The Los Angeles City Council Friday instructed that a $15,000 request to hire an entertainment attorney be sent to three committees for further discussion as the Los Angeles Police Department seeks a “documentary-style” TV show.
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson had the matter be sent to the council’s committees on public safety, budget and finance, as well as the ad hoc committee on film and television. There was no discussion on the issue.
For the contract, the LAPD already transferred the funding from its accounts to the City Attorney’s Office for outside counsel. The outside firm would be expected to represent the city with negotiations with 44 Blue Productions, LLC.
According to a report from the City Attorney’s Office, the outside firm was chosen after a competitive process had occurred.
“Only partners of the firm will be handling the negotiation with the Production Company. The firm’s team consists of partners Wendy Heller and Kevin O’Conner. Kevin O’Conner will serve as lead negotiating counsel and will manage the negotiations on a day-to-day basis until the production agreement is executed,” the report read.
The production company, based in Burbank, has worked with government agencies before, such as the New Orleans police and the L.A. County Fire Department, whose sworn personnel were featured on the 2023 NBC series “L.A. Fire and Rescue” for one season, according to L.A. Material, an online news publication.
Academy award-winning producer and director Robert Port came up with the idea, L.A. Material reported.
The L.A. Board of Police Commissioners and City Council authorized the hiring of Port to serve as the department’s new director of internal communication in February. Port had been brought on in 2025 as a temporary consultant to improve the department’s image, which was paid by a $20,000 donation from the Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the LAPD.
Port was hired with an annual salary of $191,000 for his communications strategist role. He additionally has ties to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and ex-chief William Bratton that date back years through shared East Coast roots, the Los Angeles Times reported.
At the time, Port said he would focus on creating a “forward-looking plan” to improve messaging, boost officer morale and protect the department’s image.
Port told L.A. Material Thursday that a production deal was one of several things he had been working on. He emphasized that the proposed filming project is not even in the preliminary stages.
“There’s no agreement, no show, no filming,” Port told L.A. Material.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter Friday afternoon.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League — the union representing LAPD officers ranked lieutenant and below — in a statement said it was a “great idea.”
“Highlighting the work of Los Angeles police officers is a great idea and we fully support this effort. It will provide residents and those considering a career serving in the LAPD an unfiltered look into modern-day policing and the sacrifices made on a daily basis by officers who work to protect and serve Angelenos,” LAPPL Board of Directors said in the statement.
Rob Quan, an organizer with Unrig LA, criticized the City Council for the way the request was brought up.
“… Don’t be shady,” Quan said in his remarks to council members during public comment. “Why is it that we didn’t get any committee hearing on it? We have no report from LAPD, and we’ve got the City Attorney report that only makes mention of a potential television production agreement.”
“I just find that fascinating that we’re looking to shell out $15,000 because apparently out of all of our City attorneys, none of them can negotiation this. We have no context on what’s actually on the table, or what it’s going to cost them,” Quan added.
L.A. resident Daniel Sosa raised questions about the purpose of the project, as well.
“Government-funded media, specifically conditioned on portraying law enforcement in a positive light, sure starts looking a lot less like documentary programming, and a lot more like city-sponsored police propaganda,” Sosa said. “Taxpayers should not be funding police-relations content masquerading as entertainment.”