The 51st State: Cops

Richard Kotuk spent one week with an undercover anti-crime unit in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood; a mostly white anti-crime unit assigned to an African American and Puerto Rican neighborhood. While officials praised these anti-crime units as being effective, some civil rights leaders criticize them for being “trigger happy”. This report invites audience not only to witness the officers’ daily duties but also what they think, what they feel and who they are as human beings. COPS won four Emmy awards (the 18th Annual New York Emmy Awards) including Best Informational Feature Reporting and a nationwide Special on the Public Broadcasting Service.

Produced and reported by Richard Kotuk

Award: 18th Annual New York Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Informational Feature Reporting Within a Regularly Scheduled News Program