Reality TV – I’m not addicted, I’m researching! My love of LivePD

It is amazing what I have learned from LivePD. The reality TV show follows multiple law enforcement departments live every weekend. LivePD currently follows the Sheriff’s office in the county where I live in Texas. No, I have not been on LivePD. Yes, I have been tempted to not use my blinker when changing lanes to see if LivePD might pull me over!

Here’s just a few of the things I’ve learned from LivePD

1. When officers pull you over, they are not writing “Wash Me” on your car when they touch it, they are leaving their thumbprint in case you happen to be a bad guy, and something happens to them.
   
   
2. It’s almost like Star Wars – In a high-speed chase, some police officers shoot GPS trackers from the front of their cars onto the back of the car they are chasing. The useful tool allows officers to back off of the high-speed chase in the hopes of reducing the danger to the community.
   
   
3. Some officers have superhuman noses and can smell marijuana (The Devil’s Lettuce) hours after someone has smoked it. However, their noses are not quite as good as the narcotic dogs they will use to sniff around your car if you do not give them consent to search.
   
   
4. When an officer asks a driver how much they have had to drink, the answer is always two beers. The next time the officer asks them again later in their conversation it becomes four beers. Then finally, the driver blows a .30 on the breathalyzer test.
   
   
5. People are pretty good liars and cops are pretty good lie detectors! Case in a point, a woman was pulled over for a traffic violation. She cried and said she had just been evicted and had all her belongings in her car. The cops thought she seemed off, but I felt sorry for her.  The story ended when the police found a bunch of drugs in her trunk, along with a gun, and a ledger detailing who owed her what money for drugs.
   
   
6. Be nice to the officer if you are pulled over for a traffic violation. I have seen countless people on LivePD talk themselves into a ticket or even an arrest! Unless you’ve just smoked marijuana, are sweating profusely, slurring your words, or otherwise acting odd, the chances are pretty good they will send you on your way with just a ticket, or even better, a warning.

If you want to check it out for yourself, LivePD follows 7 to 8 departments around the US.  It is live on Friday and Saturday nights on A&E.  You’ll see officers in action and learn that their jobs involve everything from chasing after suspects on foot as they wear 30 lbs of gear, stopping drivers time after time who have no license or insurance, and every now and then you’ll see them dance or do magic for kids.