Entertainment

Litigious crooks make filming ‘Cops’ tough

It’s harder than ever to film a gripping, seven-minute segment to air on “Cops” because police officers are more professional and crooks are more litigious, the show’s creator John Langley tells The Post.

“The police are more timid,” said Langley’s son Morgan, one of the show’s producers.

You’d think it would be easy to produce “Cops” now, after 25 seasons, but Langley says no.

“It’s more difficult to do the show than it’s ever been,” Langley says.

“There’s less crime, and we live in a litigious society. If you make a mistake, someone may sue you.”

To the Langleys’ great disappointment, there are no Dirty Harrys anymore.

“In the old days, police would chase them,” says the elder Langley. “Now, they often let felons go.”

“Police are more hamstrung,” says his son. “You can’t run out and be an incredibly proactive cop without taking some risks.”

One thing has become easier, getting the suspects to sign release forms allowing their faces to be shown on TV, even if — as in most cases — they weren’t looking their best being frisked and cuffed.

“We don’t pay anyone anything to be in ‘Cops.’ But most are enthusiastic. They want to be on the show,” Langley said.

So the show has had to widen its net and add segments that are outside the usual scope of police work.

The first episode of “Cops” new season — its 25th — tomorrow night starts with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department chasing a feral zebra through the streets, for instance.

In another segment, police in Toledo, Ohio, getting between a woman and her boyfriend, whom she claims threatened her with a knife.

Unlike other reality shows that heighten reality with coaching and fakery, “Cops” — with no narration and no music — “is as pure as you can get,” Langley said. “We just try to capture it.”

“It’s not manipulated and managed. We try to show reality as it unfolds for a police officer, as if you were right along with the police officer. And that’s what you get.

“That’s why we are still on the air. We’re kind of pure in that regard — as pure as you can get on television.”

As for that catchy, reggae theme song — “Bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” — Langley said some programming execs once suggested he change it because it wasn’t mainstream. “I politely declined,” Langley said.

With his son working on “Cops” now, Langley said, “I think we’ll have a third generation. It’s like the Energizer Bunny.”