MIAMI – The creators of a reality television series that centered on Miami police officers produced several trailers in August 2013. The show didn't get picked up, but this week one of the show teasers began getting some attention again.
Although the reality show ultimately never was selected by a network, it has now caught the eye and drawn the ire of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.
"The female officers in our department, including the ones in the video, work very hard," police union president Javier Ortiz said. "To be shown in that type of environment, again, it's just disheartening."
Ortiz said the trailer was shot more two years ago, but only surfaced recently.
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The video, which began gaining track on the blog Random Pixels, was signed off by former Miami police Chief Manuel Orosa. The union said it was told the video would be used for recruiting officers -- something Orosa has denied.
"They were ordered to be in the video," Ortiz said. "They were paid by Miami Police Department and they are all full-fledged police officers."
The ex-chief maintains that the women seen in the trailer wearing bikinis and a badge aren't officers, but were models hired for the shoot, a claim the union disputes.
"Law enforcement officers are not here to put on a show," Ortiz said. "We're here to provide a service. We're here to save lives."
The Miami Police Department did not reply to a request for comment.
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