This Weekend’s On Patrol: Live Highlights, Commentary, and Social Media Activity
An On Patrol: Live recap, including NYC studio host Dan Abrams’ puns, analysis, and banter with co-anchor Curtis Wilson (a Richland County, S.C., deputy sheriff), along with the often-snarky or playful social media reaction, follows.
For background information about On Patrol: Live (i.e., Live PD 2.0), that airs on the Reelz channel, click here.
Lt. John Curley (ret.), formerly of Warwick, R.I., PD, returns to join the duo as this weekend’s in-studio guest analyst.
Note: Hazen, Ark. PD is on hiatus from OPL. Here is an update from Chief Taylor:
Please review this important DISCLAIMER.
On Patrol: Live Summary for April 12, 2024 (#OPL Episode 02-65)
- Daytona Beach, Fla. — In the midst of another call, Lt. Richie Maher, Sgt. Mike Bryant, and other officers respond to an incident in which a motorist in a Jeep on a main road appears to be sleeping. Lt. Maher: “…He’s sitting in the roadway next to us, completely passed out behind the wheel of his car. Didn’t wake him up until I did a sternum rub on him. Was able to shut the car off…first thing out of his mouth is ‘I wasn’t driving.’ And we’re gonna go from there. Got some outward signs of potential intoxication…” DUI investigation follows.
“I’m not driving.”
During the investigation, Lt. Maher explains that “He’s showing some outward signs of intoxication…besides the obvious: passed out behind the wheel of a car, not waking up initially for the sternum rub…followed by a struggle to find his license…he admitted to drinking when I walked over there and taking some medication. So we’re gonna go through what are called some standard field sobriety exercises, see how he performs. And there’s a potential he could go to jail tonight for driving under the influence. We’re just gonna stand by with the officers to make sure it goes safely and smoothly. And we’ll see where where go from here.”
The driver, who Maher describes as “super chill” and “a super nice dude,” is subsequently arrested after field sobriety testing.
Lt. Maher summary: “…So, based on the observations during standard field sobriety exercise, the individual is driving under the influence, and he’s gonna be charged for driving under the influence. Doesn’t mean he’s guilty; he’s just gonna get his day in court, but tonight he’s gonna go to jail on that charge…his car is gonna be towed, and that’s where we are…I’m just glad we got him out of the car before he woke back up and tried to drive in that state. God forbid he run over somebody and killed them…”
- Toledo, Ohio — Ofrs. Lindsey Erhart and Brooke Janowiecki, among others, attempt to serve a warrant at a residence. They have a friendly conversation with the homeowner who informs them that the subject is not there and is out of town.
- Lee County, Fla. — Dep Kurt Beitz responds to a residence that is the subject of a habitual noise complaint. He asks the homeowner to turn down the music (“they’re super cool about it”), and mentions that the county noise ordinance kicks in at 10 p.m. local time. He also makes contact by telephone with the complainant.
- Coweta County, Ga. — Dep. Shawn Searels conducts a traffic stop for failure to maintain lane. The driver tells him that “my shawl got stuck under my rear end.” Searles: “Her…scarf — she said that it got stuck up in her butt. She was trying to get it out.” The driver is released with a warning. Abrams: “Here, very quickly, the deputy was able to determine that there was not an issue.”
“My shawl got stuck under my rear end.”
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Sgt. Steve Zubcoff conducts a traffic stop possibly for speeding. The driver is released with a warning. Dan Abrams; “Those are some festive shoes.”
“Those are some real festive shoes.”
- Lee County, Fla. -(pre-recorded segment) — Dep. Alex Fields and other units respond to a possible burglary. After searching a nearby wooded area with a K9, they detain a male suspect, who among other things, says he had to “take a sh*t.” there. Dep. Fields: “The canine unit and deputies and went in and found the subject laying behind a tree about 50 feet from the scene. So we detained him, and now he’s under arrest for loitering and prowling and several violations of probation warrants.” Abrams: “Pretty bad luck for that guy, if everything that he says was true. and he went to — I guess he used the ‘facilities’ out there and ended up hitting his head and passing out.” Dep. Wilson: “It was good that they were able to use that drone to be able to locate him with the infrared. And again, because hitting the tree and falling down– that’s pretty ‘heavy duty.'” Lt. Curley: “Do you think that the drone picked up up heat from his body or heat from maybe ‘somewhere else’?”
- Berkeley County, S.C. — While on another call, Sgt. Paul Yacobozzi and other units are re-dispatched to search for man who allegedly fled on foot from a traffic stop. They detain the subject (another man was apparently previously detained). Vehicle search.
Dep. Hunter Rogers: “…went to go stop him. He hopped off the driver’s seat, ran us in the woods. Luckily, we got him in custody without incident. And I believe, hopefully, [Cpl. BJ] Nelson’s gonna put a dog on the ground to see if he threw anything…”
Abrams: “…they found a number of interesting items here, right? Pokemon cards, which they’re suggesting could be collectibles and might have been stolen, a flare, Narcan, and that fake badge, too, right?” Dep. Wilson: “Absolutely, and you know when a driver gets out and goes, that’s the one you have to go after, because he’s in possession of this vehicle; he’s the one that you’re going after, and they were able to track him and get him.” Abrams: “And the fake badge, and again, what’s the line between a toy badge and a fake badge?” Lt. Curley: “Honestly, I don’t think he’s using it for Halloween, so he’s obviously using it for the wrong reasons. But shouldn’t have it. There’s a lot going on in that car. It’s gonna take a while to sort that out.” Abrams: “Yeah, but just the fleeing in and of itself…”
“I don’t think he was using it for Halloween.”
Sgt. Yacobuzzi summary: “It sounds like Deputy Rogers conducted a traffic stop on his car for a traffic violation. The driver took off on foot. He was able to get him into custody. So right now, we’re doing an article search to see if he threw anything in the foot pursuit. But right now, it looks like they may have found some heroin or fentanyl. Also, they’re gonna continue to search. We found some catalytic converters. We’re gonna search to see if he’s prohibited from having precious metals or the catalytic converters. If so, that’s just gonna be an additional charge on him in terms of what he has….we’re gonna stay here with EMS while they do their assessment because he’s complaining of injuries…and I don’t think he has a license, so there’s the obligatory no driver’s license.”
Dep. Wilson comments on the precious-metals issue: “A lot of individuals that steal…catalytic converters are getting the copper from AC units, and it was such a big problem that they came up with a law in the state of South Carolina. In order to have that stuff in your vehicle you have to have a permit. So that way, you can’t go and sell it illegally.” Abrams: “So that’s another thing they’re gonna be investigating there in addition to possible drugs and other issues…”
- Fontana, Calif. (pre-recorded segment) — Ofr. Zachary Bloom and other units detain suspects who allegedly shoplifted from Target. One of the suspects claims he has a receipt in his pocket. Ofr. Bloom summary: “Basically, all four subjects were working together to…steal all this product. They were all four throwing product inside the shopping cart. And they were working together. One guy ended up being the one to push it out, but they were all around him. And they all worked together to steal this stuff. And the value was $995, so this is gonna be a felony. So they’re all gonna be arrested today.” Abrams: “Just over the limit with regard to getting it to be a felony there.”
- Toledo, Ohio — After knocking on a few doors to locate the house where the call originated, Ofrs. Erhart and Janowiecki respond to a residence on a report of a cat attack. Abrams refers to the initial report as a “catcall.” The officers make contact with the female complainant. Ofr. Erhart is able to calm down the “sweet,” “nice” cat. Abrams quips about the “possible suspect” that “we [have to] be careful not to implicate that cat,” and Lt. Hurley adds that the cat is “innocent until proven guilty.” Captions: “Feline fiasco,” “You’ve got to be ‘kitten’ me,” “6 Lives left.” Paramedics called to check out the complainant’s child who was scratched.
“You’ve got to be ‘kitten’ me.”
Ofr. Erhart summary: “So it sounds like the cat ended up scratching the child that’s in this house, so the mom of the child wants us to have Fire come out to check on the child and make sure that the child is okay. And I think she’s gonna have her injuries looked at as well…she doesn’t want the cat back in her house? So we’re gonna see if we can find a place for the cat, see if we can get a house for her, maybe have to call the Humane Society for her.” Abrams: “I’m betting that that beautiful cat could probably find a home pretty quickly if need be.”
- Lee County, Fla. — Dep. Beitz returns to the same residence on another noise complaint. Captions: “Back in the saddle again,” “What the buck is going on here?”
- Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Joe Richard investigates a possible shoplifting call where the subjects may have been encountered at the same Target as in the pre-recorded segment, although the complaint apparently originated at another store. “Why’d you guys steal a BB gun. That was stupid.” Three young men, who deny the allegation, are detained and questioned. Ofr. Richard summary: “When I looked inside of Target, I noticed him with the red sweater, one of the matching suspects. We came inside. As soon as I walked in, red sweater started immediately walking away. Obviously, he was our suspect of interest at the time. So we detained him, and we detained his buddies, too. As we were asking questions, ‘hey, where’s the BB gun at?’ And they all played the ‘I don’t know where it’s at’…and finally…lost prevention’s here, and they said they put it behind a check bag. So we found the BB gun. Now we’re trying to see — contact the victim now… and see if they want their property back or if they want to press charges. So that’s our next step.”
Abrams update: The three guys “were trespassed from both stores, meaning the store where the gun was [allegedly] stolen from and Target. The pellet gun was returned to the sporting goods store and that’s it. No charges.”
- Richland County, S.C. — Dep. Matt Smith conducts a friendly traffic stop for speeding and littering with a cigarette. After a license check, the driver is released with warning. “Use the ashtray and slow down.” Abrams: “No ifs, ands, or butts about this.”
“Use the ashtray and slow down.”
- Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Victor Reyes responds to a “report of a pantless man throwing rocks.” A subject who is not actually pantless but whose boxers appear to be visible is detained adjacent to a dumpster.
- Triple Play #1 — Bellevue, Wash, pursuit.
- Berkeley County, S.C. — Deputies attempt to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle allegedly involved in some sort of drug deal. Slow roller. The car pulls over and the driver bails. A female passenger (“I did nothing wrong”) is taken into custody. “On the ground, and stop talking…shut up.” The passenger, who is Mirandized, allegedly may have tossed something from the car window during the pursuit (footage of which OPL airs). About the driver who was putting his arms out of his window during the pursuit,, “I think he was definitely using that left arm as a diversion. I don’t think he was saying hello.” Cops with a K9 set up a perimeter and extensively search a wooded area and a residential neighborhood for the driver. The passenger insists to Sgt. Yacobozzi “I didn’t do anything wrong; I promise you that.” Sgt. Yacobozzi: “You can explain that to a judge.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong; I promise you that.”
Sgt. Yacobuzzi summary: “…the driver failed to stop. We got in pursuit with the driver…the passenger tried to get out. We got her at gunpoint. We were able to detain her. What she threw out of the window — it looks like it’s gonna be meth, cocaine, some other drugs. So we’ve got K9… [with] Corporal Nelson coming. And we’re gonna conduct a track, and we’re gonna try to find the driver…
- Richland County, S.C. — Dep. Smith conducts a friendly traffic stop for running a red light and releases the driver with a warning. Caption: “Red lights go — green light stop?” Dep. Smith: “So apparently she was taught how to drive from some place that didn’t teach her well. So, she’s good to go. She was coming from work, and everything like that…”
- Toledo, Ohio — Ofrs. Mike Gee and Chris Mulinix, among others, attempt to serve a warrant at a residence. The homeowners gives the cops permission to search the home for the subject who they say is not there. Ofr. Gee: “Officers checked the house according to my partner Officer Mulinix. They’re saying the male is already in jail according to him, so sounds like just a fake call tonight. So all is well, and we’ll be on the next one.”
“They’re saying the male is already in jail…”
- Triple Play #2 — Pierce County, Wash., attempted car theft.
- Toledo, Ohio — Officers and the fire department respond to a report of a possible house fire that apparently originated on a stove. Officer on scene: “Extra crispy.”
- OPL Update — A fugitive is captured.
- BOLO segment — Greene County, Ind.
- Indian River County, Fla. — Sgt. Chris Lester and other units, including a K9, search for a missing or runaway 10-year-old boy. Sgt. Lester subsequently mentions that they have a possible lead in connection with a 911 call about a reckless driver: “The caller gave out a license plate number, and it happens to be a relative of the juvenile that’s missing. So we’re thinking, either one, it’s a family member that’s driving recklessly, looking around for the child, and/or it’s possible that the juvenile is in the car driving. We’ve gotten two calls on the reckless car. It’s just suspicious that they’re both related. We have units in the area [where]the car was last seen, so we should be able to figure it out pretty quickly.”
Abrams: “First of all, kudos to the folks who are making those calls and trying to help out. But we were talking about this a moment ago: There have been a number of cases of 10 year olds, or kids, little kids, ending up taking cars.” Wilson: “They do, and they think it’s either for the joyride, or they’re bored, or things of that nature. But they don’t realize how dangerous this is. And…with this one, they have to look at everything. If this kid is in that car, they have to make sure that they…totally stop it.” Curley: “You really hope it’s just a relative that’s frantically looking for the 10 year old versus the alternative of the 10 year old being behind the wheel of that car.” Abrams: “You heard him say it there that they think they’ll be able to wrap this up pretty quickly. Let’s hope they can wrap it up quickly and safely.”
- Indian River County, Fla. (pre-recorded segment) — While making a traffic stoop on a car, Dep. Brandon McKenzie spots a passing scooter tipping over. Field sobriety testing conducted on the scooter operator. Dep. McKenzie “…I could smell that odor of alcoholic beverage coming him. He’s impaired, like he shouldn’t be operating a bicycle….he was transported to the Indian River County jail. He’s gonna be given an opportunity if he wants to provide a breath sample or not.” Abrams: “The driver there later took a breath test. It turned out he was more than twice the legal limit. That was bad luck for him, unless sometimes they get distracted, right? They’re looking at a police stop, and he’s driving while impaired, and the two of those things together may have been what led him to fail.” Curley: “Timing’s everything, and his wasn’t that good.” Wilson: :It’s like also divine intervention because him continuing on that bike twice the limit could have hurt himself or somebody else.”
“That was bad luck for him…”
- Toledo, Ohio — Ofrs. Erhart and Janowiecki investigate a possible burglary at a home where the owner is out of town. Ofr. Erhart: “So it ends up that it was just the owner’s children that were inside. I guess the neighbor did not know that the children were gonna be here today. So I’m glad everything worked out, and it’s just the owner’s kids.” Abrams quips that “that was a real possible ‘buzzkill’ from the neighbor calling in.”
- Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Richard initiates a traffic stop on two motorcycles that split off into different directions. Along with the OPL audience, the cooperative motorcyclist that Richard stops notices a dumpster fire that is occurring down the street.
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CLICK HERE for the OPL 02-66, April, 12, 2024, recap.
CLICK HERE for information about the pending OPL lawsuit.
This recap is amazing in multiple ways ..First off,with all the action that we see for 6 intense hours every weekend, it’s nice to have a written record of some of the incidents that can easily be forgotten due to the sheer amount of them that occur. Extremely detailed and professional work is being done here and needs to be appreciated and heralded. I wish I had the time/energy/tech savvy to put something this good together on a weekly basis. This is a must read for any OPLive fan.