Season 4, Week 20, of the A&E Unscripted Hit LEO Series

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 starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time on the A&E television network (unless an additional, “bonus” episode airs in a given week). 

With about 40-plus cameras, Live PD producers and videographers embed in real time with officers and deputies on patrol from eight or nine 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 with some of the pithiest quotes from the participants follows below. 

But first, the good idea/bad idea of the week: Is it a good idea or bad idea to call police on a routine matter when you have warrants?

Live Plus Previously Recorded Incidents

With usually about 40 live feeds coming into the studio, most segments 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 users @TLivepd, @LivePDFans, and @LivePDMusings along with several other Twitter feeds, for the embedded clips and images.

Note: Embedded tweets do not in any way equal or imply endorsement of their content.

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 suspects 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 the following:

“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.” 

Variety has more background from Cesareo:

“You could say Live PD was born out of necessity. Executives at Big Fish Entertainment, the production company behind it, realized that at a time when more TV viewers were moving to streaming services, a program that had to be watched live would be more compelling. The team noticed police departments across the U.S. ‘were providing these timely updates over the course of an evening’ to local residents via Twitter, says Dan Cesareo, who formed Big Fish. ‘We found it fascinating.’

“Getting things right took time — even after Live PD launched. Producers had to get access to police departments. Once they got on air, they had to learn to steel themselves against the temptation to jump from one feed to the next whenever a conflict or action appeared to be in the offing. ‘When you do something new that hasn’t been done before, there’s not a road map,’ says Cesareo. ‘It took us four to six months, probably, just to get comfortable with our own setup.’”

As this blog has previously reported, local politicians and activist groups have complained that the show puts their community in a exploitative, false light. This political pressure has in the past led to some departments terminating their contract with Live PD. Currently, several city councilors in Tulsa aren’t fans, although others say it improves community relations and recruitment.

According to the Tulsa World, “A Tulsa police officer at the police station monitors the live video footage as it is being filmed and can disallow footage in real time if deemed appropriate. TPD can disallow footage for several reasons, including safety concerns and to ensure that undercover officers and confidential investigative tactics are not made public.” The Tulsa World itself has separately editorialized against Live PD.

Rules or No Rules of the Road?

Many subjects appearing 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. That’s why cops often begin an interaction by asking if there is anything illegal in the car.

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.

The first thing that officers usually say to a suspect in an adversarial encounter is “let me see your hands.”

Two Beers, Not My Pants, and Other Mantras

“I only had two beers” is a familiar motorist mantra when pulled over and asked about having anything to drink that evening, particularly if the driver appears tipsy.

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” or it’s “not my car.”

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 (with a camera crew) shows up at their front door.

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

Sometimes “not my car” also is part of the cop-citizen dialogue.

Parenthetically, males and female drug users often tend to conceal their stash in their private parts, making for some awkward if not disgusting pat-downs.

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.

Suspects in custody can sometimes go from combative and brazen to remorseful to tearful in a matter of minutes.

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 just a warning.

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 television media or politics after they retire from full-time law enforcement.

The Lingo

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.” Subjects often address cops as “bro” or “dude.” And instead asking subjects where they live, officers ask them where they “stay.”

They also try to reassure detainees that handcuffs “come off as fast as they go on” if or when a subject gets cleared.

In a pat-down, because of the prevalence of needles used by drug abusers, for their own safety, cops always ask if the subject has “anything in your pockets that’s going to cut, stab, or poke me?”

When asking a subject about drugs or other contraband, an officer often advises that “honesty goes along way” in the context of possible reduced (or no) charges.

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.

High-speed chases are common, as are slow-roller who initially don’t pull over in a traffic stop. In the latter scenario, drivers often try to make it to their driveway or apartment complex to avoid getting their car towed. This is in addition to whatever other traffic infractions, warrants, or misdemeanors or felonies that might be in play.

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. Based on how often cops find these devices, the digital scale business must be very lucrative.

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).

For law-abiding motorists sharing the road, the recurrence of non-insurance scenarios has to be disturbing.

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

In addition to a cigarette fixation, subjects typically clutch and/or use their phones at all times no matter what, even when officers attempt to talk to them or or even when they’re 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. Or it’s in the car rather than in their wallet.

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. This is called officer’s discretion.

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 weed-sniffing training.

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, along with some of the best quotes.

Host Dan “Let’s get in a break” Abrams — he of the puns and the double entendres — and regular studio analysts Tom Morris, Jr. and Tulsa PD Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin provide studio commentary.

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 or observations made by cops or Live PD, or anyone on Twitter for that matter, may be incorrect, and no endorsement here is meant or implied.

Live PD, Season 4, Episode 48, February 28, 2020

This episode featured a commercial-free hour, but the first time perhaps, no sequences from Richland County, S.C. About one-third of the show consisted of pretaped segments, so it seems to be a slow night overall.

  • Nye County, Nev. — Deputy Chad Barrett makes contact with bicyclist going around in circles on road.
  • Bradford County, Fla. — Deputies respond to report of knife fight at residence. EMS summoned. Two men allegedly involved in some kind of altercation. The older man is arrested on an outstanding warrant; victim transported to hospital. Deputy Hayley Flynn summarizes the call below.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officer Darrell Ross responds to report of woman screaming and banging on doors at motel. Officer Ross makes contact with subject. Abrams: “That is one wild story.” Ross describes her as “pickled drunk” and advises her to leave the area. Ross; “Despite what she believes, she will not be my wife tomorrow.”
  • Pomona, Cal. — Officers respond to alleged domestic incident. Women says her husband keeps coming around, but he had already left when cops arrived. Sgt. Rick Agular advisers her to seek a restraining order in court so they can arrest him if he returns. Abrams: “It’s a critical legal tool there to start the process.” Larkin: “And a restraining order or a protective order, if [the complainant gets] one of those, every time they show up, it’s a violation, a new charge. And oftentimes when they’re arrested, they’re held without bond until they see a judge.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to report of truck vs. pedestrian hit and run. EMS summoned to scene. Officer Jamey Martinez suggests that subject’s injuries nay not be consistent with someone hit by a car. Investigation continues.
  • Bradford County, Fla. — Deputies search for man who had fled on foot. They apparently find his abandoned car. K9 Mambo deployed. Neighborhood search continues.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to report of man walking with a stick and exposing himself. Abrams: “I think they just want to make sure that person isn’t making a deposit at the local bank there…or a withdrawal. Either one.”
  • Tulsa, Okla. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “A driver in a stolen car — this is amazing — led police and air support on a wild pursuit.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to report of someone yelling at apartment complex. Resident says someone ran up behind her as she was entering her unit. Cops search area for suspect.
  • Crime of the Week — Portland, Ore.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop on truck for speeding. Officer Martinez to driver: “Are you in a hurry–you got to pee or something?”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. (pretaped segment): Abrams: “A suspect was caught with his pants down, literally.”
  • Nye County, Nev. (pretaped earlier this evening) — Deputy Amanda Christen responds to per Abrams “some sort of domestic incident –man and woman — over a cat.” Graphic: “Responding to cat call.” Abrams: “Well, that is not the outcome that he was hoping for where it looks like he’s gonna be taken on that outstanding warrant when he was trying to get his cat back.” Morris, Jr.: “I just wonder what it’s like when you go to a job interview, and you’ve got ‘not guilty’ tattooed across your hands.” Abrams: “It means you gotta make sure they can see both hands…you don’t want just the ‘guilty.'” [Cat ownership issue appears to be a civil matter.]
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officer Justin Hill questions driver who who was allegedly asleep at the wheel in the middle of the road.
  • Pomona, Cal. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “During a traffic stop, a driver gave officers what was truly a conflicting story.”
  • Wanted update (“locker-room larcenist”) and new Wanted segment (Phoenix, Ariz.)
  • Pomona, Cal. — Officers search area for stolen car suspect. Bicyclist detained who seems to match the description, but turns out it’s not him. He is arrested on other charges, however. Abrams: “He is not the right person in connection with that stolen vehicle. The problem for him is that he had drugs on him.” Sgt. Agular to subject: “Unfortunately, you’re a victim of circumstance.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop; headlight out. Officers allegedly detect odor of marijuana from vehicle. Driver, who is delivering pizza, denies any weed in car. Car search; small amount of weed allegedly found. Officer Aaron Tate to driver: “Don’t play stupid-ass games, dude. It’s very simple. You got weed in the car, you got weed in the car.” Officer Tate and Captain Tracey Cantrell admonish driver and release him with no charges. Cantrell: “Here’s the key; when you’re working, leave that stuff at home.” Weed confiscated for destruction. Abrams: “So, some people who were waiting for pizzas are relieved that he is being released.”
  • Nye County, Nev. (pretaped segment) — “A driver suspected of DUI made Deputy Gideon an offer he could refuse.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to dispute, apparently over noise, between neighbors at apartment complex. Resident on second floor wants the neighbor on first floor trespassed.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to possible burglary in progress; front door of residence open. Cops clear home; apparently everything is okay.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to scene where store security apparently detained a customer for some reason. Officer Ross: “[Possibly] two beers…two beers is 19.”
  • Pomona, Cal. (pretaped segment): “Police encountered a man claiming to be married to some regular-degular-schmegular girl from the Bronx, a spicy mommy, hot tamale. If you still don’t know who I’m referring to, you’re probably as old as me.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to vandalism report; someone spraying vehicles with fire extinguisher foam in parking garage.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. (pretaped segment) — “Police pulled over a couple of guys in what became an unusual traffic stop.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop; lane violation.
  • Nye County, Nev. — Noise violation from car. Deputy Barrett friendly warns driver that the noise level violates county and state law. He also gets a tour of the vehicle.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to report of fight in bar district. Alleged victim declines to press charges. Cops later question a subject and send him home with friends.
  • Pomona, Cal. — Officers serve warrant on another illegal casino (the third such raid during Live PD). Officer detain several subjects and continue to search location.

Officer Rodney Cavanaugh provides a summary:

End of episode.

Live PD, Season 4, Episode 49, February 29, 2020

  • Nye County, Nev. — Deputies and FD respond to major house fire. Residence is engulfed in flames.
  • Berkeley County. S.C. — Deputies respond to report that someone was waving an AK-47 (or AR-15) at party. Traffic stop at gunpoint on subject. Driver denies allegations that he brandished or fired weapon. He is a legal gun owner; released with no charges.
  • Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to report of active shooter in store; turns out that subject allegedly pulled gun on store security guard but no shots fired. Two subjects detained, one of whom is confirmed on store video. Officers search area for gun.
  • Lawrence, Ind. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Police responded to complaints about one very hammered house guest.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to report of disturbance at convenience store. Officer Brian Smith gives woman a trespass notice. Graphic: “No Lotto winner tonight.”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; paperwork issue.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies respond to shots fired call that is actually fireworks at residence during birthday party. Friendly warning issued. Abrams: “He says no holiday. It’s Leap Day after all. I don’t know if that justifies shooting off fireworks.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to 911 hangup at residence. Abrams: “The call was initially about a 911 hangup call, and this guy was claiming he called and no one showed up.” Upon further investigation, the subject may have been involved in a domestic earlier that evening. No charges at this time.

Officer Martinez summarizes:

  • Crime of the Week — Dayton, Ohio.
  • Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop; Traffic stop; driving under the speed limit. Driver, who is in his 20s, gets citation for no license, warning for slow speed, and told to called mom to get car. Abrams: “I remain amazed by how many people drive without a license.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Traffic stop. Deputies allegedly detect odor of weed. Driver apparently has priors. Car search; drugs allegedly found. Driver faces multiple drug-related charges.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officer Charlie Kingery responds to report of abandoned school bus in homeowner’s driveway. Abrams: “He just wants to get rid of the bus.” Bus is not stolen. Apparently it belongs to local high school, and the homeowner, who has a phone number that was left with the bus, is apparently okay with waiting until Monday when someone comes back for it.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to disturbance in residential neighborhood involving man with multiple weapons. Officers enter house where man is located. Investigation ongoing.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; window tint violation. K9 Rex deployed. Male apparently admits to small amount of marijuana.
  • Tulsa, Okla. (pretaped segment): “A driver turned out to be a real ‘headbanger,’ but it had nothing to do with her taste in music.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Woman apparently flags down deputies to say that her fiancee assaulted her. Deputies detain man who was sitting in car outside motel. He is arrested for aggravated domestic violence.
  • Pomona, Cal. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “You know, on this show we’ve seen people try to smoke out of everything from glass tubing to hardware supplies to produce, but…this was definitely a first.”
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers search residential area after burglary report. K9 Diesel deployed.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers search apartment complex area after shots fired report.
  • Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers question female parties after an alleged road rage incident.
  • Bradford County, Fla. — Deputy Flynn makes contact with teens and their parents after noise complaint from neighbors and gives them a warning.
  • Missing segment — Watkinsville, Ga.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers, FD, and EMS respond to incident where a car crashed into a residential garage. EMS checks out driver. Officers on the lookout for other passengers who may have left the scene. Morris, Jr.: “I’ve never seen a car totaled inside a garage like that.”
  • Pomona, Cal. — Traffic stop; non-functioning license plate light. Vehicle search. Officers allegedly find bullets and subsequently a stolen handgun. Passenger arrested on the stolen weapon charge; driver released with no charges.
  • Tulsa, Okla. (pretaped segment) — “An eviction fight turned into a walk down memory lane for a Sandra Bullock fan.”
  • Bradford County, Fla. — Traffic stop; meth and meth pipe allegedly found.
  • Pomona, Cal. — Officer Shreef Erfan spots vehicle that may have been involved in a hit and run. Driver detained.
  • Lawrence, Ind. — A man whose motorcycle was stolen tells police that someone on Facebook is trying to meet up and sell the bike. Subjects involved in the alleged transaction detained in traffic stop at gas station.
  • Pomona, Cal. — Traffic stop; expired registration. Meth allegedly found on driver. Officer Alex Nguyen: “So now I’m starting to think this is not personal use, okay. Because why would you carry around meth if you don’t have something to smoke it with? That’s like carrying around paper without a pencil.”
  • Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop; failure to yield to emergency vehicle.

End of episode.