MSNBC to Premiere 'The Squeeze' on New Year's Day

MSNBC will ring in the new year with the premiere of “The Squeeze,” a new law enforcement documentary series based in Chicago, on Friday, January 1, 2010, from 10-11 pm ET.

The first episode, titled “Wanna Work a Number?,” originates inside Cook County Jail, the largest single-site jail facility in the United States. Cook County Jail—or “Crook County Jail,” as the inmates call it—occupies more than 10 city blocks and houses nearly 10,000 inmates at any given time. With more than 100,000 gang members in Chicago, it’s no surprise that 70 percent of Cook County inmates identify themselves as Latin Kings, Vice Lords or Gangster Disciples.

It is the job of the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU)—an elite group of only 30 members—to penetrate the gang barriers within the prison and gather information about gang activity throughout Chicago. “The Squeeze” will follow that intel from the jail to the streets, as CIU works with the Cook County Sheriff’s Police to bust drug houses, confiscate illegal weapons caches and even solve cold case murders.

The series also explores the “kill or be killed” attitude that pervades the Chicago gang culture inside and outside of Cook County Jail. Adrian Sandoval, one of the CIU members featured in the show, grew up on the very streets where these gangs now flourish. “Half the people I grew up with went into law enforcement—half into gang life. And half of that other half are now 6 feet under,” says Investigator Sandoval.

MSNBC and 20 West Productions secured unprecedented access to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Cook County Jail. This includes the investigation, planning and execution of one of the area’s biggest drug raids, “Operation Room Service.” The sting netted 100 arrests, more than $100,000 in narcotics and an arsenal of weapons.

“The Squeeze” is an MSNBC original series, and is produced by 20 West Productions. Elise Warner is the Senior Producer of “The Squeeze” for MSNBC. Melissa Cutlip and Scot Thor are Co-Executive Producers of “The Squeeze” for 20 West Productions. Lance Hori is the Series Supervising Producer and Steve Carroll is the Series Producer, also for 20 West Productions. Michael Rubin is Vice President, Long Form Programming for MSNBC. Scott Hooker is Senior Executive Producer, Documentary Production and Development for MSNBC.

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