CBS TV Studios has struck an exclusive agreement with 21CP Solutions, the country’s preeminent law enforcement and public safety advisory group, to consult with the writing teams on their police, crime and legal drama series.
The group of advisers includes former senior law enforcement officials, civil rights scholars, lawyers, academics, and community thought leaders in police reform and public safety.
21CP Solutions includes a diverse and seasoned group of professionals who have worked with local, state and federal jurisdictions and communities to advance 21st century policing and lead some of the most significant police reform efforts in the country.
“Police and legal series have been a mainstay of the Studio’s roster and the Network’s schedule for decades,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios.
“We have an opportunity to build on that successful foundation going forward, and having the insightful and highly respected advisors from 21CP Solutions at our disposal is a valuable resource to our creative process.”
“Providing our writing staffs with the best and most knowledgeable technical advisers offers more inclusivity and perspective,” said Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, Executive Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, ViacomCBS.
“With deeper and richer narratives, our shows can convey experiences that are more authentic to the communities they depict.”
“I applaud CBS Studios for recognizing the impact its police and legal series have on the relationship between police and the communities they serve and on public perceptions on law enforcement, crime and race,” said Ronald Davis, Partner, 21CP Solutions, LLC.
“The CBS and 21CP Solutions partnership is a first-of-its kind effort that will provide CBS and its writers with technical advice, based on the historical and current truths and realities of policing, as well as contemporary efforts to transform policing and reimagine public safety.”
“We are very excited that CBS Studios has formed an alliance with 21CP Solutions in order to provide our shows with access to their wealth of experience and resources,” said R. Scott Gemmill, showrunner and executive producer of NCIS: Los Angeles.
“Having an audience of millions of viewers each week comes with a great deal of responsibility.”
“This new partnership will help us ensure that our storytelling continues to produce accurate portrayals of law enforcement, and will hopefully allow us to play a small part in the ongoing reform moving forward.”
The team working with CBS is lead by Mr. Davis, who served in the Obama administration as the director of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) from 2013 to 2017.
Under Mr. Davis, the COPS Office was responsible for advancing community policing nationwide and managing over $1.2 billion in federal grants to support community policing activities for approximately 16,000 local, state and tribal law enforcement agencies.
In December 2014, President Obama appointed Director Davis to serve as the executive director of the president’s task force on 21st century policing.
The 21CP Solutions partnership marks CBS’ latest effort to bring more inclusive voices to the creative process.
It joins CBS Studios’ recently announced partnership with the NAACP to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear television networks and streaming platforms, and CBS Entertainment’s public commitments to increase BIPOC representation in its writers’ rooms to a minimum of 40% in the 2021-2022 season, as well as immediately allocating at least 25% of the program development budget for creators/producers who are people of color.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.