Death in Detroit raises questions about reality TV

story by AP
written by Corey Williams and Jeff Karoub

Photo left: Dominika Stanley, left, the mother of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was killed early Sunday in Detroit, sits next to Aiyana's father Charles Jones in attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office in Southfield, Mich., Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Fieger, the lawyer for the family of the slain 7-year-old Detroit girl has filed two lawsuits related to a weekend raid that led to her death. Fieger says Detroit police had no legitimate reason to throw a flash grenade into the home of Aiyana Jones early Sunday. He says she was burned by the explosive and struck by a police bullet shot from outside the home. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT -- When police burst into a home in search of a murder suspect, a reality TV crew documented the raid - and may have recorded the death of a 7-year-old girl accidentally killed by an officer.

Aiyana Stanley-Jones' death put a spotlight on the growing number of reality shows that focus on law enforcement. A number of big-city departments have used shows such as Fox's "Cops" to attract recruits. Others have shied away from the up-close attention. And critics have questioned whether police behave differently when cameras are watching.

Some experts and officers believe TV crews increase accountability.

"I don't see someone doing anything outlandish for the cameras because it's more of a liability for us," Detroit officer Brandon Cole said.

Detroit homicide investigators are featured regularly on A&E's "The First 48," which tracks murder investigations during the first two days after a slaying. On Sunday, a crew from the show was filming when police raided Aiyana's house in search of a suspect in the killing of a 17-year-old outside a convenience store.

Police have said Aiyana was wounded inside the house when an officer was jostled by, or collided with, the girl's grandmother. An attorney for the family said the shot came from the porch.

A spokesman for "The First 48" would not say if the raid was recorded, but police confirmed that the crew was present and that they are reviewing footage from that night.

Having a reality camera crew along on a police raid contributes to a culture that reduces everything to mere entertainment, said Hal Niedzviecki, author of "The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors."

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/19/AR2010051903750.html