SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – One of the longest-running shows in America, COPS, returned to screens in October 2021.

With the 33rd season currently running, the Springfield Police Department will appear on the newest episode Friday, March 11.

“The crews and the officers have often become good friends and some of the COPS crew have been to Springfield over many years,” Major Stacey Parton said. “The nature of law enforcement work creates an environment of shared experience and, to an extent, these crews have seen and experienced everything the officers do and that creates a certain level of kinship and trust.”

He says doing the show is an opportunity for people to get a front-row seat to the types of incidents they are called to on a daily basis.  The program allows for the officers to exhibit their professionalism and expertise in law enforcement and, at times, certainly their humanity and empathy with the citizens.

“While the show captures some of what we do, it is important to remember that a great deal of our work would not make for ‘great television,'” Parton said. “The Springfield Police Department has a large percentage of our non-worn staff who work outside of the view of the public in valued support roles.”

He says they also have a large contingency of our personnel who serve in investigative functions which often consists of hours of reviewing items of evidence, reading and writing reports, and conducting follow-up investigations. 

“The show emphasizes the most visible and public-facing view of law enforcement, the backbone of the police department in patrol,” Parton said. “The show is valuable because the officers must respond to whatever the next call entails and handle it safely and, when possible, leaving an often chaotic situation with persons feeling a sense of having been given the service they deserve.”

“The ‘COPS’ crew is a great group of people to work with, and we are looking forward to the community seeing the product of the hours they spent with us. The film and sound crews are very professional and they know how to capture the action without impeding the officers in their duty,” Parton said.

COPS is now streaming on Fox Nation. SPD released a trailer of their episode on Facebook.