Dan Abrams Addresses ‘Live PD’ Critics

ByChanel Adams
Dan Abrams Addresses Live PD Critics [A&E | YouTube]

Dan Abrams is addressing the Live PD critics. There have been many questions and concerns surrounding the A&E series. Most of the criticism reignited after the death of George Floyd in 2020. A&E canceled its number one series on the network due to the ever-growing backlash.

Similarly, Fox canceled its long-running series, Cops. Somehow, it was Live PD that came back from the dead with a new series. On Friday, July 22, Reelz will premiere On Patrol: Live, which will follow police departments across the country. As TV Shows Ace previously reported, Abrams says it will be slightly different from the original show.

Critics wonder if this is his response to the Live PD backlash. See what he has to say about the criticism and the controversy that followed the series.

Dan Abrams Was A Huge Fan Of Live PD [A&E | YouTube]
[A&E | YouTube]

Dan Abrams was in love with Live PD

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dan Abrams has no regrets about hosting and producing Live PD. He loved the show as it is. But, he had an idea for an even better show that followed a similar format. It was the result of several conversations that took place since the show’s cancellation.

“I was very proud of Live PD. I was very proud of the show we did,” Abrams said in his in-depth interview with EW. “I’ve been working on either getting [Live PD] or a new show off the ground since the day it was canceled.”

The American media star pitched the concept of On Patrol: Live to “three different networks.” He would talk start conversations about the show and then have the network follow up with the production company, Big Fish. There was some “interest in bringing this kind of show back.” But, it had to work with the right network.

That’s when Reelz entered the scene. They loved the idea and wanted to go all in with promoting and marketing it. Abrams also addressed critics who say the new series is a response to Live PD’s cancelation. His main focus was to fix what no longer worked in the original series.

“I don’t think it was a reaction. I would describe it as just a way to upgrade the show,” Abrams said. “When you get to start from scratch, you want to figure, ‘How do we make a better show? How do we make a different show?’ That was the goal here.”

Live PD Got Backlash [A&E | YouTube]
[A&E | YouTube]

On Patrol: Live’s policy on handling deaths and retaining tapes

Live PD also came under fire for not keeping the footage of Javier Ambler, who died while in police custody in 2019. The story of the 40-year-old man, who was tasered during a traffic stop, made national news in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. Abrams explained what On Patrol: Live’s policy will be when it comes to handling fatalities and retaining footage.

“The general rule is still going to be that we’re not going to retain tape for more than 30 days,” the attorney added. “We don’t want to become an arm of law enforcement. When I say that, I mean we don’t want to serve as a repository for either law enforcement or defense attorneys to be able to just use the footage.”

He called the original rule “doctrinaire” and “strict.” It required them to retain the tape for 30 days. Also, the footage could only be destroyed with a subpoena. They want to be “more cautious” when it comes to handling death and retaining footage.

Is Live PD considered copaganda?

Abrams says he never knew about the footage. He feels that production should’ve aired the incident and retained the footage. Later in that interview, he addressed the critics who argue that shows like Live PD promote “copaganda,” which is a combination of the words “cop” and “propaganda.” The phrase means to show the police in a positive light.

“I would say that a lot of the critics of the show never watched it. I did one interview after the show was taken off the air, and it was clear to me that the woman interviewing me had never seen the show.”

Abrams is willing to listen to the critics and let them air out their grievances. What makes On Patrol: Live from Live PD is that most of the focus is on the citizens in the seven communities they cover rather than the men and women in uniform. On Patrol: Live premieres Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m. ET on Reelz.

What are your thoughts on the criticism surrounding Live PD? Do you feel that it was warranted? Sound off below in the comment section.

Chanel Adams
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4 Comments

  1. I loved Live PD! And I can hardly wait patiently for the new one! Cops are like everyone else in the world … a combination of good and bad … it takes time to weed out the bad ones … there is nothing wrong with showing the good ones in action.

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  2. “…most of the focus is on the citizens… rather than the men and women in uniform”. For the first time since hearing about the show I am concerned that this “focus” will not equal the greatness of the show’s LivePD lineage. Without Tom Morris Jr. To tell us who is “riding dirty”, you already have one strike against you, lol. But I will remain open minded as I eagerly anticipate Friday night!

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  3. I loved Live PD and it does show the good in law enforcement officers and what they face everyday with the trash, violent criminals, dangers they face and how they are still people, extraordinary people. Critics of the show most of the time are those that are anti police because they are a criminal, they are liberal trash that wants to de-fund the police and we see where that has got them or weak networks that won’t back the officers for doing a job that very few can do. NO ONE did anything wrong in the Javier Ambler death except Javier Ambler. He ran from the deputies, crashed his car, was over weight and had many medical conditions and most likely swallowed drugs that they don’t want to admit he did because they won’t release his toxicology screen. The deputies from Williamson County and the officers of the Austin Police Department did nothing wrong! Also the Sheriff Robert Chody did absolutely nothing wrong he wasn’t even there and the liberal, anti police, de-fund the police, Soro’s backed DA Jose Garza has one mission and that is to destroy all law enforcement in the area and to convict cops and put them in prison. There is NO case here and Mr. Ambler should have just stopped, did what the deputy asked of him and he would still be here today. Please don’t focus on the citizens we have enough of them. Make this all about the men and women who put on the uniform everyday and keep us safe. That’s what we all want!!

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  4. Several thoughts come to mind on this subject. First, I expect the most vocal critics are a slim segment of the population. Why don’t they want to see what the police deal with every day? I don’t have a good answer or one that would be published in this forum. Do they have blinders on and only see what they perceive police do? The false narrative that is being claimed is the police shot thousands of unarmed criminals. That claim has been disproved over and over. The reverse is true where many more police are shot than criminals. I just say a video of a vehicle stop by the police. The driver gets out and unloads his gun at the cop before the cop even approached the car. Why don’t we hear that story on the evening news? Why isn’t the president visiting the cop to check on his condition? Why aren’t there protest in the streets. Good questions that will never be answered by the worthless media and the corrupt politicians.

    Just call me fed up the the inmates running the asylum.

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