In A World Where Everyone's A Criminal... They Are the Police

A&E premieres THE new original real-life series "The Squad: Prison Police" THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, at 10pm est/pst

NEW YORK, NY, JULY 13, 2010 - A&E presents the new original real-life series "The Squad: Prison Police," following eight special agents who respond to, and investigate, every major crime in the Tennessee Prison system ranging from riots and assaults, to organized crime and drugs, to stabbings and murder. The ten episode half-hour series will premiere Thursday, August 5 at 10:00pm EST/PST on A&E.

Imagine a city populated entirely by the nation's worst criminals, and it's your job to police them�Tennessee Prison is that city, and The Squad is that police force. As the only police unit in Tennessee Prison, a maximum security facility, The Squad functions as detectives, SWAT and CSI all combined into one. All members of The Squad must complete a rigorous training course with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, making their level of expertise incredibly unique. Similar to other prison investigative units, The Squad must build their cases for criminal prosecution - and the consequences for these crimes are serious: additional convictions and prison time, solitary confinement, and loss of a chance at parole. However, unlike other prison investigative units, The Squad has full police powers, enabling them to work these major criminal cases by themselves all the way to conviction. Last year, The Squad solved 130 major cases.

The Squad includes:

Deputy Director Jerry Lester, who specializes in interrogation and public relations, is The Squad's fearless leader. Deputy Director Lester was a jeweler prior to his career in the Tennessee Department of Corrections and now is the head of the department's most elite unit.

Special Agent in Charge Jason Woodall works to "develop a theme" during his interrogations in order to grasp the truth any way he can. As a questioner, he can be conversational and even friendly, but his imposing size and his direct verbal style always make it clear who's in charge.

Special Agent John Fisher, a former tank gunner from the first Gulf war, is particularly talented when it comes to undercover operations.

Sergeant Nicky Jordan's expertise in taking on gangs within the Tennessee police system has earned him the reputation as "the most hated man within the prison system."

Sergeant Valerie Hampton is known as "Snoop Dogg" for her uncanny ability to ferret out drugs and other contraband.

Special Agent Joe England was recruited for The Squad out of a local sheriffs department's violent crimes unit after graduating near the top of his Police Academy class.

Special Agent Donna Clark's toughness and attention to detail has contributed to her success as The Squad's forensic evidence specialist.

Special Agent Scott Miller serves as a very unique member of the team whose specialties include cryptology, spy devices and forensic detective work.

Rounding out The Squad are Special Agent Richard Metcalfe whose responsibility is surveillance and Special Agent Mike Allison whose expertise is criminal intelligence.

Each episode follows an investigation from beginning to end as The Squad members navigate the ambiguous world of prison, trying to find the truth where most of the witnesses are convicted criminals. Stories in season one include life-threatening stab wounds during a melee on the exercise yard, murder, altercations within cell blocks, a drug smuggling operation potentially linked to the Crips, extortion plots, a death threat to the warden and the hunt for an escaped inmate.

"The Squad: Prison Police" is produced by Wild Eyes Productions for A&E Network. David Keane is executive producer, Aaron Bowden is co-executive producer, Ryan Spyker is supervising producer and Arcadia Berjonneau is series producer. A&E executive producers are Robert Sharenow and Laura Fleury.

About A&E Network

A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 99 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where unscripted shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment ranging from the network's original scripted series to signature non-fiction franchises, including the Emmy-winning "Intervention," "Dog The Bounty Hunter," "Hoarders," "Paranormal State" and "Criss Angel Mindfreak," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48" and "Manhunters." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.