Live PD Returns, Helps RCSD Build Community Relations

Live and in action! Richland County Sheriff’s department is back at it with Season 2 of Live PD premiering Friday night

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Columbia, SC (WOLO)– When people rolled up to Bojangles they were probably a little surprised to see Sheriff Lott pop his head out the window.

“Shocked, to begin with,” Lott laughed.  “And they go ‘aren’t you the sheriff?’ ‘Yeah, welcome to Bojangles, your lunch today is compliments of the Sheriff’s department and Bojangles.’ And then they really get a look of shock because they don’t expect that.”

Richland County Sheriff’s Department is celebrating their second season of appearing on Live PD by  kicking it off by buying lunch for the community.

“Live PD has helped us show transparency in the sheriff’s department but also reach out to the community. And they get to know these deputies and they see who they are and see that we do a good job,” Lott said. 

“It’s pretty awesome again, interacting even some more with the community members. Taking pictures. Kind of saying– yeah we are human, we’re not robots, we’re flesh and skin, we breathe, we cry, we hurt.’ So it’s just awesome just trying to get that started and get more people involved with the show,” Mark Laureano said, a master deputy with RCSD and often on Live PD. 

Sheriff Lott says the show even impacts the amount of crime in the county. 

“Particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. People are at home watching it, and the bad guys know not to go out on Friday and Saturday nights. So, yeah we’ve actually see it impact crime a little bit too,” Lott said. 

“I’ve gone to fights, uprisings, you know big things that potentially could go bad and then I show up– hey he’s from Live PD, he’s from Live PD, and then everything just kind of goes down. And then they want to take pictures or ask for autographs and I go, ‘you know this ain’t going to get you nothing right?” Laureano said laughing.  

And their celebrity status isn’t just here in the county. 

“I’ve received messages from Canada, London, Arab countries. And it’s amazing for them to be so motivated to say I appreciate you and what you do, and I’m not even locally there to affect them,” Laureano said. 

“So it’s not just Richland county that we’re impacting. I think we’re representing law enforcement across the United States and doing it in a positive way,” Lott said. 

You can bet, the RCSD is just as excited for the premiere as you are. 

“It’s just awesome, I’m motivated, I’m fired up,” Laureano said. 

You can watch the premiere Friday at 9 on A&E.