Live PD is the ratings-winning law enforcement ride-along show that ordinarily airs on Friday and Saturday evenings at 9 p.m. Eastern time on the A&E television network. Videographers embed in real time with officers from eight different police agencies. A Live PD recap follows below of the “bonus,” Wednesday night episode as part of the ongoing Live PD marathon.

Because of its often intense action, unpredictability, danger,  plus quirky and humorous, and sometimes mundane, interactions between cops and citizens, Live PD is perhaps the closest thing that even approaches appointment TV anymore in the fragmented entertainment space.

With 32 live feeds coming into the studio, most segments air with a reported five- to 20-minute tape delay. When nothing is happening in real time, pretaped segments air, which Live PD describes as incidents that happened “earlier.”

Many thanks to Twitter user TG LivePD (@TLivepd) for compiling and sharing all of the video clips on social media.

As the Live PD disclaimer indicates, not all outcomes are known, and criminal charges may have been reduced, dismissed, or never filed.

When alleged criminal activities are depicted on Live PD, all persons are presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law.

[See Update below.]

Rules of the Road?

Many subjects who appear on the show are covered with tattoos (as are some of the cops), love cigarettes, and often have warrants, along with carrying contraband on their person and/or in their vehicles, the latter which are often unregistered and/or uninsured. Contraband plus no valid license/registration is usually an ill-advised combination as is contraband plus equipment malfunctions.

“I only had two beers” is a familiar mantra from motorists pulled over upon being asked by cops if they had anything to drink that evening. Another mantra is “not that I know of” when cops question a subject as to whether there might be illegal drugs in a vehicle.

Some combative subjects talk themselves into an arrest even when cops are about to let them go with minor infractions or warnings.

Some of the cops have become social media celebrities as a result of their participation in Live PD.

Expect the Unexpected

Traffic stops are often like a flea market. You never know what the officers might find inside vehicles after either a probable cause search pursuant to a K-9 alert or consensual search. Moreover, no license, no registration, and no insurance consists of a trifecta in many of those stops.

Motorists sometimes claim to hold a valid driver’s license, but for some inexplicable reason, they aren’t carrying it with them. Or it was stolen.

Some, but not all, of the subjects express excitement about being on Live PD(although occasionally they think they’re on Cops).

In switching quickly from sequence to sequence, and as you’ll see below, Live PDdoes not always provide an update of how cops resolved a particular encounter, if at all.

Last Night on ‘Live PD’

If you’re wondering what happened on Live PD during the bonus episode, a recap of the Wednesday installment of Live PD follows. Host Dan Abrams
and regular studio analysts Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin and Tom Morris, Jr., provided studio commentary as usual.

Again, please understand that what is depicted on the show, and summarized below including any arrests, constitutes mere allegations.

‘Live PD,’ Season 3, Episode 61, May 1, 2019

  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputy Laureano questions two persons in park. Warns female to make better choices.
  • Warwick, R.I. — Officers respond to two juveniles with hoodies on homeowner’s back deck. The duo had left by the time cops arrived. Officers to check area for subjects.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies respond to car accident.
  • Salinas, Cal. — Officers respond to report of man brandishing an “old-school” firearm.
  • Greene County, Mo. — Traffic stop; moped operator not using turn signal. No license. Subject admitted to having warrants. Brief foot chase after he tried to get away. Deputies allegedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia in pocket. “I don’t work…I hustle.” Subject taken into custody.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; tail lights out. Unhappy female driver says she’s been pulled over three times recently. K-9 deployedt; no alert. No charges.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol — Traffic stop; windshield wiper problem. No license; warrants. Consensual search. Troopers allegedly found meth, heroin, and Xanax. On-screen graphic: “pharmacy found?” Trooper Perkins: “The most heroin I’ve found in a traffic stop so that’s pretty awesome.” Subject arrested on multiple charges. Abrams: “A windshield wiper issue leads to a drug buffet in that car — amazing.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. – Officer spotted a horse tied up to fence outside apartment complex. Cop contacted nearby homeowner who returned horse to backyard. Abrams: “This is truly a one-horse town.”
  • Salinas, Cal. –– Traffic stop; brake light out. Driver had can of Budweiser in car. No ID.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Traffic stop (although vehicle didn’t stop immediately); turn signal issue. Deputies boxed in vehicle. Deputy Laureano spotted one of the occupants throw an object out of the window before it stopped. Deputy Blanding retrieved baggie on side of road; baggie allegedly contained crack cocaine. Driver also allegedly had marijuana in crotch. Driver arrested on possession charges. Car towed. Passenger released. Two weapons found but they came back clean. Sticks Larkin pointed out that trafficking is determined by the weight and varies from state to state and drug to drug.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment) — Traffic stop; erratic driving. Deputies found multiple open containers. Driver admitted to peeing in a cup. Deputies arrested driver for alleged DUI. Abrams: “Perhaps the all-time, number one excuse for driving with an open container.”
  • Greene County, Mo. — Traffic stop on truck. Deputy says driver’s license is suspended. Driver declines consent to search. Both occupants arrested for meth. Truck towed. Girlfriend comes to scene to pick up Buster the dog.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies stopped motorcyclist who popped a wheelie. He received warning for reckless driving.
  • Warwick, R.I. — Traffic stop; car had two rear license plates (Fla. and R.I.). Abrams: “A car with an identify crisis.”
  • Williamson County, Tex. (pretaped segment) — Deputies spotted truck in park at night. Two occupants. Vehicle search; deputies allegedly found marijuana and meth. Male party arrested for possession of controlled substance; female passenger released. Abrams: “A couple on a romantic date by a lake. But instead of wine and roses, it was something a little less legal.”
  • Warwick, R.I. — Traffic stop; dealer plate. Plate is registered to salvage yard.
  • Wanted segment, St. Louis, Mo.:
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; 17-year-old driver with no license and using car without parents permission. Dad declines to press charges for theft but is heading to scene. Ticket issued for driving without a license.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to suspicious vehicle outside church. Driver detained; says he works there. He is released.

Note: The third hour of Wednesday night’s episode will air tonight, Thursday, at 8 p.m. Eastern time prior to a special episode covering past-and-present hunts for fugitives. Check back for updates.

Update: The Thursday, May 2, 2019, Live PD “overtime” hour summary follows:

  • Richland County, S.C. — Traffic stop. Deputies detected marijuana smell. Consensual vehicle search. Found open container. Passenger allegedly had weed in his crotch. Abrams: “Sometimes the family jewels involve greenery.” Morris Jr.: “That was a pretty big sack,” Passenger charged with simple possession; other occupants released with no charges.
  • Greene County, Mo. — Deputies responded to domestic incident.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to domestic incident at gas station.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies respond to head-on collision, wrong-way driver. Apparently the accident scene is too gruesome to broadcast on Live PD.
  • Warwick, R.I. — Traffic stop. Occupants apparently handed marijuana to officers. Occupants allegedly had priors for heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. Officer Steere deployed Gary the K-9 (who is not trained to detect weed because of impending legalization in the state). K-9 alerted at dashboard, but officers found nothing. Driver’s license was suspended multiple times, so she was taken into custody on that infraction.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A driver was pulled over for having a modified exhaust but his car wasn’t the only thing blowing smoke.” No license; driver gave names and birthdays not found in database. Portable fingerprint scanner revealed actual identity. Trooper spotted what he said was meth in shoe. Weapon found in vehicle. Driver charged with possession and firearm violations.
  • Salinas, Cal. — Traffic stop. Officer detected odor of marijuana. Driver apparently admitted to a small amount of weed in car. Officer allegedly found shrooms in car search. Officer advised driver to keep weed in trunk after buying it from a dispensary (we’ve seen this educational outreach before). Driver arrested for a drug misdemeanor and released with citation.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; front headlight out. Driver was unwilling at first to get out of car. Deputies allegedly found pieces of a crack cookie on driver’s person. Other paraphernalia found. Driver arrested for possession.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A report of a guy waiving a gun near a daycare center. But wait till you see how he beat the rap.” Subjects were shooting a rap video using BB guns as props. Deputies suggested they might want to film elsewhere if they use fake guns in a video. Deputies advised daycare operator that all was okay.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; no license or ID. End of Live PD Overtime.