For those so interested, the agenda for today's Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting includes the county's contract with Touch Productions, which will produce a documentary series for the Discovery Channel about Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins and efforts to exonerate innocent prisoners using DNA evidence. The county's all for this project -- unlike, oh, an earlier attempt by Sheriff Lupe Valdez to allow Discovery's camera crews into the Dallas County Jail.
Notes assistant district attorney Bob Schell in his his memo to the commissioners: "This is truly a project which will provide an inside look at an initiative that has already brought national attention to Dallas County." Only, you'd think a budget-strapped Dallas County would think twice before waiving the $250-per-day rental usually charged to folks who film on county property. After all, Touch says in its contract it'd gladly pay the fee. (And it will -- will it ever.) The contract, incidentally, doesn't say whether it's a one-off doc or a series, only that "the DA's office and the producer may elect to extend the Production into a series." --Robert Wilonsky
