SLIDELL- In a few weeks, A&E's Live PD will be live in St. Tammany Parish.
The Sheriff's Office inked a deal with the show this week, allowing cameras and producers to do real-time ride-alongs with hand-picked deputies when the show airs, live, every Friday night.
"People are naturally intrigued by what police officers do every day," said Sheriff's Office Capt. Daniel Seuzeneau, "Either you embrace it or fight it. We decided to embrace it. Be transparent and show people what we deal with on a daily basis here in St. Tammany Parish."
Before the Sheriff's Office actually cut this deal, they asked the public their opinion on social media. And although there were more supportive comments than skeptical ones, there were both. One read, "It would be great P.R. for law enforcement in St. Tammany," while another read, "Absolutely not." A third said, "Love the show. Heck yea. Do it," while a fourth said, "The risk versus the reward is substantial. The risk very much outweighs any good that can come from this series."
Risks like the recent controversy in South Carolina, where the show captured the Richland County Sheriff's Office responding to a shooting scene, but showed a man's body lying across a yard during the coverage, before the man's family had even been informed of his death.
But Seuzeneau says that will not happen in St. Tammany.
"There's going to be a crew that's going to be monitoring the live feed every moment. And although it is live, there is a slight delay to where we can edit things, bleep things, blur things and cut things if we deem necessary," he said, "But we're going to show the good and the bad of what law enforcement deals with every day."
Though the agency knows there will be some bumps in the road of this experience, they hope residents come along for the ride.
You should see St. Tammany appear in shows starting Mardi Gras week. They'll be participating for just a few episodes to feel out the experience, before committing to anything long-term. The only compensation in the deal is reimbursement of any extra costs incurred by the department, like overtime.