Paranormal Cops: the best in paranormal investigation television

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• About the show

Get ready for a network "dirty little secret" - A&E and its North South Productions show manufacturer are sitting on a hit series.

Paranormal Cops recently had its network launch with six episodes.

And this is no ordinary paranormal show. Forget everything that turns you off to paranormal research in neat little network packages - this one is for real.

Host Ron Fabiani - reached by telephone today - admitted he's not running around the country hyping "most haunted" properties and seeking out the "paranormally afflicted."

Fabiani and staff of the very real Chicago Paranormal Detectives (CPD) only take on cases in the greater Chicago area. Clients seek them out and cases are chosen that fit CPD's investigation criteria. They are all currently Chicago area policemen and they investigate cases using similar methodology.

"We cannot stop being policemen," Fabiani said. "We're always asking - where's the evidence? People may come to us with pre-existing notions. They want to talk to us about demonic possession, or maybe a poltergeist. But we don't really know that these things exist. Anyone can say that. We investigate the unknown."

Photo: On the set. A&E image.

Fabiani says they look for recordable evidence. Their tools include video taken at the scene and sometimes Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) recordings.

"EVPs are probably the most common piece of recordable evidence that there is," Fabiani said. "People sometimes ask me - how do you know that you're not picking up a radio station? Well, a tape recorder is not an audio receiver - it's a tape recorder. And the intriguing aspect is when you get a specific response to a specific question."

And to balance their investigations - Fabiani says they use a medium.

Photo: From left, Tom Froelich, Austin Weinstock, Pete Schleich, Ron Fabiani, Brian Jones and Scot Ziako. A&E image.

"Mediums are much like a polygraph test," Fabiani said. "Inadmissible in court. You can't make a criminal case if that's all you got. However, it can steer you in one direction or another - from one suspect to another - it's sometimes the process of eliminating suspects.

"We use our medium in much the same way," he said. "If she says the Easter Bunny is standing next to you - we'll look for some corroborating evidence to substantiate that - like a temperature drop or an EVP."

Fabiani says she's another "tool in our tool box."

While the show remains a Chicago fixture instead of storylines from around the country, Fabiani insists he'll never run short of material.

"We get requests for interviews, appearances, investigations," he said. "We turn down 85 percent of the investigation requests. We offer to refer people to another local organization."

Photo: Ron Fabiani. A&E image.

But on the cases they consider taking on, it's police work from the beginning.

"We may do a preliminary interview first," Fabiani said. "And we interview everyone involved separately. But if it's a business - say a restaurant - we might show up unannounced and order dinner - ask around - chit-chat with the waiter. That's a concealed interview. That's how you get a genuine response from people. What's their motive? Do they want publicity? Or are they genuinely intimidated by something that's going on? We compare notes in a case like that - and then we set up interviews where they know we're coming."

"We're not into sensationalism," he said.

On the business end, every time a show is produced, the group has to check their schedules and coordinate so that they can all get together on the same dates. That might mean trading shifts with someone, or taking vacation time from work.

Photo: The group has a prayer before going inside for an investigation. A&E image.

If our readers want to get involved and let the folks at A&E know you like the show and want to see more than these first six episodes - you can send your positive comments by email direct to the show's producers -  AE.viewerrelations@aetn.com. 

Your comments will count. Don't be shy. Talk directly to the producers and let them know you want more of the real stuff.

EPISODES

Meagan's Ghost

Dead Man Walking

Messages From Beyond

There are more episodes and more clips at the A&E web site. The show also includes Austin Weinstock as investigator; Moriah Rhame as medium; Tom Froelich as co-founder and investigator; Pete Schleich as forensic investigator; Brian Jones as investigative assistant, and video expert, Scot Ziarko. Charlie Debevoise and Mark Hickman of North South Productions - with offices in LA, New York, and Knoxville - are the show's executive producers.