Jackson Free Press

Jackson's 14 homicide detectives are about to get a taste of the limelight. As early as next month, field producers for the cop show "The First 48" will begin following the Jackson Police Department for its reality TV depiction of murder investigations. The city's legal department is currently finalizing a one-year contract with the show, after City Council approved JPD's participation last week.

"The First 48," which airs on the A&E network, follows homicide detectives in different American cities, capturing the first 48 hours of a murder investigation, which are typically considered the most decisive.

"When the homicide unit gets a call, they contact one of the field producers and then those field producers, respond to the crime scene with the detectives," explained Mike Sheridan, one of the show's executive producers. Two video journalists handle all the filming and interviewing, Sheridan said.

Sheridan touts the show as a way to improve the relationship between police departments and their communities by revealing the gritty reality of investigations. The show, he said, makes detectives more sympathetic and raises the profile of successful departments.

"It puts a human face on the detectives," Sheridan said. "Typically, we find that the crimestopper tips do increase."

The show has already followed detectives in 15 other cities, including Birmingham, Miami, Dallas and Philadelphia. Sheridan says that the show has met an enthusiastic response almost everywhere. In Memphis, however, the police department elected not to renew its contract with "The First 48" this year after hearing concerns from public officials who worried that the show was drawing negative attention to the city.

"I heard out-of-town people say Memphis was out of control," City Council member Wanda Halbert told the Commercial Appeal. "We were exposing the world to the worst aspects of our city."

Halbert did not return phone calls for comment.

Sheridan maintained that the Memphis Police Department's decision had little to do with politics or image concerns.

"From what I understood, it was more about the department reorganizing itself and taking a break than anything else," Sheridan said. "The show's not about murders; it's about how homicide detectives solve murders. And I think the public in general feels safer and more secure knowing that they have this dedicated force that are out there to protect them."

Jackson police spokesman Lt. Jeffery Scott also dismissed concerns that the show could fuel negative perceptions, pointing out that the added publicity was more likely to dispel misinformation about the department.

"In Mississippi we always talk about sunshine laws; we always talk about secrecy," Scott said. "I just think that this will give law enforcement some transparency. You'll see how much work goes into a case."

Scott, who played a primary role in bringing the show to Jackson, pointed out that the show's producers initially approached him, rather than the other way around. They were drawn to JPD for a positive perception, namely its high clearance rate for murders. While the city had 72 criminal murders last year, JPD cleared 78 percent of them, a far greater proportion than the national average, which hovers around 60 percent, Scott said.

"What we're really looking for are departments that have a good reputation," Sheridan confirmed. "We only select cities or departments that are very good at what they do."

Due to a lengthy editing process, Jackson-based episodes likely won't air until next fall, six months or more after the incidents they cover, Sheridan said.

Previous Comments

ID

148597

Comment

Jackson has 14 homicide detectives? That seems like a large number to me. I wonder how that compares to other cities of the same size.

Author

James Hester

Date

2009-06-10T11:06:33-06:00

ID

148602

Comment

Jackson has one of the highest crime rates per capita. So for the population of Jackson there are a lot of crimes and murders.

Author

s_erin_m

Date

2009-06-10T13:50:04-06:00

ID

148605

Comment

That's true, and they are sadly concentrated largely in our poorest neighborhoods. Most are between people who know each other. Very sad. I wouldn't count on this show being a good thing for Jackson. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-06-10T14:46:10-06:00

ID

148611

Comment

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” -Oscar Wilde

Author

chip

Date

2009-06-10T15:38:33-06:00

ID

148620

Comment

It's sad that of all the things for which Jackson could have been in the spotlight, it's the crime rate that brings us into the national picture. Regardless of how JPD performs, the perception viewers will be left with is that things must be pretty bad if the show's producers choose to come here instead of any number of other crime-infested areas. Even if that's true, do we really need to be the next day's water cooler topic somewhere in, say, Iowa or New Jersey: "You know, Ted, I didn't realize things were that bad down there in Mississippi..." Isn't the city's reputation as a whole more important than JPD's need to "dispel misinformation" about the department? Evidently not.

Author

chaffeur

Date

2009-06-10T19:06:01-06:00

ID

148621

Comment

Chaffeur, Not many place have a murder rate higher than Jackson and the show is about murders. People already have a bad perception of Mississippi. I have actually had people from the N.E. U.S. ask in all seriousness did we have indoor plumbing and electricity in Mississippi and did I were shoes and did I go to school. I think while it might not be the best p.r. because it's about crime,it might show people we are no different than rest of the U.S. and we are not a bunch of backwood uneducated people like they think we are.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2009-06-10T19:24:03-06:00

ID

148629

Comment

I can't see any good coming from this. To this day I am afraid of Memphis because of The First 48. Exposing our dirty laundry just isn't good.

Author

Tell it!

Date

2009-06-11T08:18:31-06:00

ID

148631

Comment

I don't like this at all. I hope it won't be as bad as I think it will be... Seems like it will be another unbalanced display of this city and state.

Author

News Junkie

Date

2009-06-11T08:40:21-06:00

ID

148637

Comment

I don't think it's about not exposing our dirty laundry. We do that all the time. It's about not inviting a national entertainment show to come in and profit off making us look as dumb and dangerous as they possibly can. This is a huge mistake, and it disappoints me. It's very Jackson and Mississippi, though, to point a gun straight at our foot and shoot all our toes off, while grinning stupidly about all the attention it might get us.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-06-11T09:29:29-06:00