JULY 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 7

AROUND THE COUNTRY LIVE

AROUND THE COUNTRY LIVE PD COMING BACK LIVE PD is returning with a new name and home: On Patrol:Live will air on cable channel Reels this summer. Dan Abrams has announced that after nearly two years off the air, Live PD is making a rebranded comeback with a new channel. On Patrol: Live will air on cable channel Reels starting this summer. “First, I want to say thank you to the ‘Live PD’ nation, Abrams said. I know this wait was long, but we needed the right platform to make this show what it should be. As many of you know, I have been advocating for this show to return since the day it went off of the air.” According to Abrams, the show was cancelled during the riots that began after the death of George Floyd. It was on for four years with 219 episodes. “Two years ago, when I was upset by the decision to pull the show, sometimes I said things that were viewed as controversial. I was told to stop, by friends, other people, that I was endangering my career by speaking out. Police are the bad guys to so many in the media. This wasn’t the time to make those kinds of comments. So, wanting to see how police work is done from the officer’s perspective, was viewed as wrong or shameful. Well, now it seems that many have come around and realized, ‘Wow, we actually need our police.’ My position has never changed. We needed our police officers then. We need them now. And we need our show.” The show was canceled by A&E after reports surfaced that a Live PD crew was filming with a department and captured the death of a black man in police custody. Now, apart from A&E, the show is making its long-awaited comeback. The wait has been long, but Abrams knew the show would need the right platform to be successful. The fans “never gave up the faith.” And neither did he. While the show will feature some changes and some new departments and agencies, there are a few things that remain the same. Abrams will continue to host the show, along with his original cohost, Sean “Sticks” Larkin, retired officer from the Tulsa Police Department. In December of 2021, Abrams invited the Live PD team back for a reunion show. In the nearly 45 minutes they were on the air, he got very personal about what the show meant to him. They even highlighted some of the show’s accomplishments, which included: Tips from viewers led to law enforcement recovering 13 missing children Tips from viewers led to law enforcement capturing 34 wanted fugitives. “Let me get personal for a moment,” Abrams began his closing statement from that show. “Before Live PD, I’d been on the air in high profile roles as a national news anchor and correspondent for over 20 years. But nothing in my professional career has compared to being a part of Live PD. We became a family, those of us on the set; the producers, the crews, both in studio and those who were out with the officers and of course, most importantly, all of you [viewers]. Together, you, we, had something truly special that I had never had in my professional life. I want it back. So, rest assured that I will continue to fight the fight as best I can.” 26 The BLUES The BLUES 27