Agents on TV: 'DEA' Follows Federal Cops in Detroit

Naomi R. Patton - Detroit Free Press

Whether on fictional police shows or movies, or in the reality show "Cops," everyone's seen footage of the good guys taking down the bad guys.

But the producers of an original Spike TV series that follows U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents in metro Detroit hope they made more of a documentary than a reality show with "DEA." Filmed last summer and fall, the series of six one-hour episodes debuts tonight on the cable network, marking the first time a federal law enforcement agency has let cameras follow its agents while they work.

Spike TV was given extraordinary access to Group 14, metro-Detroit-based DEA special agents and task force officers from police departments in southeast Michigan who were working cases from street-level dealers to international drug traffickers. The first episode focuses on a two-day period and shows the task force busting a low-level drug dealer in Detroit, and negotiations that led to another drug dealer by using a confidential informant.

During the filming, producers said drug agents seized more than 500 pounds of marijuana, more than 3 pounds of cocaine, 8,000 ecstasy pills and 35 guns.

"I think the difference between us and general cop shows ... it goes into relationships" between agents "when we're not on the streets," Justin Mohr, 29, one of the special agents featured in the show, told the Free Press. "I think they did a good job of capturing how we work as a group."

Mohr said the bad guys won't benefit by watching: "I don't think we're revealing anything to them that they don't already know." Still, it took two years of negotiating with the DEA before filming was given the go-ahead.

The show was produced by Al Roker Productions Inc. and Size 12 Productions. Yes, that Al Roker, the longtime NBC "Today" show cohost. His production company has produced lighter-fare shows for networks including A&E, Discovery, Food Network, Lifetime, PBS, the History Channel and TV One.

"This is a departure for us," Roker said. "I'm very proud of the program. ... It's not what" viewers "are going to expect."

A narrator describes Detroit as one of the country's most dangerous cities, but Roker said that did not determine the show's placement versus New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.

If the network decides to produce more episodes, Roker said he "would love to continue in Detroit" because of his positive experience. He added that he "got a little addicted" to Lile's Ham Sandwich Shop in Dearborn.

Officers from Troy and Redford Township are featured in the show's first episode. Redford Township Police Chief John Buck said he couldn't be prouder of Officer Rick (Woody) Gatewood, who has been with his department for 10 years and on the DEA task for four years.

"We're looking forward to seeing the episode," Buck said.

Buck said the show reflects how important local law enforcement and the federal agents are to each other. "It's a real good two-way communication with the exchange of information."

----

More movie news

Copyright 2012 by Detroit Free Press