‘Live PD’ Producers to Launch Police Docuseries 2 Years After Show Canceled Following Tasing Death
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“Live PD” is being revived at Reelz under a new name.
“On Patrol: Live” is the working title for a new show from Reelz and producer Dan Abrams, which is set to debut this summer. The series will “document for viewers in real time the everyday work of police officers on patrol from diverse departments across America,” according to a description from the network.
Abrams will also host the show live on Friday and Saturday nights. He will be joined by retired Tulsa Police Department Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin and Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, Division Commander with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, South Carolina. The trio will provide live analysis and context about the events happening on the show.
“Law enforcement is front and center in the national discussion, and our hope is that showing the work of police officers in a live format will provide viewers with direct access to the work they do,” Abrams said in a statement. “I’m thrilled our team is finally back together and excited that REELZ has committed to making this show front and center on their network.”
“On Patrol: Live” also plans to feature civilians who are interested in interacting with their local police department through citizen ride-alongs. The series will also invite civilians on set to share their experience and comment on the night’s live activities.
The officers who are to be featured on the show will be announced at a later date.
“On Patrol: Live” comes two years after “Live PD” was canceled amid the ongoing George Floyd protests and after Texas media reported that the show had destroyed footage of a man being arrested and dying in custody in March 2019.
The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV broke the story that during a shoot in 2019, “Live P.D.” cameras recorded sheriff’s deputies tasing 40-year-old Javier Ambler while he begged for his life. The man died. The show later destroyed the footage.
The network said in a statement to the Statesman that “video of the tragic death of Javier Ambler was captured by body cams worn on the officers involved as well by the producers of Live PD who were riding with certain officers involved.”
As for the destroyed footage, the network told the Statesman “as is the case with all footage taken by Live PD producers, we no longer retained the unaired footage after learning that the investigation had concluded.” The footage never aired, the network said. Host Dan Abrams expressed regret over the lost footage and wrote, “given what happened, I wish the tape had been preserved.”
