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City committee halts idea of police TV show

ROSWELL - One group of Roswell city councilors has rejected the idea of having a TV series featuring Roswell police officers, and the elected officials also have tabled an action to fund a home-building incentive program so that city staff can work instead on a “fee holiday” plan to replace the program.

The TV production company’s request and the fate of the Municipal Reimbursement Incentive Program (MIRP) were two of many items that came before the Roswell City Council Legal Committee.

Half Moon Pictures LLC of New Jersey has asked the Roswell Police Department to consider a one-year contract to allow the company to accompany and video RPD officers during their daily policing and community outreach activities and then air edited segments on its show, along with bits covering other law enforcement agencies. Their TV show is now known as “On Patrol: Live.”

“The chief is not fighting for this,” said Deputy Police Chief Michael Taylor during the meeting at City Hall. “This is merely being presented as it was presented to him. The contract was presented to him, and he felt that this should be provided to the proper committees and on to the governing body and to the councilors that uphold, or serve, the citizens of Roswell for them to make a decision that this is either identified as a good or a beneficial move for the city or not.”

The city has been approached by various TV production companies three times, Chief Phil Smith said during a Jan. 17 Public Safety Committee meeting. He said the Half Moon offer was different in that the department could review the video and redact sections it found objectionable. He said that he thought it would be an “outstanding opportunity to showcase the police department here and how professional we are.”

Public Safety Committee members had voted 3-1 to forward the contract to the Legal Committee, but none of the four city councilors on the Legal Committee expressed support for the idea. Neither did Mayor Tim Jennings or three other city councilors who spoke about the topic at the meeting.

 
 
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