By Fox23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Police Department announced that The First 48 is shutting down production in Tulsa after more than a decade.
TPD’s connection with the A&E documentary series spans over 137 broadcast episodes.
The First 48 takes viewers behind the scenes of the critical first 48 hours of real murder investigations. The series first premiered in 2004 and has had 29 seasons and 397 episodes.
TPD shared a post on Facebook about the show’s departure from the city and credited the program for contributing to the department’s high case closure rate.
You can read TPD’s full statement below:
“After more than a decade, The First 48 is shutting down production in Tulsa.
Our connection with this program spans over 137 broadcast episodes. Each episode carefully balances sharing the victim’s story and the efforts to bring their killer to justice.
Over the years, our Homicide unit became used to always having a camera ninja following them around, recording every scene, interview, phone call, and arrest. There is no other medium in our department that could capture the gravity of the cases as effectively, especially with producers reaching out to the families for testimonials about their tragic loss.
There is no doubt that The First 48 contributed to our exceptionally high closure rate. It was through this program that many people saw the compassion our Officers have as they seek justice for victims. This exposure helped break down barriers between the community and our Officers in solving these complex cases.
After many years of working together, all Tulsans know more about their police department than they would without it.
Our homicide solve rate is the highest in the county, and that isn’t going to change. We will strive to keep on this path, continue working with the community, and keep fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.
Thanks for being a wonderful partner in highlighting this amazing community and the Officers who serve it.”
