Steven Seagal - Lawman, A Review

I watched the first season of this and I had some thoughts about it.

According to the credits at the beginning of the show, Steven Seagal has been a working Deputy Sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana for the last 20 years (I also want to point out that Mr. Seagal is credited as being the show's Executive Producer). Wikipedia states that no records can be found concerning any actual certification as a law enforcement officer and suggests that his role with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office is merely an honorary/ceremonial position. It is suggested throughout the show, that Mr. Seagal holds the rank of Reserve Deputy Chief. It is interesting to note that no reference to him appears on the website for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office or Mr. Seagal's own website. I know in my own area, one can serve as a reserve deputy without any certification. I do not have any information about how such a system works in the State of Louisiana.

During the course of the show, Mr. Seagal is shown in a training capacity with some officers and academy students. He teaches some small arms and gives what would appear to be a very good course on weapon retention which is a subject he states in the episode to be very important to him. He assists another officer with some shooting pointers and appears to be a very good shot and at all times appears to handle handguns very safely and confidently. One thing I did notice is that it appears that the department issue handgun in Jefferson Parish is the Glock, possibly .40 or .45 and that Mr. Seagal is carrying a 1911. This handgun appears to be either a 4" Commander type or a full size 5". It seems to change a couple times. It would seem that he rarely takes it out of it's holster.

If the show is actually showing what is, then Mr. Seagal should be applauded for the way that he interacts with the public. He does not appear to be arrogant at any time and engages the general public with humor and a calm demeanor. If this show isn't shameless self promotion in the face of a declining movie career, then he is doing a wonderful job of promoting the JPSO to the community and building a positive relationship with the community.

He is apparently embroiled in a rather nasty lawsuit brought by a former employee and the show has been suspended by Chief Newell Normand indefinitely until the issue is resolved. It is not stated anywhere that I can find, what his current status with the JPSO is.

Overall, it's an interesting show to watch. You get a look at how Katrina affected the area and it's lasting implications. It is also interesting to observe reactions within the community to Mr. Seagal's presence and his reactions to it, which appear to be mostly with a healthy dose of humor. I don't think the show is a complete waste of time and as I said before, if this show is portraying actual fact rather than shameless self promotion, then I think that what he's doing is wonderful and should be applauded.