<P> In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that The First 48 "has a classic Black Belt audience pattern". </P> <P> On November 18, 2009, 21 - year - old Taiwan Smart was charged with two counts of second - degree murder of his two roommates in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood . His story aired later as an episode titled "Inside Job ." Evidence later established that police made important mistakes in their investigation . Additionally, The First 48 misrepresented a key witness's statement on the program . Smart was released in June 2011 and has since sued the city of Miami for false imprisonment . The episode continues to air without correction . </P> <P> On May 16, 2010, a 7 - year - old Detroit girl named Aiyana Jones was shot and killed during a "special weapons and tactics" (SWAT) raid that was filmed by The First 48 cameras . Detroit SWAT unit raided the duplex while searching for a homicide suspect . On October 5, 2011, prosecutors charged the Detroit police officer with the involuntary manslaughter of Jones . Allison Howard, an A&E Television Network camera operator filming that night, was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice after lying under oath . She pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to two years of probation . </P> <P> The show's unprecedented access to police departments has generated some controversy because such access is not typically given to traditional local news media . Moreover, the show has been criticized for putting witnesses in danger by revealing their faces and their voices on a nationally televised program and for not being sensitive to what might happen to them in the form of retaliation . In response to such criticism, witnesses often ask producers to have their faces blurred out and voices changed or to speak off camera . </P>

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