Texas may ban police cooperation with reality shows after Live PD filmed a man's death in custody

The New York Times

Live PD was canceled last June shortly after the revelation that the A&E reality show filmed the police killing of Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old Black man, in Austin in 2019. The footage of Ambler's killing was later destroyed. Now, a bill with bipartisan support named after Ambler that would make it illegal for law enforcement agencies to authorize reality television crews to film officers on duty has made its way through the Texas legislature, and is awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. “Policing is not entertainment,” said James Talarico, the Democratic state representative who introduced the legislation. He added that police shows like Live PD and Cops "rely on violent encounters between citizens and the police to boost their own ratings.” Ambler’s sister, Kimberly Ambler-Jones, said she believed that her brother would still be alive if the television crews had not been filming. “Because they had Live PD there, it had to be hyped up,” she said. “It had to be drama.” It's still unclear, however, if Gov. Abbott will sign the bill.