DRAMA FILMING TO START TV SCENES TO BE IN PLUM CANYON.

Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Staff Writer

SAUGUS - Phil Hartley's Plum Canyon home is about to become famous.

The exterior and a wall are making their debut this fall on a new television series, ``Robbery Homicide Division,'' that will air on Friday nights on CBS.

``It's kind of exciting to have your little piece of Saugus be in a television series,'' Hartley said.

His is one of three houses on Santa Catarina Road that will be involved in the shooting of the opening scene of the series. The main scene, with lots of action and gunfire, will take place in his neighbor's back yard.

Filming in the Saugus neighborhood is scheduled on Thursday and Friday nights for the Michael Mann production starring Tom Sizemore, whose credits include ``Pearl Harbor,'' ``Saving Private Ryan'' and ``Black Hawk Down.''

Production crews have been working with neighbors for weeks, preparing them on what to expect during the overnight shoots that are bound to get a little noisy.

Jason Crawford, the city's film office administrator, said producers wanted a middle- to upper-class neighborhood for scenes in the series that will focus on the workings of a robbery and homicide division. It's unclear where the drama is supposed to take place.

``I'm very excited they are going to be up here,'' he said.

Most of the residents have been cooperative, though a few have raised concerns about the content of the television show.

But Hartley says filming in the Santa Clarita Valley boosts the local economy and keeps jobs in California.

``I think people who live in Southern California generally consider the value of that industry and perhaps should be a little more understanding and accommodating of the industry,'' he said. ``It's going to be a noisy scene involving gunfire, but, of course, gunfire really makes no more noise than a fireworks show.''

Though the filming will be happening on a public street, city officials are asking residents to wait until the shows debut to catch a glimpse of the action, Crawford said. Production crews have increased security since Sept. 11 for safety reasons.

This series is just one of a handful that have started filming in the Santa Clarita Valley. Along with ``Jag'' and ``Power Rangers,'' ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigators'' began production on Monday.

``We are constantly talking and trying to pull more films up here,'' Crawford said.