A&E gangs up on L.A. sheriffs

By Kimberly Nordyke

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A&E Network has ordered a half-hour unscripted pilot centering on the elite gang unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The project, tentatively titled "L.A. Gang Unit," follows the highly experienced officers of the department's Gang Task Force who work in South Central Los Angeles.

"It really gives you insight into a previously unseen world and a look at just how complicated and challenging this branch of law is," said Robert Sharenow, one of the executive producers.

The idea sprang from Shane Conrad, a reserve deputy sheriff and the son of actor Robert Conrad, who approached production company 44 Blue Prods. Company president and co-owner Rasha Drachkovitch noted the difficulty in securing the LASD's consent to allow cameras to follow officers around.

"They'd never been filmed before and were leery about the cameras going into these places, so it's extremely exciting to be given this opportunity to show what it's really like to work in one of the most dangerous beats in Los Angeles, if not the country," Drachkovitch said.

He added that cameras already have been shooting for two months. "It's pretty provocative and dramatic footage."

Conrad had been trying to secure access as early as spring 2006, around the time that producer Scott Sternberg also was trying to get permission to shoot the L.A. Sheriff's Academy for his own TV project; Conrad's original project was known as "The Assignment," designed to follow the daily activities of detectives and officers. Both producers were successful; Sternberg's show, "The Academy," went to Fox Reality and MyNetworkTV.

Conrad and Drachkovitch will also serve as executive producers of the new project.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter