Investigation Discovery Goes Beyond the Precinct Doors With Elite Indianapolis Homicide Detectives in a New Docu-Series, THE SHIFT
Six-Part Series Premieres on Sunday, December 21 at 10 PM ET on Investigation Discovery
November 20, 2008
(Silver Spring, MD) – In the world of investigation, the path to the truth is never straight and seldom smooth. Hours of relentless detective work and piecing together clues can be daunting, especially when you are hunting for a suspect who took someone’s life. In Investigation Discovery’s new six-part docu¬series, THE SHIFT, viewers follow the work and lives of a highly effective team of homicide detectives within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD). With exclusive access, THE SHIFT takes the ultimate in-depth look at the teamwork, intuition, and tenacious commitment required to provide justice for the victims, their family and the entire Indianapolis community. THE SHIFT premieres Sunday, December 21, at 10 PM ET on Investigation Discovery.
Like every large city in the U.S., Indianapolis has its fair share of violent crime. However, IMPD’s homicide department currently maintains a nearly 78% clearance rate – the percent of cases where a suspect is arrested and charged – compared to the national average of 61%. Focusing on the efforts of some of the best homicide detectives in the country, THE SHIFT follows IMPD’s “middle shift” and their chain of command, from the initial radio call requesting homicide at the crime scene to the ultimate satisfaction of clicking the cuffs on a suspect. The middle shift covers from 2:00 PM to 10:30 PM daily, what is considered “primetime” for homicide investigations; however, immediately following a murder the detectives often work around the clock to close the case before the leads go cold.
The key members featured in THE SHIFT include Detectives Jesse Beavers, Chuck Benner, Todd Lappin, Christine Minka, Lesia Moore and Tom Tudor, as well as their supervisors Sergeant Jeff Breedlove, Lieutenant Kevin Kelly, and Deputy Chief William Benjamin. Each detective has a distinctive personality and style – Minka is tenacious, with a 100% conviction rate; Benner has slick street savvy; Moore has a smooth laid back attitude; Lappin possesses a network of informants and the “odd couple” – Detectives Beavers and Tudor who have worked as partners for years – provide much-needed humor during the sometimes grim days at the office. Although each detective has a unique method of work, this close-knit team operates under one general rule: they cannot control the fact that someone has died, and they cannot control the circumstances of how it happened. What they can do is work for the deceased, solving the case to bring whatever closure is possible to the surviving family and justice to the community.
Challenging cases chronicled in THE SHIFT range from a suspicious suicide involving a “Jane Doe” to a home robbery resulting in multiple mortally-wounded victims. Detective Minka encounters her first missing person case, which is considered one of the toughest types because without a body, she has to first prove a homicide occurred. THE SHIFT showcases many of the tools utilized by these homicide detectives including interrogation techniques, confidential informants, cadaver sensing K-9 units, forensic science and a keen ability to unravel conflicting witness reports to uncover the truth. These sophisticated methods of investigation are employed to secure a simple, yet gratifying result – a small dot sticker on the department’s bulletin board of homicide cases signifying another murder suspect is behind bars. THE SHIFT is produced for Investigation Discovery by Lucky Rabbit Media. Kathleen Minton is executive producer, Pauline Mason is supervising producer and Jean Candiotte is supervising story producer for Lucky Rabbit Media. Christo Doyle is executive producer, Deborah Adler Myers is senior vice president of programming and Clark Bunting is president and general manager for Investigation Discovery.
About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the source for fact-based investigative content about culture, history and the human condition. ID, the new authority in real investigations, is expanding partnerships with leading news organizations and production companies to bring the strongest analytic, factual investigative and current affairs programming to more than 52 million U.S. households. Providing the highest quality investigative programming focused on fascinating stories of human nature from the past to the present, Investigation Discovery’s in-depth documentaries and series challenge viewers on important issues shaping our culture and defining our world. For more information, please visit Investigation Discovery.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the world’s number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including How Stuff Works. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit Discovery Communications.