HAZLETON -- The Hazleton Police Department and crime in the city will soon be in the national spotlight.
The cable TV show "Cops" is heading to our area to begin weeks of filming.
Production crews from the show will actually start filming Tuesday. This has been in the works for month, arranged by the city's chief of police who wants to send a message to criminals in Hazleton.
Police lights, sirens, and crime scene tape are common sights in Hazleton.
The relatively small city police department is often a busy one. Around 40 Hazleton police officers respond to more than 36,000 calls a year.
Now "Cops," a national television show, will capture some of this activity highlighting Hazleton's crime.
Hazleton's police chief was featured in the show when he worked in police departments in Alabama and New Jersey, so he had connections with the producers of "Cops."
Even though the city will not be paid for its officers' appearance on the TV show, Hazleton's mayor believes the city will benefit.
"There is no compensation, except the fact that we get to showcase our city and our officers. We get to tell the criminals, you know, if you come here, you are going to face the full extent of the law," said Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat.
"Cops" television production crews will cover crime every day for eight weeks in Hazleton. They'll hop into police cruisers for eight hours a day and give us an inside glimpse of what it is like to be a cop fighting crime in this city.
"I think them following our police will show the country what a great police force we have," said city council president Jack Mundie.
Mundie isn't completely against the "Cops" TV show taping in the city, but has some concern about crime in Hazleton being sensationalized.
"That's for ratings, but hopefully in those eight weeks, nothing serious will happen and no one will get seriously hurt."
"Cops" TV producers expect Hazleton police to appear in about eight 30-minute episodes that will air on Spike TV. That should happen closer to the end of this year, possibly the beginning of next year.
