The TV show "On Patrol: Live" feels like a relic of old school reality TV. It’s a "live" three-hour show that airs every weekend, cutting between footage from camera crews following different police forces across the country. In one evening, viewers bounce around between arrests in Las Vegas, Nev. and Daytona Beach, Fla. Soon, that list could include Bethel, Alaska.
Bethel's public safety chief, James Harris, said that the production team from the television network Reelz reached out to him about eight months ago. The department has seen interest from other live policing shows in the past. Harris said that he doesn’t usually consider letting them come to town, but this one felt worth his time.
"They try very diligently to show the positive aspect of law enforcement, as opposed to the chases and fights and all the negative impact stuff,” Harris said.
Harris said that the show intends to focus on the officers themselves.
“There's a lot more interaction, direct interaction, between the officers in the community than what you see on many of these other shows,” Harris said.
Harris said that he’s vetted the proposal and thinks it’s worth considering. But he also understands that it could have positive and negative impacts, so he’s not pushing for it to be approved.
Harris said that no one would get paid to be on the show, but he said that the police department surveyed staff to find out what they thought and got mostly positive responses.
Harris said that the show would follow the force’s Alaska Native officers. And while “live,” there would be a 20-minute delay between filming and airing. Harris said that he would have the power to step in to ask the team not to air something sensitive on the show.
“If we feel that something is inappropriate, we can pull back and say, ‘don't show that,’ Harris explained. “Obviously they have overall control over what they what they air and what they don't air, but they're very, they work with the departments.”
While Harris said that the film crew is only supposed to be shooting in public places – it’s possible they could be allowed into people's homes, though Harris said that he would advise against that.
“For the most part, the officers aren't going to allow people to follow them into the houses,” Harris said, “[…] that would be the decision of the officer.”
The idea of a show that is only focused on the crimes that happen in Bethel is rubbing some people the wrong way.
Bethel City Council put out a survey that got dozens of responses, many of them arguing against the proposal. Kelsi Kime is a public safety and transportation commission member.
“These shows that, in my personal view, they're, they're not necessarily a public safety tool. They're more [an] entertainment-based kind of thing,” Kime said. “[...] I fear that it's going to be targeting, like, the weakest members of our community, you know, those struggling with mental illness, alcoholism, any form of addiction, poverty, trauma.”
Kime also questioned the message the show sends to people thinking about moving to Bethel, and the impacts on residents who are featured then having to face their friends and neighbors who may have seen the whole thing live.
“While that person who's being arrested online television will be directly harmed from it, even more harm comes to younger children who are around or associated with that adult who is being arrested,” Kime said.
That’s a point that resonates with Harris, especially in a community where, “everybody knows everybody.” But despite the downsides, Harris thinks there’s still the potential for something positive. He said that the show could function as an accountability tool, but also help bridge the gap between the police force and the community.
“It can highlight the good work that these officers are doing. It can give a more realistic view of what law enforcement does, and that way people see what we actually go through,” Harris said.
Harris said that he also could see it as a way to recruit local police officers, something the force has struggled with.
According to the Bethel-based Alaska State Troopers' office, another reality television show, "Alaska State Troopers," has been filming throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta since the beginning of July. It’s not clear if Bethel City Council approval was requested in advance.
In an emailed statement, Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, said that they see the new series as an opportunity to “build understanding, reinforce public trust, and highlight the vital role that troopers have in every corner of our great state.”
McDaniel also said that they've seen an increase in job applications after airing other documentaries and entertainment shows that have featured the state troopers.
