  We have studied the local structure around Co in
YBa$_2$(Cu$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ thin films with three different
concentrations: x=0.07, 0.10, 0.17, and in a
PrBa$_2$(Cu$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ thin film of concentration x=0.05
using the X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) technique. Data were collected
at the Co $K$-edge with polarizations both parallel and perpendicular to the
film surface. We find that the oxygen neighbors are well ordered and shortened
in comparison with YBCO Cu-O values to 1.80 \AA{} and 1.87 \AA{} in the
$c$-axis and $ab$-plane, respectively. A comparison of further neighbors in the
thin film and powder data show that these peaks in the film are suppressed in
amplitude relative to the powder samples, which suggests there is more disorder
and/or distortions of the Co environment present in the thin films.
