‘Cops’ crews arrive in Wichita next week

The television show “Cops” is coming to Wichita next week to shoot footage for future episodes.

Two crews for the long-running program will ride with local law enforcement officers for 10 weeks, Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said, with a third crew arriving later this fall. The shooting death of a “Cops” crew member during a robbery in Omaha late last month had created questions about whether the crews would be coming to Wichita as planned, he said, but producers confirmed the trip Thursday.

“It gives us an opportunity to showcase ourselves” to the nation, Espinoza said.

“Cops” has been to Wichita twice before, in 2003 and 2006. Crews hope to capture enough interesting footage to produce a segment a week, he said, which would mean Wichita could be featured in 10 future episodes.

The crews will ride with third-shift officers, from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Espinoza said. One of the three crews may ride with Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputies.

This story was originally published September 5, 2014 at 11:45 AM with the headline "‘Cops’ crews arrive in Wichita next week."