Live PD Has Been Cancelled Amid Protests Against Police Brutality

Police documentary show Live PD has been cancelled amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

The show, which followed police officers in the course of their patrols as they apprehended suspects, was A&E’s flagship series and one of its highest rated.

A&E made the decision alongside MGM’s Big Fish Entertainment, which produces the show, citing this ‘critical time in our nation’s history’ as the reason for cancelling the series.

This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD.

Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.

The report said that Ambler, who was stopped by police in Texas for failing to dim his headlights, died after officers held him down and used Tasers on him four times – despite him repeatedly telling deputies he had congestive heart failure and couldn’t breathe. Footage of the encounter never aired and was later destroyed, the report claimed.

Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said on Monday that the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office has ‘stonewalled’ an investigation into Ambler’s death for the past year by not allowing footage captured by Live PD to be released.

The host of Live PD, Dan Abrams, later posted a statement on Twitter to clear up the ‘many incorrect reports’ and ‘inaccuracies’, saying the footage was only deleted ‘after learning that the investigation had concluded’.

‘The footage never aired on Live PD per A&E’s standards and practices because it involved a fatality,’ he wrote. ‘Contrary to many incorrect reports, neither A&E nor the producers of Live PD were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the District Attorney’s office.’

Just last month, A&E renewed Live PD for an additional 160 episodes, with host Abrams saying he was ‘shocked and beyond disappointed’ at the news the show would not be returning.