ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — Facing mounting questions about his recent weekly livestreams on Facebook and YouTube, Adams County Sheriff Rick Reigenborn announced Saturday night that he signed a contract to allow the TV show "Cops" to film his deputies' work in the county.
“Recently, I signed a contract with Langley Productions, and we’re going to be on Cops real soon,” Reigenborn said in a Facebook video late Saturday night.
According to a spokesman for the sheriff, Langley Productions had a previous agreement to film the department in 2017. The company sent a formal agreement to the sheriff's office in December, which the sheriff approved in late January, just days before capturing a pursuit on Facebook Live.
Neither the department nor the sheriff will be compensated for appearing on the show, which will begin shooting in July, Sgt. Adam Sherman said in a statement sent to 9NEWS Sunday evening. He also said the department will not pay anything to Langley Productions for the production.
Reigenborn is running for reelection this year.
None of Adams County’s commissioners, all of whom are Democrats, would comment on fellow Democrat Reigenborn’s decision to sign a contract with the production.
After more than 30 years on the air, "Cops" was canceled by Paramount Network in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. But the show re-emerged in fall 2021 on a streaming network called FoxNation.
Reality TV shows that follow police, like "Cops" and "Live PD," which was also canceled, have faced scrutiny in recent years for depicting an unrealistic view of actual policing.
Many communities, like the city of Spokane, have passed laws to make it more difficult for the show to film in their communities.
Reigenborn’s announcement comes after weeks of questions about an incident captured in Reigenborn’s most recent livestream from the end of January. In the video, the sheriff, with a civilian riding along in an unmarked patrol vehicle, joins a pursuit in progress from more than six miles away and continues to follow the suspected car thief even after his department terminated the pursuit.
In the end, Reigenborn follows the suspect into a Denver neighborhood, chases him on foot and arrests him.
The sheriff's office ride-along policy 404.3 states: "Deputies should use sound discretion when encountering a potentially dangerous situation, such as a high-speed pursuit. If practicable, the participant should be let out of the vehicle in a safe, well-lighted place. The dispatcher will be advised of the situation and as soon as practicable have another sheriff's unit respond to pick up the participant at that location. The ride-along may be continued or terminated at this time."
Not only was the passenger not dropped off, but they also helped direct the sheriff during the pursuit.
The sheriff's office pursuit policy 307.4 states: "Distinctively marked patrol vehicles should replace unmarked vehicles involved in a pursuit whenever practicable."
9NEWS asked the sheriff's office numerous questions about the pursuit policies and the ride-along passenger.
On Wednesday, a sheriff's office spokesman replied:
"We will not provide any further comments on this story and instead hope you’ll spend time focusing on the great work being done by law enforcement officers here in Adams County and across Colorado."
The spokesman did say the ride-along passenger was Tim Sheley, who was formerly in the radio business.
9NEWS has been unable to find a Tim Sheley, but has found a Tim Shiely who also goes by "Scooter McGee," and calls himself a "'retired' broadcaster."
Shiely/McGee is a conservative conspiracy theorist who has suggested mass shootings were really government operations and that public health orders were to usher in martial law.
Shiely/McGee has not returned multiple voicemails and text messages.
We wanted to know about his involvement with the sheriff's office, among the questions we asked when we were told to spend time focusing on the great work being done by law enforcement.
The sheriff's office spokesman said in an email Thursday afternoon that the pursuit was reviewed "and was found to be within our policy.”
Have a tip about this or any other story? E-mail steve@9news.com.
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