A former cop turned pastor is taking his influence to the streets in a new reality show for A&E.
The network that brought you Duck Dynasty is now telling the story of Kevin Brown, a pastor who surprises escorts in their hotel rooms and takes eight minutes to try to convince them to give up their lives as prostitutes, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“This is one of those great shows that was actually happening whether anybody was shooting it or not,” Executive Producer Tom Forman tells EW. “Brown told his congregation that for 20 years he’s had to arrest these women when what he’s really wanted to do is help them. It launched a drive within his church to run these undercover operations. We read that and thought somebody should put a camera on this, it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard.”
According to EW, Brown specifically targets those who are forced into a life of prostitution and trafficking. “Even if this all seems OK to you right now, it’s quickly going to become something very different,” he tells them.
A former prostitute will then join Brown, saying, “I was right where you are, I was scared my pimp would find out and beat me, I didn’t know if I could trust [Brown], I didn’t like the idea of leaving my stuff behind and running away in the middle of the night, but I said yes and my life has never been the same,” according to EW.
To promote their rescuing efforts, Brown co-founded Safe Passage OC with another former police officer, Greg Reece. The team, which includes former prostitutes, has about a 50 percent success rate, with some women anxious to leave and others wanting to stay. They use backpage.com to contact the women and let God do the rest.
“I love the intersection of drama and transformation and faith—without making an overtly faith-based show. This is a church group … these are real people giving up weeks of their lives and putting themselves at real risk to save somebody who hasn’t asked for their help. I’m blown away by what they do,” Forman tells the International Business Times.
The series was inspired by a Los Angeles Times article.
