Cedric Yarbrough, who plays Deputy Jones on “Reno 911,” recently talked to the Northern Star about what fans can expect in the sixth season of the show and how he is able to get out of a ticket with real police officers.

Northern Star: Where are you from exactly?
Cedric Yarbrough: I’m from the Midwest myself! I’m from Minneapolis, Minn., so I’m familiar with all the cold weather, the deep dish pizza and the good old Midwestern values.

NS: “Reno 911” is mostly all improvisation, so where do you guys come up with those crazy scenarios?
CY: The ideas just come from our own wacky brains, but also from some things we’ve seen or wanted to see; I mean, we’ve all played cops and robbers, you know, so it’s really the same side of the brain. [Thomas] Lennon and [Robert Ben] Garant and [Kerri] Kenney are writers/actors/producers on the show and they come up with a lot of the great ideas, but you know cops are always coming up to us with ideas saying, “You should try this, or that.”

NS: So how did you come up with your character, Jones?
CY: Jones is basically a version of myself, I guess. I would describe it as, if you are going to a party and you’re drinkin’ and somebody tells you to get up and do an impression of yourself. So I guess you could say Jones is the drunk, funhouse mirror version of me. It’s not exactly who I am, but it is what is perceived of me, that small little speck of who I am.

NS: Do you work with actual police officers to learn the jargon and get into character?
CY: Actually, I do a drive-around with the Long Beach Police Department before the start of each new season, just because I don’t live in “cop world” ever, unless I am going to jail or something, but other than that I am pretty out of the element.

NS: So if you spend so much time around police officers and play one on TV, do you have any suggestions for us college students on how to get out of a ticket?
CY: I would get on a basic cable TV show as fast as you possibly can. I mean, that is how I get out of my tickets.

NS: Oh really, have you done this before? And it really works?
CY: Oh ho ho yeah! [In a Southern accent] “Hey! You’re that brown guy aren’t ya? You’re that chocolate son-of-a-b---- from ‘Reno 911!’” And I’m like, “Damn right I am” and they say, “Alright keep drivin’ drunk, you’re fine.”

NS: Any last comments you’d like to add to help get fans fired up about the new season?
CY: It’s the same old ridiculous characters but with lots of new surprises. I think that people are going to really enjoy the show. It’s one of Comedy Central’s staples, and I really think you guys are going to dig it.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.