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Follow the Drug Enforcement Administration in Detroit as they “flip” suspects and take down drug dealers.

DEA: Detroit is a Spike TV reality series which follows the Drug Enforcement Administration in Detroit around on drug busts. The DEA officers are easy to relate to and know how to work the camera. The first episode shows the officers trying to get a drug supplier. They arrest a few small-time dealers and work up the chain to get the bigger dealer/supplier. We see the officers making deals to catch the “bigger fish” (flipping lower-level dealers to get the bigger names up the drug selling chain) and the suspects weighing their options. Some off up a name and location or number and even arrange a meeting/drug buy for the cops to sweep in and arrest their dealer. However, some fear the wrath of the dealer even more than the cops and are reluctant to come clean.

During the series we see the DEA go after an escaped bank robber and two drug dealers in a dangerous and frightening standoff as well as go on several raids at once as well as going on an ecstasy raid. We also see them go to work to shut down a house used to grow marijuana that is located near several Detroit area schools.
There is a lot of tension as the DEA stakes out drug houses and waits for suspects to come out or as they storm the houses. The camera is so close that it can be terrifying. The camera also reveals the squalor that many of these users/dealers live in.

I think what made this series stand out compared to shows like COPS, was the fact the DEA officers had engaging personalities. They were laid back at times, funny, and likable. It wasn’t so much the excitement of the drug busts that kept me riveted, but the officers’ banter and camera presence.

What surprised me, and perhaps having a camera on them was part of the reason, was the almost respectful way the officers talked to the suspects.  I expected to see arguing, threats, and defiant suspects, but in reality, the conversations were usually not aggressive. In fact, in one episode, one of the suspects who has agreed to go along with an undercover drug bust, is driving with a DEA officer and they’re having a relaxed, almost friendly conversation as he takes her to the drop off point. You see the skill these officers have in getting the suspects to talk and work with them to take down the dealers.

I also noticed that while the dealers’ living conditions are often very poor, their clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc., were much higher priced.  It took me a minute to realize that anything you didn’t need credit checks for (cars, homes, more expensive furniture) was lacking, but anything one could pay for in cash (hair, clothes, shoes, jewelry) was high priced.

If you’ve enjoyed police reality shows in the past, then you will definitely enjoy this series. It is intense as it takes you inside the busts and dealings, and lets you see the personalities and mind-sets of them people who go after hard core drug dealers and work to make the streets of Detroit safer. The camera work, like many police reality shows, is shaky as the camera tries to follow running and darting subjects and can give the viewer a headache or make them a bit queasy. Detroit was a great choice for a setting since the city has a character of its own and the backdrop and landmarks make it recognizable. All in all an entertaining series.

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