Live PD follows law enforcement agencies across the country as they respond to calls including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The camera crews will follow officers from Tulsa police's Mingo valley division first and then rotate through three of the department's other divisions throughout the season.
" We believe this is the opportunity for us to continue to be transparent with our community and to showcase the good work that we do for our community," says Sgt Shane Tuell with the Tulsa police department.
TPD was featured on the show in 2017 but a live exchange between a citizen and the gang unit drew criticism.
Some community activists questioning the way certain communities were portrayed.
Shortly afterward the contract between Tulsa police and the show was not renewed.
At the time, Mayor G.T. Bynum voiced his support of the cancellation on social media.
Today, Mayor Bynum sent us this statement :
“I supported the cancellation of Live PD previously because I felt the presence of a television camera crew served as a distraction for our officers in the field. I have since come to appreciate that our training staff greatly values the footage from the show as it allows them to teach from real-life scenarios at our academy. If our officers are comfortable with the crews, then I have no problem with it.
I also think we’ve spent a lot of time in the last few years discussing the way our officers go about their job in the community. As I’ve experienced personally, it can be valuable to see it for yourself rather than to rely on the assertions of others. Tulsans will benefit from seeing the work their police officers do every day.”
Police believe this time the cameras will capture the positive interactions within the community.
" Though yes, everyone likes to see the action and likes to see all the drama, a lot of softer side to the things that we do that people don't necessarily see all the time and Live PD is going to help us capture that." Says Sgt. Tuell.
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