Here’s what you missed on Live PD this weekend.

Live PD is the ratings-winning, three-hour law enforcement ride-along show that ordinarily airs fresh episodes on Friday and Saturday evenings at 9 p.m. Eastern time on the A&E television network.

Producers and videographers embed in real time with officers on patrol from eight different U.S. police agencies. A Live PD recap follows below. 

Given 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. (Live PD has also spawned several spin-offs.)

Williamson County Update

Note: Officials in Williamson County, Tex. in the Austin area have voted to end the sheriff’s department contract with Live PD owing to several different local issues. This means fan favorites Lt. Kennedy and Lt. Luera, among other deputies, will no longer appear on Live PD.

From CBS DFW:

“Williamson County commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to discontinue its contract with Big Fish Entertainment, which produces ‘Live PD.’ The show must stop filming on county property in 30 days…Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and some defense attorneys had criticized the contract that gave Big Fish Entertainment the rights to all the video and allowed the company to destroy footage — potential evidence — within 30 days… Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody said Wednesday that he was disappointed with the commissioners’ vote, and that the county has benefited from the show through recruitment, community engagement and transparency.”

Unseemly comments by an officer may have also played a role in the contract’s termination: “The [commissioners] court decided to end the contract Aug. 20 following allegations against Commander Steve Deaton for inappropriate behavior, such as challenging deputies in a meeting to have sex with a female ‘Live PD’ producer,” Community Impact reported.

Live PD is going on at three-week hiatus after the August 24 episode. Live PD returns on Friday, September 20, with some new departments, one of which will obviously replace the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Live Plus Previously Recorded Incidents

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

For viewers, Live PD is addicting, which perhaps is an unfortunate choice of words in this context. While millions of Americans experiment — and more than experiment — with drugs when younger, Live PD reveals a self-destructive cohort hooked on narcotics (and/or booze) well into middle age and beyond.

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

As the Live PD disclaimer indicates, not all outcomes are known or final, and criminal charges, if any, 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.

Rules or No Rules of the Road?

Many subjects who appear on the show in law enforcement interactions are covered with tattoos (as are the cops more often than not), love cigarettes, and often have warrants. They often carry contraband on their person and/or in their vehicles, the latter which are often unregistered and/or uninsured.

Transporting contraband such as controlled substances plus no valid license/registration is usually an ill-advised combination as is contraband plus vehicle equipment malfunctions.

Alleged drug traffickers who fail to abide by routine traffic laws or, as noted, lack working vehicle running lights or other related equipment, can also wind up in big trouble following a probable cause search.

Two Beers, Not My Pants

“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 or even on their person. In the alternative, subjects also often claim that drugs “belong to a friend.”

From time to time, they also claim that the pants that they are wearing in which cops find drugs belong to a friend.

Separately on the subject of wardrobe, males who appear on Live PD often don’t take the time to put on a shirt even when a cop shows up at their front door.

Not my jacket or not my purse are also familiar refrains.

In addition to the drug epidemic across across the country as well as alcoholism, the obesity epidemic is also frequently on display.

When a subject begins a sentence with “I’m going to be honest with you, officer,” you can generally expect that things will quickly go sideways.

Some combative subjects argue themselves into an arrest (i.e., talking themselves into handcuffs) even when cops are about to let them go with minor infractions, citations, or warnings.

Some suspects seem more concerned about smoking one last cigarette before jail than they are about going to jail.

Several of the cops, who are impressively observant when they question subjects, have become social media celebrities as a result of their participation in Live PD.

As an aside, officers across the country have a tendency to ungrammatically add the preposition “at” to the end of a sentence. I.e.: “Where do you live at?” or “Where is he/she at?”

Expect the Unexpected

Traffic stops — the primary but no the only enforcement actions seen on Live PD — are often like a flea market. Viewers never know what the officers might find inside a vehicles after either a consensual search or a probable cause search pursuant to a K9 alert or another factor.

Among the weird items they often find include bottles of presumably clean urine used to circumvent a drug test.

Moreover, as suggested above, no license, no registration, and no insurance consists of a trifecta in many of those stops. (A disproportionate number of pick-up trucks seem to have issues when stopped by law enforcement officers).

Mismatched plates, expired (and/or doctored) temporary tags, and the like are also frequent infractions.

You’ll also note that subjects are typically clutching their phones at all times no matter what, even officers are trying to talk with them or or even when getting cuffed.

Driver’s License Optional

Somehow, a driver’s license became an optional credential for many motorists

Motorists sometimes claim to have a valid driver’s license, but for some inexplicable reason, they aren’t carrying it with them. Or it was stolen. Is it any wonder that the cops often ask the person behind the wheel if he or she has a drivers license on them?

Occasionally drivers will say that they have a picture of their license, registration, or other required documents on their phone rather than in their physical form.

Officers often give break to those who are driving illegally, however. Sometimes cops will allow the motorist to drive directly home or call another licensed driver to the scene to take over behind the wheel.

Judging by these traffic stops, driving while buzzed seems to be a growing, as it were, problem across the country. Weed laws vary significantly from state to state. Some jurisdictions have decriminalized possession of small amounts.

Some, but not all, of the subjects that police make contact with 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.

As alluded to above, K9s well trained in drug detecting and human tracking regularly assist cops in their investigations on Live PD. Note that because of changes in the laws of some states, K9s in certain jurisdictions no longer get trained for weed sniffing.

Live PD Boosted A&E

Bloomberg Businessweek summed up the appeal of Live PD:

“…the hit show that’s helped lift the fortunes of A&E Networks Group and is showing at least one way TV companies can survive competition from streaming services like Netflix. Continually switching between cameras recording the real-time exploits of officers in eight locations around the U.S., Live PD combines a classic TV staple—the police show—with live elements that many viewers find irresistible…The show, now in its third season, is often the No. 1 program on American cable TV on Friday and Saturday nights. A&E is one of only two cable channels to show growth in 18-to-49-year-old viewers since September 2018, along with TLC… In a way Live PD is a return to the network’s heyday six years ago when it thrived on red-state reality shows such as Duck Dynasty and Dog the Bounty Hunter. Programming at A&E—which had started out showcasing fine arts such as opera and classical dance in the 1980s—drifted after those reality hits ended…A typical Live PD episode follows two officers each in eight cities or counties. A camera person rides in the cars, which are also equipped with cameras. Abrams hosts the show from A&E’s Manhattan headquarters, switching between live feeds to highlight whichever story seems most compelling… Live PD offers a mix of the mundane and the terrifying… Live PD producers say that if some of those being filmed object, their faces are blurred out. But mostly [Big Fish entertainment founder Dan] Cesareo says the show doesn’t need to get the subjects to sign releases to include them because the events are playing out in public, live… ”

This Weekend on Live PD

If you’re wondering what happened on Live PD this weekend, a recap/summary of Friday and Saturday night’s Live PD editions follows.

Host Dan Abrams — he of the puns and the double entendres — and regular studio analysts Tom Morris, Jr., and Tulsa, Okla., PD Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin provide studio commentary.

Live PD, Season 3, Episode 89, August 23, 2019

  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; failure to yield and speeding at 110 MPH. Driver indicates he consumed 2-1/2 beers. Passed field sobriety test but arrested for reckless driving. Girlfriend came to the scene to pick up dog.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop; speeding. Passenger: “She has a heavy foot.” Abrams: “Heavy foot is not a legal defense though to a speeding charged. Driver released with no ticket issued.
  • Greene County, Mo. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Deputy Kyle Winchell had his hands full with two men neither of whom wanted to take ownership of a little something in the truck.” Traffic stop; no rear plate, no rear bumper, brake light out. Passenger fled on foot. Deputy allegedly finds meth in truck in the space between driver and passenger. He releases driver with advisory that charges may be filed later. Driver subsequently tips off deputy about passenger’s whereabouts. Foot pursuit through neighborhood. Passenger taken into custody. Meth pipe found on passenger’s person. Passenger arrested on outstanding warrants, resisting arrest, drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance. Morris, Jr. “That guy ran pretty fast in those little cute shoes he had on.”
  • Lafayette, La. — Officers serving warrant at residence. Subject taken into custody.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to report of shots fired into car window at fast-food drive-thru. Unclear if weapon was a real gun or a pellet gun. Officers examine vehicle damage and investigate further.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies interact with moped driver outside of convenience store. Possible loitering issue. Lt. Brown: “Ever been arrested?” Subject: “Of course.” Deputy issues warning for open container.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; open container, pro-pot bumper sticker. Driver may have indicated that she has suspended, out-of-state license. Abrams: “The bumper sticker may help the cause, but it also may lead someone like Lt. Kennedy to wanna look around a little bit.” Driver warned for open container and released.
  • Lafayette, La. — The Colla twins respond to disturbance in neighborhood between two women. Officer Morgan Colla: “That’s your wig? I thought that was a purse.” Both parties warned to stay away from each other and get restraining order if necessary.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol — Troopers pursue, fleeing vehicle through residential area. All five occupants (juveniles) bail from car. Foot pursuit. Occupants disappeared into apartment complex. Cops search area.
  • Greene County, Mo. — Deputy interacts with pedestrian and warns him not to walk in road.
  • East Providence, R.I. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “While trying to park in front of a laundromat, a woman get herself in a bit of a lather.” Officers respond to report of fight between two women at laundromat involving a parking space. Victim declines to press charges. Parties separated.

  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to report of loud noises outside apartment. Teenagers apparently threw bricks at residents door. Officers will document the incident for follow-up.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; erratic driving. Driver says the car belongs to his girlfriend but he doesn’t know her last name. K9 deployed, but no alert. Driver had non-extraditable warrant from N.C. Driver released with warning only. Driver: “When you do the right thing, you get the right result.”
  • Greene County, Mo. — Traffic stop; scooter. Possibly no plates and non-use of turn signal. Operator had two warrants.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to report of burglary in progress at business area and search area.
  • Salinas, Cal. — Officers respond to vehicle burglary in progress. Subject in car detained at gunpoint. Subject had criminal history, and officers had shot him in prior encounter. Replica gun and drug paraphernalia found.
  • Crime of the Week — Green Bay, Wisc.
  • Lafayette, La. — Officers respond to disturbance in neighborhood; woman allegedly screaming in street. Subject given warning for disturbing the peace.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Troopers pulled over a driver and his friend he called Abraham, but something about that didn’t seem all that honest.” Traffic stop; erratic driving. No license. Syringe found on passenger side. Troopers also allegedly found meth. Passenger arrested. Driver released but must park car and walk home.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop; speeding. Vehicle resembles the Batmobile. Driver says vehicle was used in a movie.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies respond to report of about 50 luxury cars (Ferraris, Lamborghinis) going 100-plus MPH on highway. Drivers and vehicles apparently were in town for a charity event.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol — Trooper checks in citizen operating tractor.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “What may have been a happy night of bowling instead turned into a domestic dispute involving a husband, and wife, and of course a mother in law.” Deputies respond to domestic argument. Deputy Furgal: “Drunk and bowling kind of go together.” Parties separated.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop; vehicle allegedly almost hit Officer Kingery’s cruiser head on. Driver arrested on suspicion of DUI.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Officers respond to accident involving an alleged erratic, possibly intoxicated driver. When officers arrived, driver was sitting in the vehicle with the engine. Cops examine cars for damage. Officers claim that the reporting party was also intoxicated. No charges. Sober friend to drive motorist No. 1 home.
  • Missing segment — Roseburg, Oreg.
  • Greene County, Mo. — Deputy spots disabled vehicle on side of the road. Driver’s boyfriend coming to scene to hopefully get car going so it won’t get towed. Expired plates. Deputy gives safety warning.
  • Wanted segment — Tie-dyed bandit, Florida:
  • Okla. Highway Patrol (pretaped segment): “A driver seemed particularly tight-fisted though not in the usual sense of the word.” Traffic stop; Trooper describes driver as incoherent. Driver’s license was revoked for DUI. Two kids sleeping in back of car. Driver had vial of alleged PCP in clenched hand. Transmitted to hospital, Kids are okay.
  • Greene County, Mo. — Deputies investigate possible stolen vehicle. Two occupants detained in convenience store. End of episode.

Live PD, Season 3 Finale, Episode 90, August 24, 2019

  • Williamson County — Deputy interacts with pedestrian who was jaywalking. Graphis: “Jay-talking.” Abrams: “Not often you get to hear the word [sic] ‘Jeffrey Dahmer’ and “jaywalking’ in the same sentence. Deputy checks subject’s ID and sends him on his way. ” Deputy Johnston: “I don’t think I’m an a**hole.”
  • East Providence, R.I. — Officers assist with traffic control for fire on ice cream truck. Fire and ice?
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Multiple officers take man in custody in residential neighborhood on disturbing the peace call. Subject alsl has warrant. Deputy Johnson: “The minute he saw us, he lost his mind and started resisting…”
  • East Providence, R.I. (pretaped segment) — “Officers pulled over a Moorish American national who was quote kidnapped while not driving but traveling on his way to participating in commerce.” Traffic stop; seat belt and tinted windows issues. No license. Driver arrested for obstruction and no valid license. Passenger’s license was expired. Vehicle towed. Abrams: “Seems another proud graduate of the ‘You of Tube’ law school.” Morris, Jr.:”These Morrish American nationals sovereign citizens have been around since the 90s…they firmly believe that the government has no authority over them. You can not change their mind. It doesn’t matter if you take them to jail. They are unshakable in that belief, which we all know is completely and utterly ridiculous.” Larking: “It’s frustrating because these things just get dragged on. It just becomes semantics. You’re arguing back and forth over driving and traveling.”
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop. Insp. Sroka says that the “car reeks of fresh, fresh marijuana..it stinks in here.” Car search. Graphic: “Shake, rat-tle, and roll.” Drug paraphernalia found. Driver receives citation for marijuana possession.
  • Greene County, Mo. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: During a traffic stop, a driver decided to make a run for it, a decision he would quickly regret.” Traffic stop for expired tags. Foot pursuit. Driver taken into custody. Ironically, it turned out he had no outstanding warrants but he was arrested for resisting and no license.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop, motorcycle. Registered expired for four years. No motorcycle license.
  • Okla. Highway Patrol — Traffic stop. Gun found in vehicle. Driver’s girlfriend on phone allegedly misidentifies weapon claiming it was hers. Trooper issues warning on infractions and citation for driving with a suspended license. Car towed; weapon secured in trunk.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Abrams: “You’ve heard the expression ‘taking a bite out of crime.’ Well…that was literally what happened.” Traffic stop; brake lights and plate lights out. Officer claims he detects odor of weed in car. Probable cause car search. Driver allegedly tried to swallow a crack rock. Taser deployed. Driver taken to hospital to be checked out after which he will face possession charges.
  • Salinas, Cal. — Officers detains suspect in alleged convenience store theft. Officer Mitchell refers to him as a “known frequent flyer.”
  • Greene County, Mo. — Traffic stop truck; mismatched plates, no license plate light. Driver arrested for driving while revoked, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and meth possession.
  • Lafayette, La. — Traffic stop; no license plate light. Officers detect odor of weed. Driver wearing ankle monitor in connection with alleged second degree murder charge. Driver receives citation for light issue, summons for marijuana, and released. Passenger arrested on outstanding warrant.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies respond to burglary in progress. Sliding glass back door smashed. Deputies clear house; residents okay. Possible subject may be the ex-husband who could have been violating protective order.

Lawrence, Ind. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A guy with a felony warrant used a form of ‘that’s not me, bro,’ defense. In this case, it was the ‘it was the ‘that’s not me, it was my son’ defense. Traffic stop; felony warrant. Subject initially claims it was a case of mistaken identity but final admits the warrant is for him. Subject arrested.

  • Okla. Highway Patrol — Trooper backs up another officer who detained three subjects after traffic stop. One subject fled. Initially all four bailed. Brief search of fleeing subject in neighborhood but still at large. Driver arrested for driving under suspension; passengers released with no charges. Mom came to the scene to pick up vehicle.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop; speeding. Some kind of license issue. Warning only.
  • Williamson County, Tex. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “During a traffic stop, a driver admitted to having a little bit of drugs. Unfortunately, though, having a lot of a little bit can get you in more than a little bit of trouble in Texas.” Traffic stop; defective license plate light. Deputy detects weed odor. Probable cause car search. Deputy: “We got marijuana all over this car.”Driver Several bags of marijuana found, plus THC oil. Driver arrested for possession. THC oil to be tested and could result in additional felony charge.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputy stops bicyclist who is riding with no light.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputy interacts with man allegedly loitering at convenience store. Subject runs and is detained after foot pursuit. Subject had dumped a bag behind counter. Deputies allegedly find large amount of drugs and a gun in bag. Subject is facing multiple felonies.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop; non-use of turn signal. No ID. Officer Bishop indicates passenger is a prostitute with past drug involvement. K9 summoned (apparently no alert). Driver and passenger released with no charges.
  • Greene County, Mo. – Traffic stop on dune buggy for non-use of turn signal and expired plate.
  • East Providence, R.I. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “You know the expression ‘stay off my law.’ Well…a man got angry at some kids who were just looking at his lawn.” After officers investigate and speak with both sides, homeowner warned about running after kids and received summons for suspended license. Car towed.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Traffic stop; driver rolled through red light. Driver admitted to consuming two glasses of win five hours ago. Released with no charges.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies make well-being check on couple at gas station. Abrams: “These people have admitted to being heroin uses.” K9 alert. Deputies find multiple needles and meth pipe.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Insp. Sroka approaches vehicle in closed parking lot. Driver says he was checking email. Sroka suggests alternative scenic location. Driver drives off.
  • East Providence, R.I. – Insp. Sroka advises group that park loses at 9 but allows them to stay because they aren’t causing any trouble.
  • Lafayette, La. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A driver spilled the beans on a passenger suspected of shoplifting among other things.” Traffic stop; passenger was shoplifting suspect. Car search; meth pipes and drugs allegedly found. Passenger arrested. “It was just hygiene stuff…I jsut wanted to stop smelling bad.” Other occupants released with Beans the cat, subject to possible future charges.

East Providence, R.I. — Insp. Sroka spots yet another suspicious vehicle. Driver was merely eating spicy chicken. End of season finale.

Live PD returns (without Williamson County and possibly without Lawrence, Ind. and other departments ) on Friday, September 20, with new episodes.