Cops is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 documentary/reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series that follows police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

s, constable

Constable

A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...

s, and sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

's deputies during patrols and other police activities. It is one of the longest-running television program

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

s in the United States and in May 2011 became the longest-running show on Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 with the announcement that America's Most Wanted

America's Most Wanted

America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...

was being canceled after 23 years.

Created by John Langley

John Langley

John Langley is an American television and film director, writer, and producer who is best known as the creator and executive producer of the long-running television show COPS, which premiered on FOX in March 1989....

 and Malcolm Barbour

Malcolm Barbour

Malcolm Barbour is co-creator and a former executive producer of the television program COPS . Prior to COPS, Barbour had worked with Langley on Cocaine Blues and American Vice: The Doping of a Nation. He retired from producing in 1994.-External links:...

, it premiered on March 11, 1989, and has aired 970 episodes as of June 18, 2011.