'Chicago P.D.' Will Address Police Officers Killing Civilians

By Mae Rice in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 14, 2016 8:03PM

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 13: (L-R) Actors Colin Donnell and S. Epatha Merkerson, of 'Chicago Med', and Executive producer Dick Wolf speak onstage during the 'Chicago Fire', 'Chicago P.D.' and 'Chicago Med' panel discussion at the NBCUniversal portion of the 2015 Winter TCA Tour at Langham Hotel. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

NBC drama Chicago P.D. will tackle the issue of police officers shooting civilians, executive producer Dick Wolf told a TV critics' meeting Wednesday, according to an AP story.

As the creator of Law & Order, Wolf is best known for shows whose plotlines closely resemble current events. Chicago P.D.—which premiered in 2014, and is part of a Chicago-based drama franchise that also includes Chicago Fire and Chicago Med—will take a looser approach.

The AP reports that Wolf said:

We steal the headlines, not the (story) body copy… Will there be an examination of police shootings under perhaps a variety of circumstances? Absolutely. We do not steer away from anything, but I am not a mouthpiece for the Chicago P.D. or any police department.

Wolf also expressed appreciation for how dangerous policework is:

It's a very, very dangerous job, and mistakes are going to get made. But I defy anybody to think that in rollouts across this country that there are cops ... who sit there and say, “I think I'm going to go out and shoot an unarmed black teenager tonight.”

Police fatally shooting civilians has been a central issue in Chicago ever since the video of officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting Laquan McDonald was released this past November. Since then, further cases have emerged, including one accidental shooting of a 55-year-old mother of five.

Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. CST.