Season 4, Week 5, of the A&E Hit

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 (with occasional bonus episodes on other nights) at 9 p.m. Eastern time on the A&E television network. Live PD producers and videographers embed in real time with officers on patrol from eight different U.S. police departments and sheriff’s offices. . 

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.)

A Live PD recap follows below. 

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) who usually compiles and shares video clips from each episode on social media. Also similar thanks to the @LivePDFans and @LivePDPundit Twitter feeds along with several other social media users.

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.

Controlled Control Room Chaos

Don Cesareo, the founder and president of Live PD producer Big Fish Entertainment, told Deadline Hollywood that “Live PD is one of most enjoyable shows to produce because it’s such a challenge. We do a lot of prep work in terms of the field, but really what happens is that you show up on a Friday night and settle into the control room and all of the camera feeds come up and the show starts and we don’t have a run down and have three hours of TV to create. The easiest way to describe it is like having eight live breaking stories at the exact same time, but you don’t know all of the details. There’s an energy and controlled chaos that works.”

According to Cesareo, “The show originated after he and his team came across police departments that were live tweeting patrols.” 

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, and Other Mantras

“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,” or the equivalent, you can generally expect that things will quickly go sideways.

Some mouthy 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, many of whom are impressively observant when they question subjects or investigate crime scenes, have become social media celebrities as a result of their participation in Live PD. Some of them may have a career in media or politics after they retire.

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?” Cops often address subjects as “bro,” “dude,” “bud,” “man,” “partner,” or “boss.” And instead asking subjects where they live, officers ask them where they “stay.”

Expect the Unexpected

Traffic stops — the primary but not 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 for another legal justification.

Apart from drugs and weapons, among the weird items they often find include bottles of presumably clean urine used to circumvent a drug test. Sex toys also show up from time to time.

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.

Excessively tinted windows beyond what is legally allowed increasingly constitute a safety issue for officers in traffic stops.

Driver’s License Optional

Somehow in America, a valid driver’s license became an optional credential for many motorists. Driving with impunity while suspended has become a thing.

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 PD does 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.

This Weekend on Live PD

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

Effective this weekend, the Nye County, Nev., Sheriff’s Office rejoins Live PD, while the Jefferson County, Ala., Sheriff’s makes its debut. There were no sequences featuring Nye County on Friday evening’s show, so it must have been a slow night there.

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 to provide commentary as usual.

Again, please understand that what is depicted on the show, and summarized below, including but not limited to any arrests, constitute mere allegations. Initial assessments made by cops or Live PD may be incorrect.

Live PD, Season 4, Episode 12, October 25, 2019

  • East Providence, R.I — Officers serve warrant on subject for stalking. After searching residence, they find suspect and take him into custody.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers question pedestrian. Abrams: “Sounds like he works out like Sticks, but dresses like Tom Morris with the camo jacket there.”
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Traffic stop; deputies allegedly spot “shake.” Abrams: “Seems like they suspect someone may have been eating the herbs.” Deputies issue three drug-related citations to passenger; driver released with no harges.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Det. Sunderland and other officers try to serve warrant and question another person on the scene.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; probable cause car search. Passenger mentioned to officer that she was upset about her Facebook page being deleted. Abrams: “Sounds like she’s had some issues with the Facebook police.”
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers stake out possible stolen vehicle outside motel. Once vehicle is on the move, officers make traffic stop and take two people into custody. Officers return to motel room, but occupants won’t open door despite repeated requests citing 4th Amendment. Cops advised they will obtain search warrant, but motel decides to terminate lease, so occupants are trespassing. Occupants open door; three occupants detained. Officers search motel room for possible stolen property in connection with alleged stolen car.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Traffic stop on minibike. Det. Sunderland advises that it is illegal to minibike on roadway or sidewalk.
  • Jeffferson County, Ala. — Traffic stop; possible stolen vehicle. Three subjects detained. Women in motel room detained; she has warrants.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to large brush fire; fire department called to the scene to put it out.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A driver actually spotted her stolen car and then decided to take matters into her own hands.” Suspect detained, and car located outside of residence. Suspect charged with grand theft auto and also has warrant. Victim comes to the scene to retrieve car.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Traffic stop. Lt. Danny Brown says that vehicle”reeks” of marijuana. Driver is a grandmother allegedly smoking a blunt with three-year-old granddaughter in back seat. Brown issues a ticket for marijuana that requires a court appearance. Abrams: “Grandma’s got joint issues that do not relate to arthritis.” Brown: “People make mistakes but that’s a pretty bad mistake. You got a kid in the back seat — smoking weed while you’re driving past three cops. Probably not the best choice in the world tonight. But the good thing is the child is safe. Got her back with mama; mama’s sober — was at work — came and got the car and baby…”
  • East Providence, R.I. — Officers respond to report of domestic disturbance; wife called 911 about naked, intoxicated husband acting out. Officers transport husband to detox center.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Foot pursuit with K9 of stolen vehicle suspect who fled on foot. Subject detained in vacant house; female separately detained. Two other subjects still at large.
  • Tulsa, Okla. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “You know they say that life’s not fair. Well that seemed particularly true for a…man earlier who was pulled over for a traffic violation.” Traffic stop; mismatched tags. Driver alleged intoxicated according to officers. Meth pipe found. Driver arrested on warrants and is not happy. Truck towed. Larkin: “Just wish you could mute him.” Passenger released.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies detain restaurant employee; drugs allegedly found on his person.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Deputies respond to alarm at car impound lot. Suspect(s) believed to be hiding on premises.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “You know when someone dates a younger person, it can be said ‘he’s robbing the cradle,’ and then there’s this guy in Richland County who ended up being the one robbed.” Man files report about stolen guns.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Traffic stop; Officer Ross allegedly smells weed. Two occupants detained; driver apparently had fled. Vehicle search. A large amount of foreign currency found. Graphic: “$50 billion Zimbabwe dollars found.” Ross suspect that the car was stolen; car towed as an abandoned vehicle. Occupants had warrants. Abrams: “The good news is they’ve got plenty of cash for possible bail money; the bad news is those billions are basically worthless.”
  • Missing segment — Bumpass, Va.
  • Wanted segment — Broward County, Fla.
  • Salinas, Cal. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Police responded to a report of someone possibly driving under the influence, except in this case, he wasn’t driving, and in fact, he wasn’t even awake.” Officer Muscutt responds to report of driver sleeping in vehicle. Driver appeared passed out with beer in his hand and parked in handicapped spot. Driver allegedly recorded almost three times the legal limit on the breathalyzer.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Traffic stop; truck hauling trailer contained with a lot of stuff. No tail lights.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Disabled vehicle assist. Lt. Brown changes tire.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Traffic stop; no tag. Warning issued.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies respond to report of home invasion in progress. Victim bleeding from the head and appears understandably disoriented. Suspects at large. EMS respond to transport victim to hospital. Residence equipped with multiple cameras, so it may be possible to identify suspects.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Officers respond to report of group drinking in parking lot. Group advised that drinking in public not permitted. End of episode.

Live PD, Season 4, Episode 13, October 26, 2019

  • Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop, UTV.
  • Nye County, Nev. — Deputies make contact with a loquacious woman who was reported to yelling and screaming on the street for well-being check. Deputies give her a ride home.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Deputies set up perimeter for search driver who bailed from vehicle on foot.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Foot pursuit through apartment complex for suspects who were allegedly entered a vacant residence. Two subjects taken into custody and will face resisting a law enforcement as juveniles; several other subjects still at large. Other charges possible after further investigation.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to retort of man allegedly propositioning teenage girls at a community center. Subject taken int custody and charged with public intoxication.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies respond to report of someone allegedly threatening employees at grocery store. Subject, who was allegedly already subject to a trespass notice at that location, detained down the road. Subject denies that a trespass notice is in effect or that he took anything without paying. Abrams: “It seemed pretty clear that he is the guy they were looking for although he has a different explanation for what happened.” It turns out that the subject was correct in saying that he was not subject to an official trespass notice. Also, no charges for stealing and any other charges. Deputies tell subject to stay away from property in the future.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop tag light out. Driver claimed he was robbed at gunpoint of $2500 earlier but declines to lodge a report and instead says he will take care of it on his own. Officer issues traffic citations.
  • Nye County, Nev. (pretaped): Abrams: “People sometimes use the term trailer trash. Well, in this case, it was the actual trailer that was trashed.” Renters left property in a shambles after lockout. Morris, Jr.” “Hopefully [the trailer is] insured, and [the owners] can recoup the loss. It’s obviously a total loss, probably needs to be condemned, but maybe homeowners insurance will salvage some of their loss.”
  • Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop; deputy checked to make sure quad was registered.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to report of intoxicated, belligerent woman at drug store. The woman had already left when cops arrived, but they check security camera for vehicle information.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Capt. Burt responds to residence on 911 hangup. Homeowner says she didn’t call. Everything appears okay.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Traffic stop; headlight out. Deputy detects marijuana odor. Driver had gun under seat and is taken into custody. Larking: “This is what we call contact and cover. You got one deputy on one side of the car making contact with the suspect. You got your cover on the other side, and although we couldn’t see her initially, you can hear her saying ‘I can’t see his left hand’…you could barely see it, but she had her weapon drawn which allowed him — since she had deadly force — he was able to pull out his taser at that point for a less lethal option. Very lucky that this guy didn’t try to come up with that weapon.” Deputies determine that gun as stolen and find drugs found in vehicle. Larkin: “When someone is moving around, reaching in a car, especially when we tell them quit moving around, we don’t know if they’re just trying to hide drugs. Our biggest fear is worry about them trying to pull a weapon, and when you search the car and find a weapon like that, it scares the hell out of you honestly.”
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Traffic stop on bike with no lights riding in street. Rider apparently wearing face paint.
  • Lawrence, Ind. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “Officer Bishop tried to ‘nail’ some suspected shoplifters.” Male charged with felony theft; two women (one of whom had nail polish on her person) released with no charges.
  • Nye County, Nev. — Deputies respond to three-car accident. One of the drivers was a visitor from Russia operating a rental car. Abrams: “Well, the good news is that he’s got the lost damage waiver, which you gotta think is a huge relief if you’re that guy right now.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop on bike; warning for no lights.
  • Crime of the Week — Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Traffic stop; headlight out. In the course of the stop, Capt. Burt observes suspicious people in nearby cemetery.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies detain man outside of closed business.
  • Lawrence, Ind. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “Some have been known to subject police to the slur ‘pigs,’ but earlier…that description was spot on.” Officers respond to report of a supposedly aggressive small pig on the lose trying to bite people. Pig, which appears friendly, is reunited with owner.
  • Missoula County, Mont. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A guy who returned to work after bing given a pink slip found himself in a sticky situation.” Deputies issue citation for trespassing. Morris, Jr.: “He mixed two very, very radically different camos. I would not personally have done what he did there….you got to coordinate, but not like that.”
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to domestic incident.
  • Wanted segment — Tallahassee, Fla.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers spot suspicious vehicle possibly involved in a drug transaction and plan to make traffic stop for no plate light.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Capt. Burt investigates cemetery trespassers (this may or may not be at the same location as the previous sequence). Abrams: “It does not seem this is a particularly ‘grave’ situation.”
  • Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Cpl. Furgal was called to a domestic dispute thought what the fight was over wasn’t exactly clear.” Furgal determines that there was no criminal issue; EMS called to the scene to check out male party.
  • East Providence, R.I. — Traffic stop; swerving.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Traffic stop on motorcyle; no tags. Driver was carrying a gun. Deputies determine that neither gun nor motorcyle were stolen. They issue verbal warning on tag and advise operator to carry gun permit with him and keep motorcycle paperwork in motorcycle.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; scooter had possible stolen plate. Operated arrested for no license. Possible petty theft under investigation.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Traffic stop; “one beer.” Driver passes field sobriety testing. Officer Ross apparently gives driver a break and allows him to drive home. Car had no insurance and could have been impounded.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Traffic stop on truck; possible wrong-way driver.
  • Missoula County, Mont. — Capt. Burt looks for suspicious, combative person in nightlife district.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to report of intoxicated male outside bar. Subject is apparently trespassed from location.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. — Deputies make traffic stop on stolen vehicle. Turns out that it is a false alarm. Rightful owner was driving vehicle; car had been stolen in July and subsequently returned, but still listed in system as stolen.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers search apartment complex area after reports of shots fired. End of episode.