Season 4, Week 15, 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.) .
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 the pithiest quotes from the participants follows below.
But first, the good idea/bad idea of the week: Is it a good idea or a bad idea to run from the police, either in a vehicle or on foot?
Live Plus Previously Recorded Incidents
With usually about 50 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 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 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 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 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. 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 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 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.” 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 a subject is 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.
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).
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, you’ll also note that subjects typically clutch and/or use their phones at all times no matter what, even officers are trying to talk with 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.
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 weed-sniffing training.
This Week and 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.
Sitting in for Tulsa PD Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin, East Providence, R.I., PD Inspector Craig Sroka joins host Dan “Let’s get in a break” Abrams — he of the puns and the double entendres — and regular studio analysts Tom Morris, Jr., to provide studio commentary.
See below for a Insp. Sroka’s moving response as to why he became a police officer.
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 38, January 24, 2020
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Deputies respond to report of a bar fight. One subject detained on the ground who struggles with officers. He continues to struggle after he is cuffed and carried to cruiser. Lots of beeped-out audio.
- Lawrence, Ind. — Foot pursuit of two teens who allegedly were throwing rocks at a store. Both taken into custody. Graphic: “That’s a bunch of bologna.” Capt. Tracey Cantrell admonishes teen for his behavior including running from police; subject apologizes at his mother’s urging and is released. Abrams: “I don’t think I’d want to be int hat car right now. Mom not happy at all, but I think that’s the kind of response that the police want to see…a parent who cares.”
- Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to incident where car plowed into garage. Graphic: “Stolen vehicle crashed into house.” Three suspects detained along with an “agitated” homeowner. The latter is subsequently released with no charges. The three suspected arrested.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Foot search and K9 deployed to track driver who fled on foot from a stolen car after a traffic stop.
- Berkeley County, S.C. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “A truly wild pursuit involving a driver who refused to pull over during a traffic stop.”
- Bradford County, Fla. — Officers try to serve warrant at residence for domestic battery on elderly person. Suspect is not home but advises deputies by phone that he is at nearby convenience store. He denies allegations. Abrams: “So it sounds like [Deputy Michael Garmon] is gonna leave it up to the judge to ultimately determine, but it also sounds like he’s getting arrested right now.”
- Missoula County, Mont. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “A driver had a lot of excuses after walking away from a wreck, but most of it was lip service.”
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; tag light out. Released with warning.
- Richland County, S.C. — Traffic stop; driver only had a permit, and the passenger apparently had no license. Car search. Driver issued citation for driving with learner’s permit without a licensed driver in the vehicle. Car towed.
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; running red light. Officer Justin Hill to driver: “At the end of the day…a California stop is actually illegal…just ’cause you give it a name don’t make it right. But either way, you did’t do any of that…you didn’t do a California roll, a Hawaii roll, a Florida roll, whatever you want to call it…”
- East Providence, R.I. — Insp. Sroka highlights.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; passenger asked to pour out container.
- Crime of the Week — Duluth, Ga.
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to report of woman in car suspected of throwing a brick or a chair through a window. Officer Hill to subject: “You smell like you’ve been drinking like a gallon of alcohol.” Cops make contact with other subjects to try to figure out the situation. Subject later released with no charges.
- Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop; unsafe lane movements, no license. Small bag of marijuana allegedly found. Car search. Driver asked to scatter weed. Car towed.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop in back of hotel that is allegedly a known drug area. Driver allegedly admits to meth pipe in truck. Probable cause search. Driver and passenger released with no charges.
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Officer Brian Smith responds to report of man drinking beer in someone’s backyard. Subject says he’s had “a couple fo beers.” Smith: “How big were those couple?” Subject has difficulty finding government-issued ID in wallet, although he says he has a “Hooter’s ID.” Graphic: “Still searching for ID.” Abrams: “I love ripped jeans as much as the next guy, but I have never seen that kind of style choice right there.” Sroka: “It’s a third front pocket.”
- Bradford County, Fla. — Deputies attempt to serve warrant at residence. Dog outside in enclosure looks hungry, so deputies feed him.
- Pomona, Cal. — Traffic stop; ran red light. Pat-down and car search. Officer Eric Omahony to subject: “Listen bro; you’re story makes no sense right now.” Cops find a rifle in bag that also contains driver’s ID. Subject arrested on firearms violation.
- Tulsa, Okla. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “A war of words between a mom and her son’s ex-girlfriend over a truck.”
- Richland County, S.C. — Lt. Danny Brown respond to loitering complaint across from the Obama convenience store. Subject asked to move along. Abrams: “…they want to make the Obama great again.”
- Tallahassee, Fla. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Have you ever been to a movie that’s so good even after the credits are done rolling you don’t want to leave? That apparently was not the issue for this guy…” Abrams: “There’s out of it, and then there’s that.”
- Insp. Sroka talks about why be came a cop in a very emotional sequence on the show.
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to burglary report in industrial area where many 18-wheelers are parked. Two subjects detained; two others fled. Cops search the area for the latter duo.
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers take suspect wanted on a felony warrant into custody after a foot pursuit.
- Bradford County, Fla. — Deputies respond to domestic issue at residence and make contact with man outside of residence and woman inside.
- Tulsa, Okla. — Officers make traffic stop at gunpoint on possible stolen vehicle. Burglary tools allegedly found in car. Cops question driver and passenger.
- Terre Haute, Ind. — Officers respond to report of woman allegedly trying to fight bartender.
- Lawrence, Ind. — Traffic stop on one of two vehicles allegedly swerving into each other on road. Capt. Cantrell to driver: “You all just out here bullshitting?” Cantrell to dispatcher: “It’s not gonna be a rolling disturbance. It’s gonna be a bunch of kids out here acting stupid.” Abrams: “What kind of sense does it make? It makes no sense.” End of episode.
Live PD, Season 4, Episode 39, January 25, 2020
- Pomona, Cal. — Officer Megan Gonzalez makes contact with pedestrian who is carrying bolt cutters. Subject is uncooperative; other officers arrive as backup. Sgt. Mark Medellin: “He’s a little bit angry today. But you know, we all have bad days, so today is his bad day.” Abrams: “In the state of California, it is illegal to have burglary tools. The question, of course, here will be was there any intent to commit a burglary, and I guess that’s what this investigation is going to determine.” No charges, but according to Abrams, “they believe he is intoxicated so they’ve taken him in to sober up.”
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; rolling through stop sign. Officers allegedly detect marijuana odor. Jar of marijuana found in vehicle. Driver cited for marijuana possession; passenger charged with cocaine possession.
- Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to traffic accident. Language barrier with subject. Possible DUI investigation. Officer Charlie Kingery asks driver if he had “two beers.” Abrams: “I’ve seen a lot of drugs stuffed down people’s pants, but never mail before…and he’s got that ‘suspicious package’ down there–wondering why.”
- Bradford County, Fla. — Traffic stop; illegal blue lights underneath. Driver’s license was apparently revoked in 2011.
- Tulsa, Okla. — Offciers respond to scene where man was shot 8-10 times with birdshot. Cops search area for suspect. Insp. Sroka: “The patrol division will rope off the area, secure it, and wait for the detectives to arrive.”
- Pomona, Cal. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Officers were attempting to execute a search warrant when things turned pretty intense; I’d even call it bananas.”
- Pomona, Cal. — Officers respond to neighbor complaints about a drug house. They search area and make contact with resident who voluntarily allows them to search his garage. Nothing found; no charges.
- Nye County, Nev. — Deputy Brooke Gentry makes contact with panhandler who was allegedly mooning people.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; suspended license. Car search; taser and pump found. Abrams: “It seems the taser is perfectly legal, although 30 seconds of an electrical charge is a long one. That pump is a separate question.” Subject released with no charges.
- Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to report of a hit and run. They find an apparently abandoned case of beer near parked truck and puncture and drain them to protect local kids. Officer Heath Brownell to Officer Darrell Ross and perhaps other cops: “It’s gonna be on you whenever somebody comes out here and shotguns all these. So you just did half the work for them.” Abrams: “Every beer lover is shedding a tear right now.” Graphic: “Will the cans be recycled”? Officers question witnesses, but not enough info to do a report. Officer Brownell provides the following summary.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; defective equipment. Voluntary car search. White powdery substance tested negative. Subject released with no charges.
- Nye County, Nev. — Deputies respond to trespassing report at residence. Subject is either not there or won’t come to the door of motor home. Abrams: “They’re looking for Jimmy and they just got crickets.” Dep. Gentry advised homeowner to begin eviction proceedings in court.
- Richland County, S.C. (pretaped segment) — Abrams: “Four guys hanging out in a parking lot took off running and apparently for good reason.”
- Pomona, Cal. — Officers search for parolee at large on bike who took off from traffic stop. Subject detained after pursuit by multiple officers after resisting. Cops will search immediate area for any tossed contraband.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop; K9 alert. Car search. Abrams: “Just because he loves Live PD so much, I hope they don’t find anything. I’m rooting for him.” Drugs and possibly stolen gun allegedly found.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Officer Dezmon Drayton provides disabled vehicle assist (tire).
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Officers respond to report of fight at apartment complex. Graphic: “Adventures in babysitting?” Officer Brian Smith to subject: “I’m three feet in front of you. Take it down a notch…without yelling, tell me what’s going on…I’m trying to help you.” Subject possibly trespassed from residence.
- Tulsa, Okla. — Officers respond to request for help from security guard at motel. Apparently no law enforcement issue.
- Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop; speeding (Irish tourists). “She was going pretty fast, but I’m just going to give her a warning…don’t think she really needs to come back from Ireland to go to traffic court…” Abrams: “They’re talking about going to Vegas, of course, because…luck of the Irish.”
- Tallahassee, Fla. — Traffic stop; running or rolling through red light. Officer Justin Hill gives driver a lesson in driving compliance and etiquette below. Morris, Jr: “He doesn’t seem to have any understanding of what a red light actually means.”
- Nye County, Nev. — Traffic stop; speeding. Graphic: “Around the world in traffic stops.” Dep. Barrett also releases this driver with warning.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Driver flees from traffic stop. Driver bailed; left engine running. Extensive front-end damage after plowing into a gate. Deputies conduct foot search with K9 Dixie (and later another K9). Dixie finds cell phone that may belong to suspect. Abrams: “So, to be clear, it seems they now the suspect’s cell phone, which is an enormously helpful piece of evidence.” Morris, Jr.: “The K9 really hit that track hard, got a good scent, went right to it.” After an hour-long search, deputies find suspect and take him into custody. Abrams: “K9 Dixie did it.”
- Missing segment — Concord, N.C.
- Pomona, Cal. — Officer Gonzalez spotted woman on street with pants down. Gonzalez to subject: “Keep your clothes on — deal?” Released with warning.
- Terre Haute, Ind. — Officers respond to domestic incident but no law enforcement issue. Both subjects go into house. Abrams: “Does she know him or doesn’t she? It’s unclear. Got some ‘Dunder Thunder’ in a scene right of Dunder Mifflin.”
- Pomona, Cal. — Offices search for possible parolee at large allegedly brandishing gun. End of episode.
