In an effort to be more relevant and politically correct, CBS has signed an exclusive agreement with 21CP Solutions, the 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 will be comprised of former senior law enforcement officials, civil rights scholars, lawyers, academics, and community thought leaders in police reform and public safety.
21CP Solutions is 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 headed 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 him, 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. Prior to serving as COPS director, Davis had a distinguished career in law enforcement serving over eight years as chief of police of East Palo Alto (Calif.) and 20 years with the Oakland (Calif.) Police Department.
