| Live PD | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality Docuseries |
| Presented by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 298(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 50–135 minutes |
| Production company | Big Fish Entertainment[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | A&E |
| Release | October 28, 2016 (2016-10-28) – May 23, 2020 (2020-05-23) |
| Related | |
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Live PD is an American television program that aired on theA&E Network from 2016 to 2020. It followspolice officers in the course of their patrols live, broadcasting interactions with the public.[3] The show was hosted byDan Abrams with analysis provided byTom Morris Jr. and Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin.
The program premiered on October 28, 2016, with an initial order from A&E for four two-hour episodes.[2] On February 1, 2017, A&E announced that the season would be expanded to 21 episodes.[4] The first season concluded on August 19, 2017, with the second season premiering on October 6, 2017. The second season concluded on August 25, 2018, with the third season premiering on September 21, 2018; that same month, A&E renewed the series for an additional 150 episodes, to run through 2019.[5] The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2019.[6] On May 7, 2020, the series was renewed for an additional 160 episodes.[7] However, on June 10, 2020, A&E canceled the series in the wake ofprotests against police brutality following themurder of George Floyd and the destruction of the video footage of thekilling of Javier Ambler.[8]
At the time of cancellation,Live PD was the most watched show on A&E and the most watched show on cable during prime time on Friday.[9] After the cancellation ofLive PD, A&E's viewership went down 49% in the following months.[10] On August 21, 2020, A&E began airing new episodes of spin-off seriesLive Rescue, which focuses on firefighters and EMTs, on Friday and Saturday nights in the same time slot.[11][12]
Two of the three hosts began hosting a new show titledOn Patrol: Live onReelz on July 22, 2022. That show also runs for three hours every Friday and Saturday night.[13]
 | This overview sectionduplicates the intended purpose of the article'slead section, which should provide an overview of the subject. Please merge it with the introduction, move its content to other sections, or retitle the section to give it a clear scope.(August 2024) |
Live PD was hosted byDan Abrams, the chief legal affairs anchor forABC News.[1][14] The program featured live video feeds from multiplelaw enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Departments included the Lawrence Police Department, Clay County Sheriff's Office,Richland County Sheriff's Department,Pasco County Sheriff's Office,Tulsa Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office,Berkeley County Sheriff's Department, and the Pomona Police Department.[15]
Abrams was joined in-studio by two co-analysts: formerWashington, D.C.,special police officer and crime reporterTom Morris Jr.[16] and Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin of theTulsa PD. Occasionally, the trio were joined by a law enforcement officer that had been featured on the show in the field.
Because of the risk of confidential or otherwise inappropriate material being aired, A&E imposed abroadcast delay on the show which may range from a few seconds to several minutes.[17]
Live PD was frequently the top-rated cable program on Friday and Saturday nights.[18]
Throughout the month of April 2020,Live PD was broadcast under an amended format which focused on the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on police officers and first responders. In June 2020, A&E pulled episodes from its schedule in the wake ofGeorge Floyd's murder while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[19]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 62 | October 28, 2016 (2016-10-28) | August 19, 2017 (2017-8-19) | |
| 2 | 81 | October 6, 2017 (2017-10-6) | August 25, 2018 (2018-8-25) | |
| 3 | 90 | September 21, 2018 (2018-9-21) | August 24, 2019 (2019-8-24) | |
| 4 | 65 | September 20, 2019 (2019-09-20)[20] | May 23, 2020 (2020-5-23) | |
Due to the nature of live television,Live PD has captured incidents that may not have been aired on a traditional law enforcement program. One such event that received coverage wasBridgeport Police Department Sergeant Chris Robinson breaking down on camera after learning 13-month-old Michael Citron, suffering from an adverse reaction to antihistamine medication, had died following Robinson escorting an ambulance carrying the child to a local hospital.[21]
In another incident, a family claimed to have recognized their loved one, 37-year-old Benjamin Johnson, deceased on television after what theRichland County Sheriff's Department said was a drug deal gone wrong.[22] Two men were arrested in the case.
In an incident on a July 8, 2017 episode, Senior Deputy Chris Mastrianni was called to a fight in progress at a large house party when a car leaving the party passed him going about 90 mph. Mastrianni attempted to stop the vehicle, which then evaded him for several minutes. The car then turned a corner before jumping a curb, hitting a power pole's support wire and rolling over. The driver then crawled out the window of his vehicle with his 2-year-old daughter in his arms, and began fighting with Mastrianni. The man released his child, who was taken to safety by theLive PD field producer. After several minutes, Cpl. Mark Laureano and Senior Deputy Katelyn Jasak arrived on scene and aided Mastrianni in handcuffing and arresting the man, as well as pushing back the rapidly growing crowd of bystanders. The toddler received a broken arm in the incident.[23][24]
In June 2020, it was revealed thatLive PD had destroyed footage related to the March 28, 2019 policekilling of Javier Ambler.[25] Ambler, a 40-year-old black man, did not stop when deputies tried to pull him over for failing to dim his headlights.[26][27] When Ambler finally left his car with his hands raised, he was tased multiple times and pinned by police, while pleading for his life and saying that he could not breathe.[25][26] The network said it was "evaluating" the program in the wake of the worldwideGeorge Floyd protests. In September 2020,Williamson County, Texas Sheriff Robert Chody was indicted and arrested by the county for evidence tampering charges after allegedly destroying video evidence of Ambler in police custody.[28] Chody was indicted by neighboringTravis County on April 1, 2021, two days after the county indicted two of his former deputies on manslaughter charges for their actions.[29][30]
In May 2020, A&E ordered 160 new episodes ofLive PD.[31] After themurder of George Floyd and theriots and protests in response, A&E halted production of new shows on June 6. On June 9, Abrams said on Twitter "To all of you asking whether #LivePD coming back. . .The answer is yes. All of us associated with the show are as committed to it as ever."[32]
However, on June 10, 2020, A&E and producers Big Fish Entertainment announced thatLive PD would cease production, effective immediately.[8] In a statement, A&E said "This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments."[8]Variety reported that A&E executives felt they had no choice afterParamount Network canceledCops, even though they thoughtLive PD was a very different show.[33]
Abrams appeared in several media outlets after the show was canceled, defending the show and its portrayal of police. He said he was "shocked & beyond disappointed" about its cancellation and added, "To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on."[34] He said, "I think that it's very troubling that we're suddenly in a culture where all police officers have to … suffer for the sins of a few. And I say that for every group, it's not just police officers. That doesn't mean we don't have to have a discussion about the inequities in our society. And not just a discussion – action. There should be changes. … There's a real positive change in many ways going on in this country, but there's also an overreaction going on. And I think that that's what 'Live PD' suffered from."[35] He also saidLive PD was a documentary-style show, not an entertainment show likeCops, and that theLive PD crew treated it very seriously.[36] It is also indicated the cancellation was in part due to destruction of evidence.[37]
At the time of cancellation,Live PD was the most popular show on A&E. In the month following its cancellation, viewership on A&E was down 49%.[38]
On June 8, 2022, it was announced that a new program,On Patrol: Live, with a similar lineup of producers and hosts and a nearly identical format, would debut on the channelReelz. The new program was universally described in media outlets as a revival or return ofLive PD.[39][40] On August 30,A&E Networks filed suit against Reelz and Big Fish, alleging that the new program violates A&E'sintellectual property rights in theLive PD name and format.[41]
Live PD spawned various spin-offs on A&E, including:
Edited half-hour episodes of the series began to be distributed bySony Pictures Television in the 2018–19 season inbroadcast syndication under the titleLive PD: Police Patrol (including previous episodes ofWomen on Patrol); they were edited for content to meet daytime broadcast syndication standards to feature no audible commentary, and merely connected each segment with text of where the segment originated, along with the dispatched crime. The syndicated episodes were also a part of the national lineup ofThe CW Plus. A week after the cancellation of the parent series, SPT confirmed thatLive PD: Police Patrol would be withdrawn from syndication after June 19, 2020.[51]
