Here’s what you missed or may have missed on Live PD this past 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 typically 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.

According to the show’s website, “Live PD viewers get unfettered and unfiltered live access inside a variety of the country’s busiest police forces.”

Given the need to adapt the show to social distancing protocols and other limiting factors for the coronavirus, this weekend’s episodes continue to be two hours long. 

To adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic,Live PD has indicated that it is operating on a “substantial delay” with officers and production crews “taking extra precautions,” including personal protective equipment, and, it seems, with more reliance on pre-taped segments. Presumably there is also a scaled-back operation in the New York City control center.

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.)

In an article published on March 19, the New York Times described the show as follows:

“Live PD cuts between footage of police officers around the country as they make traffic stops (suspected D.U.I.s, busted taillights), respond to calls (domestic disputes, gunshots) and go on high speed chases (on foot, by car).

“It’s all brought to the viewer live-ish. There’s a delay, in case something unusually gruesome happens.

“The mission of the Live PD is to provide ‘transparency of policing in America,’ said Elaine Frontain Bryant, the executive vice president and head of programming for A&E. “It feels like entertainment with purpose,” she said…

“The show gets by with showing some of the worst moments of people’s lives without their consent because it’s live, according to an A&E spokeswoman. ‘Live PD follows news gathering standards like any news organization — your local nightly news show or newspaper — would in covering a story,’ she wrote in an email…

“According to Nielsen data, Live PD averaged nearly 2.4 million viewers last season, which was its third…”

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 drive with an expired tag, a stolen tag, or no tag?

Live Plus Previously Recorded Incidents

Again, 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,” or earlier this week, last week, or a few or several weeks ago.

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 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.

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 proven guilty 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 makes their community look bad, This political pressure has in the past led to some departments terminating their contract with Live PD. 

Last August, commissioners in Williamson County, Tex. terminated its Live PD contract. “Commissioners cited concerns from local prosecutors and defense attorneys over not having access to potential evidence gathered by film crews in their decision, and that the show put the county in a poor light, ” the Statesman reported. Williamson is back on the show now, however, after Sheriff Robert Chody bypassed the commissioners court and signed a contract directly with Big Fish Entertainment. The court has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the production company, although this may have no affect on the filming.

Rules or No Rules of the Road?

Many subjects (i.e., individuals with whom cops make contact) 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.

Dan in Florida tweet Live PD

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.

Gotsump Tweet

Suspects in custody can sometimes go from combative and brazen to remorseful to tearful in a matter of minutes. They sometimes yell over over that “I didn’t do anything” or words to that effect.

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.

Many 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.

Parenthetically, many agencies seem to have a relaxed dress code, and officers’ facial hair seems to fluctuate from week to week.

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-rollers 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 say that they have a picture of their license, registration, or other required documents on their phone rather than in its 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.

Officer’s discretion also can play a role in more serious charges or potential charges.

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 analysts Tom Morris, Jr. and Tulsa PD Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin provide commentary remotely from their homes rather than from the studio at the A&E network Hq. in New York City.

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 about the incidents 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 60, May 1, 2020

The six law enforcement departments featured in real time on Friday and Saturday nights are located in West Baton Rouge, La. , Berkeley County, S.C., Richland County, S.C. , Williamson County, Texas, Lawrence, Ind, and Clay County, Fla. (making its live debut in the Friday night broadcast).

  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers respond to shots fired call. Cops interact with driver and passenger (both female) at gas station who are unrelated to the shots fired report. Occupant says she hit mailbox. Officer Stuart Bishop to subject: “Now, let’s cut the bullsh*t, okay? She’s pointing at you, saying you’re driving. Who’s driving the damn car?” Bishop to subject; “What did you just tuck in your pants?” Subject: “I pulled a wedge out.” Bishop. “You better stop playing games with me. If I have to have somebody come over here and pull some sh*t out of your ass.” Subject: “No, it’s a wedge.” Car search; drugs allegedly found. Abrams: “Seems they’ve got some investigating and possibly some ‘digging’ to do there.” Bishop: “Looks like the drug gods are trying to help them out today. As I was searching the car, some wind gust knocked over their little gum wrapper that was full of their crushed pills. But that’s all right. I’ll get them all.” Bishop to subject: “I would know if there was something up my ass.” Graphic: “Not all it’s cracked up to be.” Bishop, using the term “Xandy bars,” says both will be charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics. Subject who seems to admit that she allegedly has something hidden in her private area will be subject to a cavity search at jail. Abrams: “Well, Sticks has told us many times about what it means when they got to the jail, and they have to search that ‘personal locker’ — seems like that is going to be happening here.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies pursue possible stolen car. Foot bail by four occupants. Foot pursuit by deputies. Three passengers detained, but subsequently released with no charges. Driver is still at large, but deputies know where he lives.
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Deputies respond to domestic dispute at trailer park and interview parties.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Traffic stop. Gun in glove box. Passenger says he found gun randomly in woods. Cpl. Tyler Clark to subject: “Jesus don’t drop guns from heaven, Bro.” Abrams: “Does a bear leave a gun in the woods? I guess we’ll find out.” Dispatch confirms that the gun is stolen. Passenger arrested for possession of illegal weapon and drug charges. Driver released with no charges. Cpl. Kimber Gist provides a summary:
  • Lawrence, Ind. — High-speed pursuit of reckless driver in red Dodge Challenger. Pursuit terminated for safety reasons. Larkin explains how different agency policies apply to this kind of situation.
  • Jefferson County, Ala. (pre-taped segment): Abrams: “During a traffic stop…things got what you might say is a bit too personal for Cpl. Deanna Marshall.” Female subject allegedly had bag of meth and a needle hidden in private area. Marshall: “So you get the whole, like, ‘not my car, not my pants, not my purse, not my crutch.’ It’s her crotch.”
  • Clay County, Fla. — Traffic stop: K9 alert. Three occupants, female driver, male passenger, female passenger.. Car search. Drug paraphernalia allegedly found. Lt. Scott Moreland to female occupant: “Here’s the thing. If you want your daughter back, you gotta get away from him,, and you gotta get away from crack, right?” Drugs allegedly found in woman’s purse. Dispute between male and female about ownership of drugs in purse. Both arrested on drug charges. Backseat female passenger released with no charges.
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Deputies make contact with slow-moving vehicle that parked behind dumpster at trailer park. Car search. Driver and passenger arrested for possession of marijuana, meth, and paraphernalia.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputy Jason Johnston makes contact with woman who passed out behind the wheel a gas station. Woman, who is awake, had BB gun in purse. Johnston (with regard to the gun): “Things could have gone real bad, real quick. Luckily she listened to me, and we didn’t have to go real bad real quick.” K9 deployed. Needle allegedly found in bag. Probable cause car search. Johnston: “So this check welfare for a passed-out lady in the car has now turned into a narcotics investigation.”
  • Crime of the Week roundup (Ill., N.Y., Ala., Tenn., Cal.):
  • Dallas, Tex. — Abrams interviews Chief Renee Hall about the state reopening as the the coronavirus outbreak flattens.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pre-taped segment): “You know the expression ‘as one door closes, another one opens.’ Well, that is not what happened with this guy…”
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Deputies chat with couple outside motel who are feeding raccoon. Abrams: “…a different kind of bandit; this looks like it’s a trash bandit they got.”

End of episode.

Live PD, Season 4, Episode 61, May 2, 2020

  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Deputies attempt traffic stop on car with unrestrained child or children in back seat. Car flees and then wrecks out. Brief foot pursuit. Driver detained. No license and possible minor warrants. EMS summoned to check out passengers who decline medical treatment. Lt. Brett Cavaliere to driver: “Quit acting. You made big boy decisions; you got big boy consequences. Stand up.” Deputies search median for anything subject may have tossed. Driver arrested; passengers released. Abrams: “If you saw that pursuit, you will agree that it is lucky that all the kids who were in the car are okay, because initially the pullover was for unrestrained kids.”
  • Lawrence, Ind. — Officers interview victim of armed robbery who was pistol whipped.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies assist woman who allegedly fell asleep in car and then locked keys in car.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Deputies respond to disturbance at residence. A woman allegedly pulled a knife in a dispute reportedly over a puppy. Several subjects in incident detained. Abrams: “That’s a cute little dog and some hardcore puppy love going on here.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies respond to report of fight in progress among large crowd at apartment complex. Group had disbursed by the time they arrived. Deputies make contact with woman in apartment. Apparently an uninvited man showed up at a birthday party but everything had calmed down. Deputies tell woman to call if he shows up again.
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Traffic stop on slow roller. Three occupants. Driver to Det. Henagan: “I honestly did not see you.” Henagan: “I don’t think that’s gonna get it today…I’ll be honest with you; that’s not good enough today.” Vehicle search; drugs allegedly found. Henagan and other deputies question occupants. Henagan to passenger. “I understand you didn’t have sh*t on you; you had sh*t all around where you were sitting in the vehicle.” Henagan explains that due to the coronavirus pandemic, deputies can’t take the subjects to jail. They will issue warrants and send evidence to crime lab. Henagan: “Only violent offenders are going to jail right now.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Deputies spot van at motel that comes back stolen. Female passenger allegedly admits to having drugs. Female driver says the license plate is not hers: “Mine expired; that’s how I know that’s not mine.” Deputy Daniel Mulcahy: “You’re not supposed to drive with an expired one too.” Car search; drugs allegedly found. All four occupants detained. Abrams: “Now they’re gonna have to figure out whose drugs those are, based on where people were sitting in that car, and maybe someone taking responsibility for it.” Update: Driver charged with possession of a stolen plate; the other woman charged with drug possession. Both male passengers released with no charges.
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Traffic stop; no tag. Suspended license: Lt. Cavaliere to driver: “You’re shaking way too much, Man. Why you so nervous.” During pat-down, driver tries to briefly flee and is detained. Deputies fin drugs in socks that amounts to “dealer weight” according to Cavaliere. Vehicle towed.
  • Missing update and new Missing segment:
  • West Baton Rouge, La. — Deputies interact with pedestrian who may have possibly tossed drugs on side of road. During pat-down, cops find plastic carrot allegedly containing meth. Agent James Lewis: “Who is it for? Is it for Bugs Bunny?” Det. Henagan to subject: “Put your teeth back on there…[you might] bite me from your hand.” Abrams: “So this would be the second incident we have seen tonight of someone with a ‘mouthing off,’ so to speak.” Henagan to subject: “You get two sex pills that look like pool chalk, your teeth, your pants are unzipped, you’re walking around like you’re looking for the Lord, and you’re out here gonna tell me you ain’t never seen that before in your life, and it’s your drug of choice…”
  • Crime of the Week — Culpeper, Va.
  • Spokane County, Wash. (formerly on Live PD) — Larkin interviews Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich about the crime rate during COVID-19.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Dep. Austin Longieliere backs up K9 officer in foot pursuit of bicyclist who fled.
  • Williamson County, Tex. — Deputies respond to car accident. Driver towing a boat (that he just bought) on trailer allegedly struck by another car. Abrams: “This is definitely not the way you want to christen your boat.” Deputies administer field sobriety test to there; she is arrested for DUI.

End of episode. Note: This may have been the first episode ever in which Live PD did not rely on any pre-taped law enforcement segments.