A Reality TV Show at the NYPD: Behind the Badge Exposed
Behind-the-scenes cameras began rolling for a new NYPD reality show called "Behind the Badge" despite opposition from Commissioner Jessica Tisch, according to records and insiders. The show, which is set to humanize officers on the Community Response Team – a unit widely criticized under former Mayor Eric Adams' leadership – had already begun filming in October 2024 without an official contract.
Former Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said they were approached by Dr. Phil's son, Jordan McGraw, to do the show and saw it as a way to boost the image of the Community Response Team, which has been plagued by criticism over its performance and effectiveness. However, Tisch reportedly opposed the idea from the start.
A series of court records and interviews with current and former officials reveal that Adams' inner circle made an end run around the police commissioner to produce the show. The mayor's office sent a letter in the final hours of his administration voiding parts of the contract, which was seen as a win for Tisch.
However, insiders claim that the reality TV show had already begun filming before the official contract was signed. Despite opposition from high-level critics in the department, including Assistant Commissioner Kevin O'Connor, who described the unit's work as "performative" and said it doesn't serve the community, the mayor's support for the show remained strong.
The controversy surrounding the reality TV show has led to a lawsuit by the city to block the release of footage that camera crews had already gathered. The production company, Jordan McGraw's team, moved the case to federal court to challenge the restraining order on First Amendment grounds.
Chell and Daughtry have said that no one's face would be shown unless they agreed to it in writing, but insiders claim that the unit is looking to recreate the model elsewhere without making any firm decisions yet.
Behind-the-scenes cameras began rolling for a new NYPD reality show called "Behind the Badge" despite opposition from Commissioner Jessica Tisch, according to records and insiders. The show, which is set to humanize officers on the Community Response Team – a unit widely criticized under former Mayor Eric Adams' leadership – had already begun filming in October 2024 without an official contract.
Former Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said they were approached by Dr. Phil's son, Jordan McGraw, to do the show and saw it as a way to boost the image of the Community Response Team, which has been plagued by criticism over its performance and effectiveness. However, Tisch reportedly opposed the idea from the start.
A series of court records and interviews with current and former officials reveal that Adams' inner circle made an end run around the police commissioner to produce the show. The mayor's office sent a letter in the final hours of his administration voiding parts of the contract, which was seen as a win for Tisch.
However, insiders claim that the reality TV show had already begun filming before the official contract was signed. Despite opposition from high-level critics in the department, including Assistant Commissioner Kevin O'Connor, who described the unit's work as "performative" and said it doesn't serve the community, the mayor's support for the show remained strong.
The controversy surrounding the reality TV show has led to a lawsuit by the city to block the release of footage that camera crews had already gathered. The production company, Jordan McGraw's team, moved the case to federal court to challenge the restraining order on First Amendment grounds.
Chell and Daughtry have said that no one's face would be shown unless they agreed to it in writing, but insiders claim that the unit is looking to recreate the model elsewhere without making any firm decisions yet.
. so apparently a reality TV show featuring NYPD officers? like what's next, "Behind the Badge" on a sitcom 
. seriously though, it raises some serious questions about accountability and transparency in law enforcement. if someone from Dr. Phil's team just came out of the blue and started producing this show without even talking to the commissioner, that's just shady 
. and now they're trying to get footage released despite a restraining order? that's just reckless 
. i'm all for humanizing officers and making them more relatable, but you can do that in a real documentary or interview, not on a reality TV show with cameras following you around 24/7 
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! I mean, Commissioner Tisch was straight up opposed to it from the start, but Adams' inner circle just did an end run around her, you know? It's like they were trying to make the police look good in front of Dr. Phil's son and all that 
.
. I'm not sure who's right or wrong here, but it does seem like a lot of people are getting played 
.
. This whole thing could be a great opportunity to humanize the police and show the public what's really going on in those badge-wearing boots 
, but only if it's done right.
like isn't their job to do a real job not entertain ppl ? and what's up with the mayor's office tryin 2 sneak this behind the commissioner's back tho 
they're already getting paid enough. and what's with Jordan McGraw getting involved in this? shouldn't he be focusing on his own thing? 
and what's with the commissioner opposing it from the start? does she really want to stir up more drama?
I get it, they wanna humanize their officers and all that, but shouldn't it be done with transparency and consent from everyone involved?
It's like, how does one person in power not stand up for what's right? The Community Response Team has been under fire before, so why put your reputation on the line by doing a reality show without addressing the real issues?
Can't they see how this is gonna come back to haunt them when the cameras are on?!
On a lighter note, I wonder if they'll have to use those awkward "I'm a cop" badges that say "My name is [insert name here]" in case someone asks 
. This whole thing just smells like a publicity stunt, and honestly, who's buying it? 
Did they really think it would boost the image of the Community Response Team? 
The fact that a reality TV show is needed to humanize officers on a unit that's already under fire raises some serious questions about accountability and transparency. 
And now there's even a lawsuit over footage that was gathered before an official contract was signed... this whole thing just smells like a PR stunt to me 
. I mean, cameras rolling without an official contract? That's some shady stuff... not sure how it's gonna play out in court though 
and Adams' team wanted a way outta all the criticism they'd been getting about the Community Response Team 
That's just crazy talk! I'm so worried that this show is gonna give people the wrong impression of what it's really like to be a police officer 
. But I guess that's just how it goes sometimes when you're trying to spin something that's already a bit of a mess 
.
... anyway, this whole thing feels like a publicity stunt to me 
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