Q&A: Behind the Scenes on Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Shift’
Homicide detectives might not wear tactical pants as often as others in law enforcement, but that doesn’t make their role any less significant.
That role is highlighted extensively on Investigation Discovery’s The Shift. In its third season, the one-hour reality show follows six detectives uncovering murders and catching criminals for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Pauline Mason, an executive producer of The Shift, took a break from her busy day to chat about the offscreen aspects of documenting real-life crime. The Shift airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
What’s the most challenging aspect of filming a crime-based reality show?
The most challenging aspect is staying true to the story while respecting all the individuals involved, in whatever capacity they are involved in, including the deceased. Also, because everything we capture is in the moment and will never happen again, work can be challenging in the edit room!
Are there different precautions you take with this type of show as opposed to American Chopper?
Yes, of course. We are following homicide detectives and real life-and-death situations. We are always aware of this.
How difficult is it to capture the true reality of these situations without being tempted to tamper with any surroundings?
It’s not difficult at all. We would never dream of touching—let alone tampering with—a real-life investigation.
What should viewers expect from season three? Anything new without giving away too much?
The stories are as poignant and varied as other seasons. Some of the detectives are new and there are also the familiar faces.
Some could argue that this show sheds too much light on this profession. Isn’t detective work all about discretion? Do detectives on the show ever worry about overexposure and recognition?
It’s actually quite the opposite. All the detectives featured on The Shift have reported that more recognition in the community leads to more trust, which ultimately leads to more people coming forward with information and more homicides being solved.
Is there a certain amount of time you need to wait after filming the investigation to air the footage? On average, how much time lapses while filming a single episode?
The time of course varies, because we are dealing with real life investigations, but on average when we start filming a case it’s approximately 15 weeks before we deliver the show.
How did you convince the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to let you film this show? Or did they immediately embrace the idea?
We’ve worked on other crime shows in the past, so there was a level of trust already in that we’ve had that kind of experience. There’s always a “getting to know you” period of time at the beginning of shooting, but we hire great people that know what they are doing and once the IMPD saw the final product, they knew they could trust us to continue.
Familiar with The Shift? What do you think about police-related reality shows?
on July 28, 2010 at 8:35 pm
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Good content.
I think the reality shows can be educational to the public, but I can understand the liability and other concerns from an administrator standpoint.
At the large agency that I worked, the chief finally told reality show directors that he did not his officers participating any more.