Williamson County deputies may appear on ‘Live PD’ show
Series on A&E Network features live looks at deputies at work.
Williamson County sheriff ’s deputies might get to show how they roll on prime-time TV.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court gave its approval Thursday to the sheriff ’s office to negotiate a contract with a television show that does live recordings of law enforcement on their daily calls. The show, called “Live PD,” is broadcast on the A&E Network and features live looks at several law enforcement agencies at work on a brief delay.
“I would like to show the world we are the best of the best,” Sheriff Robert Chody said. Being on the TV show, he said, will help build trust with the local com- munity by showing how professional his deputies are. “It puts a human face on law enforcement,” Chody said.
He said other agencies that have been on the show said it has helped with the recruitment of law enforcement officers. The county will not be paid for its participation, he said.
The commissioners gave Chody the authority to negotiate a sixmonth contract that gives the county 30 days to cancel it once taping starts.
Commissioner Valerie Covey said Thursday at the Commissioners Court meeting that she had some concerns after she called a county, which she declined to name, that had participated in the show.
“There was a not-great thing that happened on the air while filming that was not very positive to the county,” she said. She told Chody at the commissioners meeting that she “appreciated the fact” that he was going to pick the deputies who would be followed.
Covey said after the meeting that the county she called had told her a man had escaped from a patrol car during the taping of the show.
County Judge Dan Gattis previously had said he also had reservations about the sheriff ’s office being on the show.
“Liability is my biggest concern,” Gattis said. “I am not looking to get sued . ... Are we really not just showing the worst of Wilco when we do this? The first thing that comes to mind is why
are we going to show our underbelly?”
The county cannot be held liable for any of the footage because it belongs to the TV show, said Jason Nassour, an attorney for Williamson County.
The Associated Press reported that police departments in Bridgeport, Conn., Tulsa, Okla., and Streetsboro, Ohio, have ended agreements to be on the show after local officials concluded the national spotlight on criminal activity overshadowed the positive things happening in their hometowns.
Twenty-four law enforcement agencies have been on the show, including three in Texas, Chody said. The Midland County sheriff ’s office was on the show last year, Sheriff Gary Painter said.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for citizens all over the nation to see exactly what was going on in different parts of the country,” he said.
He said camera operators followed the daily activities of his deputies for nine weeks. “There was nothing I didn’t want on TV,” Painter said. “These officers handled themselves very professionally.”
The most serious situation on the show, Painter said, was when deputies were serving a warrant on a man who came outside his house carrying a shotgun and a pistol. “He dropped the gun and went prone, and we got him handcuffed and in custody,” Painter said.