‘Am I on ‘Live PD’?’ TV series celebrates 100th episode

As viewers settle in on Friday night, with televisions tuned to A+E’s “Live PD,” they may not be aware that the popular series has hit a major milestone. The 100th episode airs March 9.

The show that follows around law enforcement officers from around the nation as they go out on live patrols — including deputies from Richland County Sheriff’s Department — first aired Oct. 28, 2016.

Richland County deputies Chris Mastrianni and Kevin Lawrence were the first Columbia-area law enforcement officers to appear on the program. So far, 15 Richland County Sheriff’s Deputies have participated on “Live PD.”

A spokesperson for the department said that Sheriff Leon Lott sees the show as an opportunity to interact with a large part of the community and to help give the public an idea of what law enforcement and his department are all about.

For the 100th episode, viewers were given the chance to secure tickets through social media to local celebratory viewing parties. Richland County expects to host 1,200 fans at the invitation-only event at A.C. Flora High School Friday night.

“Live PD” airs 9 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday nights on A+E (Spectrum channels 46 and HD 102).

Most evenings, not much happens except for traffic stops for DUI, suspended licenses, or simple possession of marijuana.

Other nights, viewers can be taken along on high speed chases or watch officers deal with high risk situations.

One such incident occurred in Richland County with Deputy Chris Mastrianni. He was involved in a high-speed chase in July 2017 that ended with a suspect flipping his car on North Main Street in Columbia, and being wrestled to the ground, young daughter in hand, by Mastrianni.

In the new season, viewers can settle in again with Richland County deputies, as well as officers from Pasco County Sheriff’s Dept. in Florida, El Paso Police in Texas, Utah Highway Patrol, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona, Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state, Jefferson Police Dept. in Indiana, Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, Slidell Police Dept in Louisiana, Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada, and Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Texas.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 6:55 PM with the headline "‘Am I on ‘Live PD’?’ TV series celebrates 100th episode."