CINCINNATI -- "Cops" will chronicle the Cincinnati Police Department after all.

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Sheriff Welcomes 'Cops' Crews 'Cops' In Cincinnati: Good Idea?

Police Chief Tom Streicher re-invited the television show Wednesday, six days after canceling an earlier invitation because of pressure from City Council members who questioned the show's impact on tourism and the city's image.

Streicher had said having the popular reality TV show here wasn't worth fighting with City Council. But then he received a memo from six members - a majority of the nine - that said they wanted the decision to be his and the city administration's.

Filming won't start for at least two months, though. Streicher said he didn't want to take the opportunity to be on the show away from three other departments that stepped into the void.

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Discuss: 'Cops' In The Tri-State

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Cops crews rode with a suburban Norwood officer Friday, started eight weeks of filming Tuesday with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and filmed with officers in Covington, Ky., on Wednesday.

"After that, I told them the door is wide open," Streicher said. "And I told them if they didn't want to come then, they're welcome anytime as long as I'm police chief."

John Langley, executive producer of Cops, sent an e-mail to council accepting the offer to return.

Vice Mayor Alicia Reece said she opposed the invitation to Cops because the city is still working to overcome the stigma of riots in 2001 after a black man was fatally shot as he ran from police. She said showcasing crime in Cincinnati would do little to improve the city's national image.

Reece, Councilman Christopher Smitherman and Councilwoman Laketa Cole did not sign the memo to Streicher.

"They (Cops) ... are going to be showing predominantly African-American men being chased down by white officers," Smitherman said. "And I'm saying I don't like that."

Keith Fangman, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the decision to film Cops is about more than a 30-minute television show.

"It's about support for our police," Fangman said. "For three years, we've been beat over the head by the national media and unfairly portrayed. This is a terrific opportunity for once to get some positive publicity for our department and our city."

Stay tuned to ChannelCincinnati.com and WLWT Eyewitness News 5 for updates.