HAZLETON -- The 4th Street pub in Hazleton was buzzing on a Saturday night.
Usually, patrons in the pub are watching college football games, but on Saturday night, all eyes were locked on TV screens airing the television show "Cops".
In its 29th season, the new episode of “Cops” highlighted crime in Hazleton.
John Skuntz watches the show that follows officers as they respond to emergencies. After living in Hazleton for thirty years, John says seeing the show feature his neighborhood and the places he spends time in is surreal.
“It is a little weird seeing it because you usually see big cities like in Los Angeles or like New York and all that. Hazleton is a small town, but we're over populated and have so much crime that I think something had to be done,” said Skuntz, a Hazleton native.
Others like Richard Harashak say the episode didn't highlight the real criminal activity going on in the streets of Hazleton.
“A dog being abused with all the crime going down in this town... It’s not good,” said Harashak.
According to Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale, crime has dropped since the show's cameras first appeared.
He also says this show gives people an idea of what law enforcement deals with on a daily basis.
“Nationally, we've seen a number of things that have gone on with police work. This allows people to see the great restraint that our officers use,” said the Hazleton Police Chief.
Keman Jackson, a Hazleton resident, says this may be one of the first steps in helping to heal the relationship between police and the people they serve and protect.
“If we have to see what the police have to go through, hopefully, people can see that, and everyone is here to do their job. They want to do a job, go home, and take crime off the streets,” said Jackson.
This is the first of three episodes featuring the city of Hazleton and its police force on Spike TV.
