A production crew has been filming scenes in Brevard County this month for a possible A&E Networks' cable television show featuring Sheriff Wayne Ivey's "Wheel of Fugitive" concept for catching criminals.

Ivey says, while nothing has been finalized, "A&E has a very strong interest in it. They do love the concept."

"Wheel of Fugitive" is a popular weekly show Ivey and other members of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office staff produce for the BCSO Facebook page. It features Ivey spinning a specially designed, carnival-style wheel with the names and photos of 10 fugitives his office is seeking. The fugitive whose photo the wheel lands on is designated as the fugitive of the week,

Ivey says the program is successful in getting tips from the public to assist his staff in catching the fugitive of the week, as well as the other nine fugitives featured on the wheel each week.

"Wheel of Fugitive" is posted at 8 p.m. every Tuesday on the BCSO Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BrevardCountySheriff), which has more than 94,800 followers.

Ivey said the production company seeking to do the project for A&E first contacted him about a year ago to gauge his interest in providing access for a cable show focusing on the "Wheel of Fugitive" concept. Ivey said company officials heard about his Facebook show through social media.

BCSO public information officer Tod Goodyear accompanied the production crew from Sirens Media on some of its preliminary filming along the Space Coast.

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In addition to filming Ivey spinning the wheel for his Facebook show, Goodyear said the Sirens Media crew filmed the exterior of the Brevard County Jail in Sharpes, interviewed some of the members of the BCSO Fugitive Unit and filmed B-roll footage at various locales around the county.

Goodyear said the crew was getting a feel for the logistics of putting such a show together.

"It's all a big premise right now," Goodyear said.

Among A&E's 10 networks is Crime + Investigation, which A&E describes as "the ultimate destination for crime, investigation and mystery programming. CI opens the door to crime labs, police archives and the justice system, providing viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at criminal investigations, as well as in-depth explorations into the lives of infamous criminals."

Space Coast Film Commissioner Bonnie King — who helped the crew from Sirens Media by notifying municipal officials of the planned filming in their communities — sees it as a positive if a national cable television audience sees that Ivey "is on it, and he's dedicated to weeding out the bad guys."

"Our sheriff has made national news for his efforts to capture the bad guy," said King, referring to Ivey's national exposure for "Wheel of Fugitive" and other initiatives. "He's definitely an innovator. He's definitely a guy who thinks out of the box. It's going to be fast and furious in spotlighting the sheriff and his department."

Ivey said, if the project moves forward, the production company — and not BCSO staff — would be involved in doing the filming for the cable show.

An episode might start with Ivey spinning the wheel, and would take viewers through the investigative process of sorting through tips and other leads. It would culminate in the suspect being arrested, turning himself or herself in, or eluding capture. An airing of the show could generate additional tips about suspects who are not captured by time the show is broadcast.

Ivey said other law enforcement agencies also have adapted his "Wheel of Fugitive" concept in some form or another, and also would be featured in episodes of the proposed cable TV show.

In cautioning that there is no guarantee that A&E will pick up the show for one of its networks, Ivey said: "We've never gotten to the point where we've pulled the pin on this. We're kind of waiting to see" what transpires.

If things work out, Ivey is all-in on the working with the production company, in part to get wider viewership to help in the capture of fugitives.

"I'm enthusiastic about it," Ivey said. "Our only goal is to get fugitives arrested and off the street."

Dave Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @bydaveberman

Facebook: /dave.berman.54