LA Times: COPS production company did not have union contract covering crew member Bryce Dion, sound engineer shot to death by Omaha Police

Dion

Bryce Dion, the 38-year-old COPS sound engineer shot dead by Omaha police responding to a Wendy's robbery worked for Langley Productions, the owner of the COPS reality show, and was not covered by a union contract because the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees did not have a contract covering COPS crew members. The union has raised concerns before about unsafe working conditions on nonunion reality shows.

    ...Many injuries go unreported because crew members sign non-disclosure agreements and fear being blacklisted if they file lawsuits. Record-keeping is further muddled by the fact that many of the shows are nonunion, and workers are often classified as independent contractors.
     ...Kevin Boyle, a Los Angeles attorney representing the family of a consultant for a Discovery Channel show who was killed in a helicopter crash in Acton last year, said the Omaha incident “epitomizes part of the problem with these reality TV shows. Clearly there is a reason historically entertainment has been provided by actors and stuntmen in a safe setting. It’s absolutely ludicrous to have people following police around wearing bulletproof vests who aren’t part of the crime-fighting team.”