Lucy Liu -- Bulletproof Vest for LAPD Tour of Inner City

[NelsonG]

Filed under: [url="http://www.tmz.com/person/lucy-liu/"]Lucy Liu[/url], [url="http://www.tmz.com/category/tv/"]TV[/url]

[b][img]http://ll-media.tmz.com/2011/10/25/1025-lucy-liu-ex-tmz-2.jpg[/img]
Lucy Liu [/b]got some real life experience in the roughest parts of L.A. -- strapping on body armor for an LAPD ride-along ... all to prepare for a new role as a police officer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Liu donned a bullet-proof vest and sat shotgun with an LAPD officer Friday evening ... as they toured some of the most gang-infested parts of Watts in a squad car. 

Liu -- who just took a role as an LAPD officer on the TNT cop drama, "[b]Southland[/b]" -- was not involved in any police activity during her tour of the area, but we're told the actress is scheduled to participate in a more active ride-along in the near future.

As we previously reported, Liu's new co-star [b]Michael Cudlitz[/b] also put in some time with the LAPD recently -- and [url="http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/24/southland-michael-cudlitz-gun-lapd-ride-along-scare/?adid=recentlyupdatedstories"][b]actually responded to a call [/b][/url]about a "man with a gun" during his ride-along.
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