Live PD returns as On Patrol: Live

Cafe Society
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Fans of Live PD, which formerly aired on A&E before being canceled in 2020, may be happy to learn the show is being resurrected as On Patrol:Live on the Reelz cable channel tonight, July 22. Dan Abrams will once again host, alongside Sean “Sticks” Larkin and Richland County, South Carolina Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson.

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Got my DVR all set

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I’ve been watching a lot of clips of this show on YouTube lately. A few main impressions:

  1. A lot of these cops are out to get the people. Find minor driving violations (e.g. license plate light is out, failed to use the turn signal enough distance before the turn etc. etc.) and use these as a pretext to pull the people over and then find some way to test them for alcohol or search their cars for drugs, or find some warrant for their arrest etc.

  2. A lot of the people are really messing up their lives over nothing. My feeling is that if you want to be a criminal, go big. Be a Bernie Madoff or something. High risk, but at least has a big upside. But these guys are destroying their lives over small time crimes like minor drug use, petty shoplifting, traffic violations (with “failure to appear” in court resulting in arrest warrants), fights with other guys and so on - things that don’t improve their lives even if they don’t get caught. And when they do get caught, they become less employable, and can’t afford the fines which pile up, more arrest warrants, and so on. It’s a vicious cycle, and all for no real gain at all.

  3. Related to 2, a lot of these people are really dumb. If you have a suspended license or warrants out for your arrest, or have drugs in the car - basically, anything which is likely to be discovered if you’re pulled over by the police - you should make sure you keep to the driving laws as if you were on a licensing road test, and make sure your headlights and other equipment are properly functioning. Don’t get pulled over. But many of these people apparently don’t bother, with severe consequences.

All in all, a very interesting show, but depressing.

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LivePD was one of my favorite shows and I was so annoyed when it was cancelled. I hope this new version is just as good!