNetworkTV]]; it was also consistently included on the schedule of [[The CW]]'s smaller-market chain of local cable channels and broadcast subchannels, [[The CW Plus]]. Seasons 7-24 would air on [[Court TV]] which eventually rebranded to [[TruTV]] in 2008, over the course of its syndicated run from 1998-2014 on the network, seasons 7-24 would be broadcast on the network, in 2014, it was announced the program would be pulled off the air by 2015, due to its syndicated contract expiring, the network decided not to renew the contract and by January, 2015, the network would stop airing the syndicated reruns. In the fall of 2013, it mainly began to air on Spike (now Paramount Network) on the cable side as part of that network's agreement to air new episodes, after several years on [[truTV]]. Older episodes were picked up by the now defunct [[Cloo]] in September 2014, after spending years on the now defunct [[G4 (American TV network)|G4]], which was discontinued in December 2014. Local station syndication of the show was prevalent on most Fox stations and affiliates at the time, but as of 2015, older episodes were shifted into ''Cops Reloaded''. [[NewsNation|WGN America]] also carried reruns of the regular version. At the start of 2016, the episodes in the now defunct Cloo/G4 package were moved into the Spike TV-Paramount Network syndicated package when the former G4-Cloo syndication agreement expired, giving that network the rights to the majority of the program. After Viacom's acquisition of [[Pluto TV]] in 2019, a 24/7 channel made up of episodes of the series directly programmed under license from Langley Productions was launched.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://gizmodo.com/hey-pluto-tv-what-the-fuck-1844001778|title=Pluto TV Still Streaming Cops, Citing 'Diversity of Viewpoints'|last=Keck|first=Katie|date=June 11, 2020|publisher=[[Gizmodo]]|access-date=June 12, 2020}}</ref>

Related to Paramount ending its carriage of ''Cops'' in June 2020, it has also relinquished its syndication rights; WGN America, which began to convert to a general news network as [[NewsNation Prime|NewsNation]] under new ownership, also decided to stop carrying the show at the end of its existing carriage contract, which happened to terminate by coincidence on June 30, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rick |last=Porter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cops-canceled-at-paramount-network-1297778 |title='Cops' Canceled at Paramount Network |newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=July 25, 2020 }}</ref> [[Disney Media Distribution]], which syndicates the FTSP-era episodes under its former name of [[20th Television]] to local television stations, replaced the series for the remainder of the summer with the 2018–19 run of the defunct syndication version of ''[[Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (American game show)#Syndication|Who Wants to Be a Millionaire]]'' on June 15 (of which an hour of episodes were distributed, as ''Cops'' was often paired with ''[[Live PD#Syndication|Live PD: Police Patrol]]'', which was also pulled from syndication at the same time new episodes of that series were cancelled).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/cops-disney-discussions-local-stations-dropping-t-show-replacements-1202956361/|title='Cops': Disney In Discussions With Local Stations Dropping The Show About Replacements|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=June 11, 2020|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=June 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Reelz]] began to carry ''Reloaded'' episodes again on September 3, 2021. Reelz also began to carry older episodes of the regular version from seasons 8-17. Since May, 2023, Fox Business has also began carrying syndicated reruns of seasons 32, 33. Law & Crime network carries syndicated broadcasts of Reloaded as of 2023.

===International===
''Cops'' is broadcast in the UK on [[CBS Drama]], [[CBS Reality]] and [[Fox (British and Irish TV channel)|Fox]]. In Portugal the show is aired on [[Fox Crime]], in Brazil on [[truTV]], in Colombia on truTV, in Australia on [[Network 10|Network Ten]], [[10 Bold]] (a sub-channel of Network Ten) and [[Crime + Investigation (Australian TV channel)|Crime + Investigation]], in Japan on Fox Crime, in Philippines on [[C/S|C/S 9]], in India on [[Star World]] and FOX Crime, in Norway on [[V4 (Norwegian TV channel)|V4]], in Sweden ''Reloaded'' airs on [[TV12 (Sweden)|TV12]] while original runs on [[TV6 (Sweden)|TV6]] and [[TV10 (Sweden)|TV10]], and in Denmark on [[Canal 9 (Danish TV channel)|Canal 9]].

In Canada, both the original and ''Reloaded'' versions of the program aired on [[Action (Canadian TV channel)|Action]] (now [[Adult Swim (Canadian TV channel)|Adult Swim]]). BiteTV began airing the program in December 2014 (until its relaunch as [[Makeful]] in August 2015), while sibling channel RadX (which re-branded to [[BBC Earth (Canadian TV channel)|BBC Earth]] in January 2017) began airing it on Monday, August 3, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radx.ca/shows/cops/|title=Radx.ca|access-date=2015-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027030048/http://www.radx.ca/shows/cops/|archive-date=2015-10-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2022, Cops now airs on 24/7 channels by [[LG Electronics|LG Channels]] and [[Samsung Electronics|Samsung TV Plus]].

===''Cops 2.0''===
An enhanced version of the program branded as ''Cops 2.0'' with live web chats and program facts aired on [[G4 (American TV network)|G4]] from May 2007 to 2009.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.g4tv.com/g4/press/179/G4_PREMIERE_OF_COPS_20_DEPUTIZES_VIEWERS_WITH_INTERACTIVE_UPDATE_TO_LONGRUNNING_LAW_ENFORCEMENT_SERIES.html |title=Cops 2.0 Press Release|publisher=[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]]|date=May 24, 2007|access-date=July 28, 2007 }}</ref>

=== ''Cops Reloaded'' ===

In January 2013, [[20th Television]] announced that a new syndicated version titled ''Cops Reloaded'' would begin airing on [[CMT (American TV channel)|CMT]] as well as local stations.<ref>{{cite press release | first = Paige | last = Albiniak |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/exclusive-twentieth-clears-cops-reboot-cops-reloaded-80-us/114013 |title=Exclusive: Twentieth Clears 'COPS' Reboot, 'COPS Reloaded,' in 80% of U.S. |publisher=broadcastingcable.com|date=January 10, 2013|access-date=November 28, 2013}}</ref> The new format features slightly edited segments of classic ''Cops'' episodes, allowing for four segments per each half-hour episode. This version contains all new graphics and soundbites during the opening theme song, and older segments are modified and framed to a sharpened [[widescreen]] image for the [[high-definition television|high-definition]] format if they were originated in [[standard-definition television]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cops Reloaded: About The Show|url=http://www.cmt.com/show/cops_reloaded/series.jhtml#moreinfo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328131901/http://www.cmt.com/show/cops_reloaded/series.jhtml#moreinfo|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 28, 2013|website=[[CMT (American TV channel)|CMT]]|publisher=CMT|access-date=21 August 2014}}</ref> From 2016-2018, ''Cops Reloaded'' aired on the [[CW network]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} On January 29, 2024, season 1 of ''Cops Reloaded'' was added to [[Tubi]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} In February, 2024, Season 1 of ''Cops Reloaded'' was also added to [[Peacock TV]].

== Home media ==
The program has had several "best-of" home videos, including ''Cops: In Hot Pursuit'', ''Cops: Shots Fired'', ''Cops: Bad Girls'',  ''Cops: Caught in the Act ,'' and ''Cops: Too Hot for TV'' which included segments containing profanity and nudity that was edited out of the network version.<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Cops/212 Cops (1989) DVD releases] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405092557/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Cops/212 |date=2014-04-05 }} TVShowsonDVD.com</ref> ''Cops: Too Hot for TV'' also had a deluxe edition which had a segment containing especially graphic content, including police finding a man who had hanged himself in his garage and the aftermaths of two different shootings. Before the aforementioned segment, there was an announcement by John Langley, stating that "This next segment isn't just too hot for TV, it's also probably too hot for this video. Once you've seen it, you'll know why."<ref>{{Citation |last=John Langley |title=COPS Too Hot for TV (Deluxe Edition) (95 VHS) |date=1995 |url=http://archive.org/details/yt-5s.com-cops-too-hot-for-tv-deluxe-edition-95-vhs |access-date=2024-05-31 |last2=Malcolm Barbour}}</ref>

A ''Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition'' two-disc DVD with viewer favorites from each season, several behind the scenes features, and the original one-hour pilot was released in the United States and Canada on February 19, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.copsdvd.com |title=Cops 20th Anniversary |publisher=Copsdvd.com |access-date=June 15, 2011}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Title
! Format
! Ep #
! Discs/tapes
! Region 1 (USA)
! Special features
! Distributors
|-
| ''Cops: In Hot Pursuit''
| VHS
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| 1
| -
| N/A
| [[John Langley|Langley Productions]]
|-
| ''Cops: Shots Fired''
| VHS
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| 1
| -
| N/A
| [[John Langley|Langley Productions]]
|-
| ''Cops: Bad Girls''
| VHS
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| 1
| -
| N/A
| [[John Langley|Langley Productions]]
|-
| ''Cops: Caught in the Act''
| VHS
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| 1
| -
| N/A
| [[John Langley|Langley Productions]] 
|-
| ''Cops: Shots Fired''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" |Special
| 1
| March 23, 2004
| Never-before-seen footage.
| [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] 
|-
| ''Cops: Bad Girls''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" |Special
| 1
| March 23, 2004
| Never-before-seen footage.
| [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]
|-
| ''Cops: Caught in the Act''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" |Special
| 1
| March 23, 2004
| Never-before-seen footage
| [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] 
|-
| ''Cops: The Bad Karma Collection Vol 1'' and ''2''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" |Special
| 2
| August 8, 2006
| None
| [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] 
|-
| ''Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" | 1
| 2
| February 19, 2008
| ''Cops 20th Season'' Special

Original Pilot Episode

Parodies and tributes

Famous Fan Favorite

Scenes from all 20 Seasons

The Story of ''Cops''

Cops on ''Cops''

Lights! Camera! Action!

Toughest Takedowns
| [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] 
|-
| ''Cops: Wildest Chases''
| DVD
| style="text-align:center;" | Season 26, Episodes 8–9, 11–12, 15, 22

Season 27, Episode 03
| 1
| May 19, 2015
| None
| [[Paramount Home Entertainment]] 
|}

==Tie-ins==
In 1994, Pacific Gameworks created a proposal for a [[video game]] project intended for the [[Atari Jaguar]] based upon the TV show; however, production of the game never started and it was left unreleased.<ref>{{cite web|author=((kevincal20))|date=September 12, 2017|title=Rare Original 1994 Atari Jaguar CD Game Proposal AC/DC Defenders of Metal Papers|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Original-1994-Atari-Jaguar-CD-Game-Proposal-AC-DC-Defenders-of-Metal-Papers-/311958066639&nma=true&si=hHI3BhSc6%252BJIJhZFQ724Vw3Pw6Y%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557|access-date=2019-04-03|publisher=[[eBay]]}}</ref>

{{Main|Cops (video game)}}
In 1995, Nova Productions and [[Atari Games]] released a [[LaserDisc video game|LaserDisc arcade game]] based on the show. The game uses live-action [[full motion video]] for graphics and consists of a driving stage and a shooting stage very similar to ''[[Mad Dog McCree]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hot at the Arcades: COPS|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=81|date=June 1995|page=17}}</ref>

In 1999, ''Cops'' associate producer and sound mixer Hank Barr published ''The Jump-Out Boys'', a book about the show's production.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Jump-Out Boys|isbn=978-0533129034|last1=Barr|first1=Hank J|year=1999}}</ref>

==Reception==

===Recognition===
''Cops'' has received four [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy]] nominations, as of May 2017. The website of the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] specifically lists four nominations of ''Cops'' for Outstanding Informational Series (in 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994) but ultimately no Emmy awards were awarded to the show.<ref name="official_cops_website"/><ref name="cops_awards_and_nominations_emmys_com">[http://www.emmys.com/shows/cops "COPS: Awards & Nominations."] [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]], retrieved May 27, 2017</ref><ref name="cops_awards_imdb_com">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096563/awards "COPS (1989-): Awards."] in [[IMDb]], retrieved May 27, 2017</ref>

Awards won have included:
* 1993: the American Television Award for Best Reality-Based Program<ref name="cops_awards_imdb_com"/>
* 2008: [[American Cinema Editors]], USA Eddie (award) for Best Edited Reality Series<ref name="cops_awards_imdb_com"/>

Other nominations (not resulting in an award) have included:
* 2016: [[Critics' Choice Television Award]] for Best Unstructured Reality Show<ref name="cops_awards_imdb_com"/>

===Criticism===
Even though it is popular and long-running, ''Cops'' has drawn mixed reviews, and it has also raised ethical questions.

==Positive==
In Season 3 (1991-1992), Alan Bunce of ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' praised the show as network television's "only true '[[cinema verite]]' series"—declaring it "innocent of re-enactments," and "free of fancy production effects," while remaining "doggedly faithful to its format."<ref name="cops_has_the_right_beat_1992-02-16_latimes_com">{{cite web|last1=Bunce|first1=Alan|title=COMMENTARY : Fox's 'Cops' Has the Right Beat|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-16-tv-4303-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=February 16, 1992}}</ref> Bunce raved about its "honesty of tone" and the show's "commitment" to, in his words, "recording exactly what happens" (nothing more, nothing less)—"an implicit rebuke" to what he called "the excesses and sleight-of-hand" indulged in by most other "reality" shows. "''Cops''", he said, "is a stickler for authenticity."<ref name="cops_has_the_right_beat_1992-02-16_latimes_com"/>

=== Negative ===
In 1999, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'}} [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning, long-time, television critic [[Howard Rosenberg]]<ref name="rosenberg_to_retire_2003_07_28_la_times">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-28-et-rosenberg28-story.html "Rosenberg to retire Aug. 8,"] July 28, 2003, ''[[Los Angeles Times]],'' retrieved May 27, 2017</ref> chastised ride-along reality TV shows (like ''Cops,'' which he particularly named), as "uniting" police and media in ride-alongs where each party is "an extension of the other."<ref name="high_court_1999_05_26_la_times">[[Howard Rosenberg|Rosenberg, Howard]], [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-26-ca-40966-story.html "High Court Gives Series a Dose of Reality,"] May 26, 1999, ''[[Los Angeles Times]],'' retrieved May 28, 2017</ref> When invading "private property with their cameras rolling," said Rosenberg, these partnerships' behavior is "appallingly indifferent" to the "fundamental privacy rights" of the people whose homes they invade, and the resulting TV shows depict "social and moral crises" deceptively, "without context"—doing so in "the most narrow, emotional terms" they can.<ref name="high_court_1999_05_26_la_times"/> In a 2009 interview, ''Cops'' executive producer John Langley admitted that his show is built around a three-segment structure, presenting an "action" piece, an "emotional" piece, and a "thought" piece<ref name="langely_interview_2009_05_29_tv_archive">[http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/john-langley "John Langley Interview,"] in [[North Hollywood, California]], May 22, 2009, ''Archive of American Television'' retrieved May 27, 2017.</ref> (an example of the [[Rule of three (writing)|rule of three]]).

Rosenberg further describes such a commercial police–media partnership as exceptionally prone to media corruption—yielding misleading, one-sided perspectives. "The collusion potential is enormous," says Rosenberg, because a so-called "reality" series can choose to air nothing that they fear will put their partners (the police) in a bad light (an embarrassment which, says Rosenberg, would cut off the TV show's access to the ride-alongs, resulting in "no access, no show".)<ref name="high_court_1999_05_26_la_times"/>

A podcast called ''Headlong: Running from Cops''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Running from Cops|url=https://www.topic.com/runningfromcops|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Topic|language=en|archive-date=August 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806181945/https://www.topic.com/runningfromcops|url-status=dead}}</ref> started in April 2019. Presented by [[Dan Taberski]], it investigates ''Cops'' and ''[[Live PD]]'', their alleged treatment of participants and whether scenarios are portrayed truthfully.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Quah|first=Nicholas|date=2019-05-17|title=Running From Cops Is Already One of the Year's Best Podcasts|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/running-from-cops-podcast-review.html|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Vulture|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kang|first=Inkoo|date=2019-05-24|title=Is One of America's Most Successful TV Shows Actually State Propaganda?|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/05/running-from-cops-podcast-review-reality-tv-series-dan-taberski.html|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Slate Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Headlong: Running From COPS|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/headlong-running-from-cops|access-date=2020-06-11|website=www.peabodyawards.com}}</ref>

Critics have noted the use of propaganda for cops, or [[copaganda]], in the show COPS.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-10 |title=Copaganda: Why film and TV portrayals of the police are under fire |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/police-brutality-tv-copaganda-brooklyn-nine-nine-paw-patrol-cops-george-floyd-a9610956.html |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

=== Targeted subjects ===
==== 2004 Old Dominion study ====
In June 2004, researchers at [[Old Dominion University]] videotaped 16 episodes of ''Cops'' and then evaluated them for crime content, and for the race and gender of characters depicted. They found prior studies statistically reinforced in their descriptions of racial misrepresentation on ''Cops''. The study found that, on ''Cops'', [[African-American]] men were overwhelmingly shown as perpetrators—usually of violent crimes—and [[Hispanic]] men (rarely depicted at all) were also usually depicted as violent criminals. The police officers depicted were overwhelmingly White, and the disproportionately few White offenders were more-often portrayed as involved in non-violent offenses.<ref name="reality_tv_crime_shows_2007_old_dominion">Monk-Turner, Elizabeth, with Homer Martinez, Jason Holbrook, & Nathan Harvey, Dept. of Sociology and Criminal Justice, [[Old Dominion University]], in [http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.601.7250&rep=rep1&type=pdf "Are Reality TV Crime Shows Continuing To Perpetuate Crime Myths?"] 2007, ''[[Internet Journal of Criminology]]'', retrieved May 31, 2017</ref> As a response, the show's co-creator John Langley tried to include White offenders in each episode.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Tim|last1=Stelloh|first2=Gabe|last2=Isman|url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/01/22/bad-boys|title=How "Cops" became the most polarizing reality TV show in America.|publisher=[[The Marshall Project]]|date=January 22, 2018|access-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref>

Statistical correlations between {{em|actual}} crime rates and types (by race and gender, as reported by the FBI's [[Uniform Crime Reports]]) and the Old Dominion study's analysis of characters in the ''Cops'' episodes indicated that the ''Cops'' episodes (on average) sharply skewed the numbers, racially, making African-American and Hispanic men appear far more responsible for violent crime than they actually are in the U.S. population at large. At the same time, White males were shown on ''Cops'' as a far less culpable group than they actually are, statistically.<ref name="reality_tv_crime_shows_2007_old_dominion"/>

The study also noted that women were almost totally ignored in ''Cops''—seldom appearing as either officers or offenders. Finally, it noted that the show overwhelmingly depicted violent crimes, despite such crimes being a distinct minority of crime in the U.S.<ref name="reality_tv_crime_shows_2007_old_dominion"/>

==== 2004 Prosise-Johnson study ====
In 2004, researchers Theodore O. Prosise ([[University of Washington]]), and Ann Johnson, Ph.D. ([[California State University, Long Beach|University of California/Long Beach]]), studied a random, but non-scientific, sample of 81 anecdotes from ''Cops'' episodes—analyzing their content, subjects and characters. They concluded that the program was racially skewed, negatively misrepresenting African-Americans, depicted as a criminal class out of proportion to their actual percentage of U.S. crime, in particular.<ref name="anecdotal_form_2004_western_journ_comms">Prosise, Theodore O., Ph.D. (University of Washington) and Ann Johnson, Ph.D. (University of California/Long Beach), article: [http://www.uky.edu/~addesa01/documents/Cops.pdf "Law Enforcement and Crime on ''Cops'' and ''World's Wildest Police Videos'': Anecdotal Form and the Justification of Racial Profiling,"] 68 (1) ''[[Western Journal of Communications]],'' (Winter 2004), pp.72-91 (PDF), retrieved May 31, 2017</ref>

Moreover, the study indicated that the ''Cops'' episodes appeared to selectively edit out failed police efforts, and police-initiated actions "on a hunch" that resulted in the discovery of no grounds for an intervention or arrest—showing only those officer "hunches and suspicions" that were productive—creating the illusion that officer instincts were more reliable and valid than in actual life. The study's authors expressed concern that this provided TV viewers with implicit—and misleading—justification for police actions that amounted to "racism, discrimination or profiling."<ref name="anecdotal_form_2004_western_journ_comms"/>

==== Targeting the poor ====
The show has been criticized for its predominant focus on criminal activities among the poor. Critics of this aspect of the show say it unfairly presents the poor as responsible for most crime in society while ignoring the "[[white-collar crime]]s" that are typical of the more wealthy. Controversial [[documentary film]]maker [[Michael Moore]] raises this tenet in an interview with a former associate producer of ''Cops'', [[Richard Herlan]], in Moore's 2002 movie ''[[Bowling for Columbine]]''.

Herlan's response to Moore was that television is primarily a visual medium, requiring regular footage on a weekly basis to sustain a show, and police officers "busting in" on an office where [[identity theft]] papers are being created or other high-level crime rings are operating does not happen very often. It is therefore not likely to be recorded and thus not shown. The low-level crime featured on the show happens every day, providing large quantities of material suitable for taping.

=== Influence on viewers ===
A 2001 study of 117 Justice Studies<ref name="justice)_studies_asu">"Justice Studies" is defined by Arizona State University as coursework preparatory for careers or further studies in "law or policy. graduate studies in social sciences or humanities. human welfare and social work. law enforcement and criminal justice." See: [https://sst.clas.asu.edu/justice-and-social-inquiry "Justice Studies"] in School of Social Transformation at [[Arizona State University]], retrieved May 31, 2017</ref> students at [[Arizona State University]]—a cross-section sample proportionally representative of the genders and races of all justice studies students at ASU—found various correlations between students' race and gender and their attitudes towards representative episodes of ''Cops''. The study found that students were drawn to the violence in the program. It also found that students interpreted ''Cops'' scenes as valid and informative representations of the genders and races different from their own—eliminating the need to learn about them through direct personal contact.<ref name="mediating_cops_2001_curry">Curry, Kathleen (Dept. of Sociology & Criminal Justice, University of Delaware), [http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol8is3/curry.pdf "Mediating ''COPS'': An analysis of viewer reaction to reality TV,"] in ''Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture,'' 8(3) (2001) pp.169–185, (PDF), retrieved May 31, 2017</ref>

=== Rejections by police departments ===
In 2005 in response to a request for ''Cops'' taping, Patrick Camden, the [[Chicago Police Department]]'s deputy director of news affairs stated, "police work is not entertainment. What they do trivializes policing. We've never seriously even considered taping."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Ben|last=Grossman|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/159548-Bad_Boys_Big_Money.php|title=Bad Boys=Big Money; Cops has no stars, no plot and no contests, and it's a killer on TV|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=July 31, 2005 |access-date=June 15, 2011}}</ref> The [[Fairfax County Police Department]], located in [[Northern Virginia]], has similarly refused to allow ''Cops'' taping since the show originally aired, as have the [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Washington, D.C. Police]], [[Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis|St. Louis City Police]], and the [[Honolulu Police Department]]. In addition, the show has rarely featured federal law enforcement agencies because such officers often work undercover and as a result, they are not inclined to have their work broadcast.

===In popular culture===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2020}}
{{In popular culture|section|date=July 2020}}

====Similar shows====
[[Animal Planet]] aired its own version called ''[[Animal Cops]]'', featuring [[animal control service]]s and [[animal welfare]] organizations.

Several other American shows have paid homage to ''Cops''{{'}} format, such as ''[[LAPD: Life on the Beat]]'', ''[[Police POV]]'', ''[[Live PD]]'' and ''[[On Patrol: Live]]''.

A similar Canadian series called ''Under Arrest'' aired in the 1990s and 2000s.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5345002/ Under Arrest on imdb]</ref>

====Parodies====
Three [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] series parodied their own network's program. ''[[Mad TV]]'' featured a series of filmed parodies called "Clops", shot in [[Clay animation|claymation]], and consisted of animated cops and criminals, commonly in exaggerated situations analogous to the real series. ''[[In Living Color]]'' did a parody called "Thugs", from the point of view of a group of criminals. In 1992, the episode "[[Homer's Triple Bypass]]" from ''[[The Simpsons]]'' featured a parody of the show entitled "COPS: In Springfield".

Seattle's sketch comedy show ''[[Almost Live!]]'' did a parody called "Librarians", and "Cops in{{nbsp}}...".

In 1994, children's show ''[[Bill Nye the Science Guy]]'' did a parody called "''Cops'' in Your Bloodstream", with said 'police officers' representing [[white blood cell]]s attempting to stop 'criminal' [[infection]]s.

''[[Troops (film)|Troops]]'' is a mockumentary by Kevin Rubio that had its debut at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] on July 18, 1997, and was subsequently distributed via the internet. The movie is a parody of ''Cops'', set in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' universe. In the movie, Imperial stormtroopers from the infamous Black Sheep Squadron patrolling the Dune Sea on the planet Tatooine run into some very familiar characters while being recorded for the hit Imperial TV show ''Troops''.

''[[Shrek 2]]'' parodied show called ''Knights'' which showed [[Shrek (character)|Shrek]], [[Donkey (Shrek)|Donkey]], and [[Puss in Boots (Shrek)|Puss in Boots]] being arrested (the latter for possession of [[catnip]]).

On January 28, 2019, ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' did a parody called ''[[Robert Mueller|Mueller]]'' which featured [[CNN]]'s footage of [[Roger Stone]]'s arrest the previous week, with footage of other [[Donald Trump]] associates' arrests mixed into actual ''Cops'' opening titles, and a fictional FBI agent providing recaps of the action.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPKQxsy1F_A Whatcha Gonna Do When Mueller Comes For You?] ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' Official YouTube Channel, January 29, 2019</ref>

[[Jay Leno]] parodied the program on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno|The Tonight Show]]'' in the mid-90s, which included rewrites of the theme song with various insults, including "dumb cops", "short cops" and "mall cops", with appropriate characters and changed lyrics.

Two episodes of the sitcom ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' had the main characters being arrested during fictitious tapings of ''Cops''.

The [[Dead or Alive (franchise)|''Dead or Alive'' video game series]] had a parody show called ''Agents'' which showed the man being arrested by [[government agents]] for torturing and abusing his ex-girlfriends, [[grifting]], [[fraud]], [[movie piracy]], [[copyright infringement|TV episode piracy]], [[impersonating]] now-deceased Fame Douglas, [[mockery|mocked]] and impersonated on [[Helena Douglas]] on the internet and [[forgery|forging his own video game]] and sent to [[federal prison]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

====''The X-Files'' pseudo-crossover episode====

The show ''[[The X-Files]]'' released a pseudo crossover episode of ''Cops'' called "[[X-Cops]]" ([[The X-Files (season 7)|season 7]], episode 12, originally aired February 20, 2000) in which FBI Special Agents [[Fox Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully]] collaborate with mostly fictitious deputies from the [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]], an actual LAPD SWAT team was also featured in the episode, in order to catch a mysterious, [[shapeshifting]] entity. In the tradition of the real-life ''Cops'' program, the entire episode is shot on videotape.

== Legal issues ==
=== Home intrusion ===

A 1999 [[United States Supreme Court]] decision, ''Wilson v. Layne,'' No. 98-83, (and the Court's simultaneous stance on an Appeals Court ruling in a similar case ''Hanlon v. Berger,'' No. 97-1927, and its affiliate case, ''CNN v. Berger,'' No. 97-1914) appeared to legal scholars to restrict the actions of ''Cops'' video crews, and some suggested it might even spell the end for the program.<ref name="police_violate">Greenhouse, Linda, "[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/25/us/supreme-court-fourth-amendment-police-violate-privacy-home-raids-with.html THE SUPREME COURT: THE FOURTH AMENDMENT; Police Violate Privacy in Home Raids With Journalists]," May 25, 1999, ''[[The New York Times]]'', retrieved May 27, 2017</ref><ref name="slams_door">Kowalczyk, Ronald B., [http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1314&context=jatip "Supreme Court Slams the Door on the Press: Media Ride-along Found Unconstitutional in Wilson v. Layne,"] Spring, 1999, ''DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law,'' Vol.9, Iss.2, retrieved May 27, 2017</ref><ref name="law_trager">Trager, Robert, Joseph Russomanno and Susan Dente Ross, book: ''[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1483322734 The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication]'' 2013, Language Arts & Disciplines, as reproduced on GoogleBookx, retrieved May 27, 2017</ref><ref name="publicity_magz">Rutledge, Devallis, special counsel to the [[Los Angeles County]] district attorney,[http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2012/10/publicity-can-be-costly.aspx "Publicity Can Be Costly,"] October 10, 2012, ''POLICE'' Magazine, retrieved May 27, 2017</ref>

In the ''Wilson'' case, a reporter and photographer from ''[[The Washington Post]]'' accompanied a federal marshal (Layne) and local officials when the authorities entered a home (of the Wilson family) acting on a search warrant. The Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement officers may not bring a media ride-along guest with them when entering a private home to execute a search warrant, stating that it was a violation of the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]] rights of the people in the home to be "free from unreasonable searches and seizures," and to be "secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects." The court affirmed (or reaffirmed, in some views) the policy that officers may not bring into the home with them people whose role was not in the direct service of the purpose of the warrant. Though that court – by its own admission (stated in the majority opinion document) – was usually divided on Fourth Amendment issues, the court ruled unanimously in this case that the authorities' accommodation of the media intrusion violated the Fourth Amendment.<ref name="police_violate"/><ref name="slams_door"/><ref name="publicity_magz"/><ref name="w_cornell">''[https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/98-83.ZS.html Wilson v. Layne],'' (98-83) 526 U.S. 603 (1999) 141 F.3d 111, affirmed. Syllabus, Opinion [ Rehnquist ], Other [ Opinion of Stevens ], as transcribed by the College of Law, [[Cornell University]], retrieved May 27, 2017</ref>

The court further ruled that officers violating that ruling, and allowing unnecessary parties to invade with them, were liable to those in the home they had entered, and could be sued for damages. The lone dissent on that element of the case was on the question of {{em|current}} liability (Justice Stevens believed that the officers in {{em|that}} specific case were liable—but the rest of the court agreed to give them [[qualified immunity]], because the justices believed that the Supreme Court had not yet made its position sufficiently clear on that issue; however, any subsequent violators would be held liable by the court).<ref name="police_violate"/><ref name="publicity_magz"/><ref name="w_cornell"/>

The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] (ACLU), the organization most associated with defending the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]], and whose local affiliate represented the ''Wilson'' plaintiffs, took an even more sweeping view in favor of the plaintiffs, preferring the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]] privacy protections against any potential [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] "freedom of the press" issue in that case.<ref name="police_violate"/><ref name="w_brief">[https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/aclu-amicus-brief-wilson-et-al-v-layne-et-al "ACLU Amicus Brief in Wilson, et. al. v. Layne, et. al.,"] [[American Civil Liberties Union]], retrieved May 27, 2017</ref>

In the ''Hanlon'' case, the Supreme Court further extended the protections of their ''Wilson'' ruling to include not only the ''house'' of the plaintiffs, but also the ''[[curtilage]]''—the enclosed and concealed-from-public-view, private space around the house (commonly including yard, carport or garage).<ref name="publicity_magz"/>

However, ''Cops''{{'}} executive producer John Langley said the show would continue to be produced, in the following season, in the format of "a pure ride-along show"{{emdash}}claiming that the show had always gotten releases from anybody shown on camera, even those people depicted under arrest. (However, Langley's statement did not indicate whether the releases were gained before or after recording, and did not indicate whether some subjects had been videoed without giving their consent, and then simply not been shown{{emdash}}"involved"{{emdash}}in the resulting program.) Further, Langley noted, most of what the show depicts occurs in "the street or in cars".<ref name="police_violate"/><ref name="producers_say">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-26-ca-40976-story.html "Producers Say Ruling Won't Affect Shows: Television: 'Cops' and others claim privacy issues are already addressed,"] May 26, 1999, ''[[Los Angeles Times]],'' retrieved May 26, 2017</ref>

=== Impact on the Dalia Dippolito case ===

''Cops'' dedicated an entire episode ("Smooth Criminal", season 24, episode 3, originally aired September 24, 2011) to the case of escort Delilah "Dalia" Dippolito of [[Boynton Beach, Florida]], who was convicted of solicitation to commit first-degree murder after being secretly videotaped hiring a [[hitman]] (who was actually an undercover cop) to kill her husband in 2009. At trial, her defense attorney claimed that Dippolito was tricked into signing the ''Cops'' release form.<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Lohr|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/dalia-dippolito-cops_n_976053.html|title=Dalia Dippolito Murder-For-Hire Case Featured In Controversial COPS Episode |newspaper=[[Huffington Post]]|date=September 22, 2011 |access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> The defense attorney also claimed that her husband orchestrated the plot to get aired on ''Cops''.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Andrea|last1=Canning|first2=Jessica|last2=Hopper|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-woman-dalia-dippolito-reality-tv-defense-murder/story?id=13467249|title=Florida Woman Dalia Dippolito Uses Reality TV Defense in Murder for Hire Trial|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=April 27, 2011|access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> In truth, ''Cops'' producers were outraged when investigators persuaded Dippolito to sign the release form before they questioned her, believing that since it was done under [[color (law)|color of law]], it would be useless. They later convinced Dippolito to sign a second waiver, saying they would give her a chance to tell her side of the story.<ref>{{cite book|title=Poison Candy: The Murderous Madam|first1=Elizabeth|last1=Parker|first2=Mark|last2=Ebner|publisher=[[BenBella Books]]|date=2014|isbn=9781939529022}}</ref>

Ultimately, both defenses failed, and Dippolito was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/newlywed-dalia-dippolito-20-years-murder-sting/story?id=13866581 |title=Newlywed Dalia Dippolito Gets 20 Years in Murder Sting; Judge Calls Her 'Pure Evil' |work=ABC News |date=June 17, 2011 |first1=Thomas|last1=Berman|first2=Richard|last2=Brenner|first3=Ashley|last3=Bridges}}</ref> However, the state's [[Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal|Fourth District Court of Appeal]] ordered a new trial in 2014, finding that the judge at the first trial erred by not doing enough to ensure that jurors were not improperly exposed to pre-trial publicity. The appeals court found that the judge should have questioned the jurors individually, rather than as a group, regarding how much they knew about the case. It also found that the judge should have dismissed the entire jury when one prospective juror revealed she had read about Dippolito's attempt at poisoning her husband.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/dalia-dippolito-wins-new-trial-murder-for-hire-case-involving-husband/huM1Ylvl2XCHJVJusrx9nI/|title=Dalia Dippolito wins new trial in murder-for-hire case involving husband|last=Duret|first=Daphne|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=July 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317233054/https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/dalia-dippolito-wins-new-trial-murder-for-hire-case-involving-husband/huM1Ylvl2XCHJVJusrx9nI/|archive-date=March 17, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was later released on an appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, pending a retrial on May 23, 2016.<ref>[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/dalia-dippolito-to-be-retried-in-may-for-failed-pl/nnXnD/ Dalia Dippolito to be retried in May in Boynton murder-for-hire] ''Palm Beach Post'', September 3, 2015</ref> On August 17, 2016, the appeals court rejected her appeal without comment.<ref>[http://www.wpbf.com/article/appeals-court-rejects-dalia-dippolitos-request-to-dismiss-murder-for-hire-case/1461943 Appeals court rejects Dalia Dippolito's request to dismiss murder-for-hire case] WPBF News, August 18, 2016</ref>

Her retrial began with jury selection on December 1, 2016.<ref>[http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-dalia-dippolito-december-trial-date-20160919-story.html Dalia Dippolito's retrial in murder-for-hire case set for December] ''Sun Sentinel'', September 19, 2016</ref> The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared on December 14, 2016.<ref>[http://www.local10.com/news/crime/jury-deadlocked-in-dalia-dippolito-murder-for-hire-retrial Mistrial declared in Dalia Dippolito murder-for-hire retrial] WPLG, December 14, 2016</ref> A second retrial was held in June 2017,<ref>[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/prosecutor-asks-judge-bounce-dippolito-lawyer-issue-gag-order/2rXpnQES7y4mSIzbBGkOeL/ Prosecutor asks judge to bounce Dippolito's lawyer, or issue gag order] ''Palm Beach Post'', March 3, 2017</ref> and on June 16, 2017, she was convicted again.<ref>[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/video-jury-takes-just-minutes-convict-dippolito-murder-solicitation/tOWOHcbZ4rkLOOTEsEHZmI/ Jury takes just 90 minutes to convict Dippolito of murder solicitation] "Palm Beach Post", June 17, 2017</ref> Judge Glenn Kelley ordered her held without bail. Her defense attorneys said they would appeal the verdict. On July 21, 2017, Dippolito was sentenced to 16 years (of the maximum of 20) in prison.<ref>Murray, Joan (July 21, 2017). [https://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/07/21/sentencing-day-dalia-dippolito/ Dalia Dippolito Gets 16 Years In Prison For Trying To Kill Husband.] ''CBS Miami.'' Retrieved: July 11, 2020.</ref> Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld her conviction in March 2019,<ref>{{Citation |title =Court denies Dalia Dippolito's latest appeal to overturn her 2017 conviction |url=https://www.wflx.com/2019/03/13/court-denies-dalia-dippolitos-latest-appeal-overturn-her-conviction/ |publisher=Fox29/WFLX.com West Palm Beach |date=March 13, 2019 |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref> the Florida Supreme Court rejected without comment her request to review the 2017 conviction,<ref>{{citation |title=How Dalia Dippolito is managing prison life and her legal team's hope for a new trial|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/dalia-dippolito-managing-prison-life-legal-teams-hope/story?id=70638556 |publisher=ABC News |author1= Effron, Laura |author2=Berman, Tom |author3=Deutsch, Gail |author4=Smith, Taigi |date=May 14, 2020 |access-date=2023-05-31}}</ref> and her appeal to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]] was refused in February 2020.<ref>{{citation |title=U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Dalia Dippolito's appeal |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/courts/2020/02/24/us-supreme-court-refuses-to-hear-dalia-dippolitorsquos-appeal/112274188/ |publisher=Palm Beach Post |website=palmbeachpost.com |last=Musgrave |first=Jane |date=February 24, 2020 |access-date=2023-05-31}}</ref>

The Dippolito case has also been featured on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[20/20 (American TV program)|20/20]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reyes |first=Traciy |date=2015-12-04 |title=ABC ’20/20′: Dalia Dippolito, Sets The Record Straight About Murder-For-Hire Video, Appeal |url=https://www.inquisitr.com/2609210/abc-2020-video-appeal-dalia-dippolito-speaks-out-michael-dippolito-mike-murder-for-hire-set-up |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=The Inquisitr |language=en}}</ref> [[NBC]]'s ''[[Dateline NBC|Dateline]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-14 |title=Florida Murder-For-Hire Case Featured In 'Dateline NBC' Episode (VIDEO) |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dalia-dippolito-dateline-nbc_n_1011333 |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> [[CNBC]]'s ''[[American Greed]]'',<ref>{{cite video |title=[[American Greed]]: Murderous Plot Meets Reality |date=2018 |medium=Television Production |publisher=[[CNBC]] |location=[[United States]]}}</ref> and the syndicated show distributed by [[Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution]], ''[[Crime Watch Daily]]''.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1IAV9HIac8 |title=Woman Accused Of Trying To Have Husband Killed - Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen (Pt 1) |date=2017-03-08 |last=True Crime News |access-date=2024-08-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PexAofAveAw |title=Woman Accused Of Trying To Have Husband Killed - Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen (Pt 2) |date=2017-03-08 |last=True Crime News |access-date=2024-08-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-7TuzGUzRY |title=Woman Accused Of Trying To Have Husband Killed - Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen (Pt 3) |date=2017-03-08 |last=True Crime News |access-date=2024-08-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

===Use of ''Cops'' videos by defense attorneys===
''Cops'' videos have been [[subpoena]]ed and used by defense attorneys, resulting in the suppression of evidence owing to police misconduct which was revealed in the ''Cops'' videos.<ref name="us_v_solomon">''[http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020160212D03/U.S.%20v.%20SOLOMON U.S. v. SOLOMON]'' ''(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HUBERT LEE SOLOMON),'' February 12, 2016, United States District Court, M.D. Florida, Fort Myers Division, as transcribed at Leagle.com, retrieved May 31, 2017</ref><ref name="defendant_uses">{{Cite web |last=Isler |first=Tom |date=February 23, 2016 |title=Defendant uses 'Cops' video footage to suppress handgun evidence |url=https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/news/6002-defendant-uses-cops-video-footage-to-suppress |access-date=May 23, 2017 |website=PennCareyLaw |publisher=[[Pennsylvania State University]]}}</ref>

In 2015, "late at night in a high-crime area," a [[Fort Myers, Florida]] police officer—accompanied by a ''Cops'' video crew—stopped and frisked a man who was wearing dark clothing and walking in the middle of the street. In an encounter that only lasted 23 seconds, the officer discovered that the suspect (who turned out to be a convicted felon) had a gun, and the suspect was arrested. In subsequent criminal proceedings, in federal district court, the defendant moved to suppress the frisk-acquired gun evidence on the ground that the officer violated the defendant's [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]] right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures—arguing that the officer did not have "reasonable suspicion" to frisk him. More specifically, the defendant argued that the officer did not believe, reasonably, that his safety was threatened—nor the safety of others—before conducting the pat-down. The officer countered that the defendant had exhibited suspicious behavior that justified the frisk. Relying heavily on the "indisputable video evidence" that contradicted the officer's testimony on multiple points, the judge agreed with the defense, and barred the evidence of the handgun. Further, the judge suggested that the officer may have altered his original report after viewing the ''Cops'' video.<ref name="us_v_solomon"/><ref name="defendant_uses"/>

At least one academic reviewer of the case described it as raising questions about how often such police actions are illegal, but unprovable—describing it as a strong justification for requiring police officers to wear [[body camera]]s.<ref name="us_v_solomon"/><ref name="defendant_uses"/>

== See also ==
* [[Law enforcement in the United States]]
* ''[[America's Most Wanted]]''

== Footnotes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{official website}}
* {{IMDb title|96563}}
* ''[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32466056/ Cops Reloaded]'' at [[IMDb]]
* {{Epguides|Cops}}
{{Cops|state=expanded}}
{{Paramount Network}}
{{Spike (TV network) programming}}
{{authority control}}

{{Commons category|Cops (TV program)}}

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[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company reality television shows]]
[[Category:Paramount Network original programming]]
[[Category:Spike (TV network) original programming]]
[[Category:Documentary television series about policing]]
[[Category:Law enforcement in the United States]]
[[Category:Television series by 20th Century Fox Television]]
[[Category:Television series by Fox Entertainment]]
[[Category:American television series revived after cancellation]]