Editor’s note: This feature article was written by Whiteside News Sentinel reporter Jennifer Sleeman. It also ran in The Prophetstown Echo on Saturday, January 20, 2018. The Editor asked Sergeant Schmidt how the men were invited to perform. “Wyatt has connections. He has filmed there several times, including ‘Chicago P.D.’ and ‘Chicago Fire’,” he reported. Their episode 11 will air on a future Tuesday, at 9:00 p.m., on NBC/KWQC. Due to the January 30 State of the Union address and upcoming Olympics coverage, Episode 11 will be pushed back. Episode 9 was supposed to air on Tuesday, February 6. Check each Tuesday online for the show’s scheduled episode.
Kris Schmidt, left, Candidate for Whiteside County Sheriff, and Wyatt Heyvaert, right, Police Chief of Albany, [IL,] …traveled [on Friday, October 20, 2017,] to the set of the “Chicago Med” tv series. Both officers were cast as Chicago Police Officers in the show.
After arriving at Wardrobe on the day of filming, they were sent to Props. In Props, they received name tags, gun belts, radios, and all the accessories normally found in law enforcement. No details were overlooked. Props even had the t-shirts officers usually wear underneath their uniform.
On the day of the shoot, Schmidt and Heyvaert were the only two officers scheduled.
In the tv scenario, Schmidt and Heyvaert were to accompany the actor and help place a woman in [the] ER under arrest. Again, all details were planned in advance. Schmidt was instructed to stand by a mark on the floor during the shoot. Three or four different camera angles were recorded. The Director asked Schmidt to speak during the arrest.
“You’re under arrest,” was the line….Schmidt…was asked later if he w[ere] an officer in real life.
“It was a great day,” Schmidt remembered. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s a show that a lot of people look up to. It brings home the belief that we’re all human. It doesn’t take a title to make you more important. I don’t like it when people call me ‘Sergeant.’ I like it when they call me ‘Kris.’ I don’t believe in titles. We’re all the same people.”
“The thing I treasure most is I look at it with a different light now. I’m watching the people in the background. I never did before,” he continued.
As Schmidt became acquainted with the day’s extras, he found he already knew two paramedics from CGH [Medical Center in Sterling, IL]. “I knew them from working the street.”
Schmidt points out there are many differences between tv drama and actual Police procedure. Solving a crime in under 60 minutes is far from realistic.
“Some of the things Sergeant Voight gets away with…you can’t do that stuff…that troubles me, because that gives the rest of Law Enforcement a bad eye. The first thing you want to do is establish rapport. You don’t want to come in authoritative . You want to come in with ‘soft gloves’ to talk through the situation,” Schmidt explained.
“We don’t see that stuff,” said Schmidt about the issues presented on the tv series. Many of the issues would probably be experienced by a larger department than Whiteside County.
Schmidt and Heyvaert [filmed] Episode 11.
Visit Facebook (Kris Schmidt for Sheriff) or http://www.schmidtforsheriff.org to learn about upcoming events. An episode viewing party is being considered.