This Weekend’s On Patrol: Live Highlights, Quotes, Social Media Activity, and Puns

A recap of the February 10, 2024, OPL episode (OPL #02-52) appears below.

About 50 On Patrol: Live cameras go into the field with the law enforcement officers usually from eight or nine different U.S. departments during the ride-along on Friday and Saturday evenings as aired on the Reelz channel. 

An On Patrol Live recap, including NYC studio host Dan Abrams’ one liners, analysis, and banter with co-host Curtis Wilson, the Richland County, S.C., deputy sheriff, and guest analyst Capt. Tom Rizzo (Howell Township, N.J. PD) follows.

[Click here for the OPL #02-51, February 9, 2024, recap]

Please review this important DISCLAIMER.

On Patrol: Live Summary for February 10, 2024 (#OPL Episode 02-52)

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Sgt. Mike Bryant and other units investigate a hit-and-run accident in which a van, allegedly the vehicle that was struck, left the scene. Bryant gathers info from the occupants of the other vehicle at the scene and witnesses about the accident the the direction of travel of the van that left the scene. He also consoles those in the other car. OPL airs some convenience store surveillance footage of the van. Based on a tip, Bryant and other units track down what they suspect might be the van in question parked on the driveway of a residence. They make contact with the people inside; potential language barrier. Bryant and colleagues initially use Google Translate.

In addition to the accident, Sgt. Bryant mentions an unrelated incident: “While all that was going on, there was a disturbance out here with a knife involved. So we’re off and running. We’re gonna see what that turns into. Maybe we’ll just trespass this guy with the jump rope and the brass knuckles…if they want that. But we’re gonna continue to investigating the crash, and we’ll see what happens.

Sgt. Bryant summary: “Here’s what we know right now. Everybody in the house is denying where this vehicle came from. Nobody knows whose vehicle it is. Now this is one of their sister’s car parked directly in front of it, but she’s in Miami. So nobody thought to call and say ‘there’s a random car in my driveway. I don’t know what’s happening here.’ Which leads me to believe that we may be dealing with liars. Either that or they’re afraid. So I’m pretty sure this is the car. If they don’t know whose car it is, we’re going to go ahead and tow it out of their yard, obviously, and take it, because it may be stolen for all we know. We can’t leave that property here. And it’s used in the commission of a hit and run. So we’re gonna keep plugging away, more interviews, and see if they come clean for us.” Dan Abrams: “That’s the van right there that sure looks like the one we saw on a surveillance video from earlier in the show, and it sure has damage on the back of it. So it looks pretty fresh.” With additional information obtained by another officer, Bryant adds that “Okay, so here’s where we are. We’re nowhere, to be honest. So now they’re saying this is their sister’s vehicle, which it is registered to a female, and she is in South Florida, and she lets another driver operate the vehicle, who they don’t know who he is. So, somebody that’s hundreds of miles away lets a ghost drive the vehicle. It was in a crash, and now it’s parked in a yard. Nobody knows anything. No cameras around here to verify anything, so we’re gonna talk to some of the neighbors and see if they know anything. Worst case scenario, at least right now for a hit-and-run investigation, you have a tag of a possible vehicle. We still have a driver, and there’s a tag to it. We tried.” Abrams: “I think he’s a little closer than he says when they said they got nowhere. They found the car. Seems like it was involved. That’s a big first step. We shall see what happens.”

  • Lee County, Fla. — Dep. Terry Fogarty canvases the area on a report of some people throwing bottles at an apartment complex and spots someone on a wall who apparently was a victim or a witness. According to Fogarty, two broken wine bottles spotted in a townhouse lanai, “so it stands to reason it’s from that apartment.” He adds that the suspect or suspects may have left the scene by car as cops arrived. “So we don’t have anything. All we have is a description, but that doesn’t mean anything.” One of the other cops will write a report about the incident. Dep. Fogarty discards a bottle found on the ground.
  • Lee County, Fla. — While wrapping up another call, Dep. Mike Knapp sees a two-car accident occurs right in front of him which was also captured on dashcam video aired by OPL. A passenger apparently in the vehicle that was hit allegedly happens to have a warrant, and he is arrested. Cpt. Rizzo alludes to that a car making a left-hand turn never has the right of way: “You’re turning into a lane of traffic that’s unobstructed and has no reason to stop or yield.” Abrams mentions that the driver in question was apologetic.
  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Bradley Taylor and Sgt. Clayton Dillion conduct a traffic stop and allegedly find guns in the vehicle as well as little bit of weed after a car search. In their initial investigation, the officers try to determine which of the occupants owns which of the guns. Chief Taylor claims that “Y’all ain’t telling the truth. Somebody’s lying…we’ll figure it out.” Abrams update: “The woman said she didn’t put it in her bag; the guy said he didn’t put it in the bag. Well, they ended up confiscating all the guns, but both of the people there released with no charges.”
  • Berkeley County. S.C. — Cpl. Hannah Reed and other deputies along with animal control rescue a dog that was left on an abandoned property.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. TJ Norton, assisted by Sgt. Garo Brown, initiates a traffic stop on a truck because of some young adults riding in the bed of the vehicle. Open container. Caption: “Trouble in the truck bed.” The subjects in the bed were not carrying IDs. “How comes nobody has IDs anymore, man? You realize you got to carry those on you, right?” Cpl. Norton asks each to write down their full name, DOB, and address in his pad. He explains the law to the subjects.

Cpl. Norton: “So we stopped this vehicle here for having passengers in the back of the truck. They’re traveling over 35 miles an hour, so that was the reason for the stop. As the vehicle was coming to a stop, I could see that they were trying to hide something which ended up being an open container of beer. There’s a few more passengers inside the vehicle that has had something to drink as well. So we’re going to continue to do the investigation here, so what we got, and we’re gonna go from there.”

Cpl. Norton issues tickets apparently just to the minors; $465 fine. Cpl. Norton recommends the subjects come and see him in court on the day of their April 1 court date prior to the hearing (unless they want to pay the ticket in advance). “I’m more than happy to work with you…I know it’s April Fools Day, but this is not April Fools.” Beer poured out. The driver apparently only receives a warning. According to Dep. Wilson, at the court appearance, Cpl. Norton has the option to reduce the fine or just dismiss the ticket entirely. Wilson also explains that “21 states have a law that you can’t transport people in the back of the truck. South Carolina is not one of them. So if 35 miles or lower, you should be good.”

In reference to New Jersey law, Cpt. Rizzo explains that “it’s riding on parts unintended. And naturally, we just saw, [re Lee County] what happens when somebody’s not paying attention, how quick an accident can happen. So nowhere to be secured. Obviously just a bad idea. And then you might not want to have alcohol underage when you’re rolling a violation down the road in front of police officers.” Abrams: “It’s sort of begging to be pulled over.” Rizzo: “Pretty much.”

  • Fullerton, Calif. (pre-recorded segment) — Officers, plus a drone, and a K9 pursue a fleeing suspect (who may have a warrant) on foot. The dog captures the suspect. According to Abrams, this was K9 Goose’s first bite incident. Paramedics summoned to the scene to transport the man to the hospital. Cops also search the area for any ditched contraband.

Cpt. Rizzo on the deployed resources: “In textbook. So you have air, right?, for FLIR, forward-looking infrared. You have a K9 that’s deployed, but if you notice in the background of that, you have your stationary vehicles to set up what a perimeter would look like, like a box per se. So when we go mobile, and you have the dog or mobile officers that are going, the whole point is to push it to an area to successfully apprehend a suspect and find him. With those types of resources deployed, good luck getting away. And you talk about the dog, they gave the proper warnings, he gave the person a chance to surrender, and unfortunately, they paid that consequence.”

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Multiple units, including Sgt. Bryant and Ofr. Chance Palm, investigate a drive-by shooting. A red pick-up truck is the suspect vehicle. They conduct two traffic stops at gunpoint on red trucks, but the occupants in both were uninvolved and are quickly released. Cops also try to gather information about the suspect(s) from the victim who is transported to a local hospital Sgt. Bryant: “It may be some type of dispute…what we’re trying to establish now is who would be beefing with him to want to shoot him…there’s a couple of leads coming together…so trying to work it out. We think he’s gonna be okay; that’s the major important thing…”

Commenting on the possible justification, rather than probable cause, for the traffic stops, Cpt. Rizzo explains that “it’s the proximity in both time and location to the call. Fits a description, totally would justify a felony stop of that car for safety purposes. And to apprehend anybody, or at least put them into custody while you solidify if they are the suspects of that shooting.” Abrams: “And sometimes, as we’ve seen in scenes like this, they end up pulling over a red pick-up truck that is not, and wouldn’t be, the people, right?” Wilson: “The description is so important…” Abrams: “The challenge is, as time passes, it gets harder to determine proximity, right? Because you’ve got red trucks coming in and out of the area.” Rizzo: “Yeah, not to exotic, right? But like we were talking, communication is key, and there’s nothing wrong with controlling a scene, yes, but also communicating to somebody who may not be involved, as was the case so far, twice. So that’s where the communication is: ‘hey listen, we’re investigating something; you fit the description, your vehicle fits the description,’ whatever the case may be. ‘Please don’t make any sudden movements’ like he was just going for his ID. That’s how sometimes bad things happen that we want to prevent at all costs.” Wilson: “They’re making contact with these individuals; they are getting their information….so if something does come back, they have this information on somebody.”

  • Indian River County, Fla. — Dep. Brandon McKenzie conducts a traffic stop. Allegedly there are drugs in the car.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Norton conducts a friendly traffic stop and gives junior deputy badges to the kids in the car. Abrams: “Nice moment there.” The driver just receives a warning for speeding.
  • Triple Play #3 — Fort Worth, Texas.
  • Fullerton, Calif. — Ofr. Jason Coleman provides backup on a traffic stop for a truck with an alleged noncompliant driver. Abrams update: “Remember the guy where they thought he’d been noncompliant? They had him sitting on the side of the road. They let him go with no charges. Turns out it was a mistake…”
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Cops investigate a shots-fired call possibly involving six or seven shots according to a caller. Officers converge on a residence to investigate. The report might, instead, have been prompted by fireworks in the area.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Reed assists on a traffic stop. Car search. The driver allegedly handed the corporal a little bit of weed. “It’s cool that right off the bat he just handed it to me. He wasn’t trying to hide it; nothing like that. Honesty is always the best policy. But obviously it does give us probable cause to search the rest of the vehicle, so we’re gonna knock that out. Make sure nothing else in here that shouldn’t be in here.”
  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Taylor and colleagues make a traffic stop on the highway. Expired tags. The driver says they just bought the car. The driver does have the bill of sale. No insurance. The chief asks the driver to contact his wife to ask her to text proof of insurance on their other vehicle. If his license is valid, the cops will send the driver on his way. Caption: “Little red Corvette.”
  • Fullerton, Calif. (pre-recorded segment) — Cops detain a man and a woman in response to a burglary in progress at an apartment called in by a neighbor. Ofr, Matt Kalscheuer (or another officer at the scene) encourages the man “to make better decisions” and that “we’re gonna unhandcuff you, and then you’re gonna go inside your house. You’re not to leave your house until you’re sober.” The officer goes on to explain that “Ultimately we determined there was no crime. So they were left to sleep it off because they were both drunk…”
  • Indian River County, Fla. — Dep. McKenzie conducts a traffic stop for alleged erratic driving. The driver apparently tells the officer he was changing a song and allegedly says that he had one or two beers (a familiar OPL refrain). Dep. McKenzie arrests the driver on suspicion of DUI after field sobriety testing.
  • 4Play segment — Coweta County, Ga.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Ronnie Russell responds to a noise complaint at a birthday party. One of the attendees says it was just loud talking.
  • Fullerton, Calif. — Cops pursue and detain a subject who allegedly fled from a bike stop. The distraught man repeatedly says, “I’m sorry.” According to an officer on the scene, a crystal meth pipe is allegedly found. Ofr. Jesus Ramirez indicates that the man is likely getting taken into custody for resisting or delaying arrest.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — While conducting a traffic stop on a truck for speeding, a vehicle blows past Cpl. Reed. She ends that stop and pursues and pulls over the vehicle. Two occupants. She explains the law to the driver: “If there is a cop in the median, you scoot over to the far-right-hand lane. If there is a cop on the shoulder, you scoot over to the far-left-hand lane. You always have a lane between wherever the person is pulled over and you driving.” Upon being questioned by Cpl. Reed, the driver denies having any weed in the car but allegedly admits both occupants smoked about an hour and a half previous. Reed: “So you’re driving high as well?” The driver and the passenger are subsequently released with a warning after a car search.

Abrams: “This is the sort of thing that just makes cops furious.” Rizzo: “It boils my blood because it’s unnecessary, right, and that’s how officers get injured and then, heaven forbid, get killed. I’ve said it before, a close friend, Mark Castellano, a state trooper, killed that way, right in the town that I work. So, it’s just a move-over law — is there for a reason. It’s not hard to abide by, either.”

  • Toledo, Ohio — Multiple offices are dispatched to a gun threat call in residential area. The suspect had apparently already left the area. Ofr. Chris Mulinix update: “So, we’re getting mixed stories. A few of the people say there’s nobody with guns. We do know that they’re all highly intoxicated. Everybody’s got a different story. So, we’ll go check the area and see if we can find somebody matching that description and see if he has a gun on him. But right now, it just seems like a disorder with intoxicated people in the middle of the street.”
  • Coweta County, Ga. — Dep. Tyler Lamb conducts a traffic stop on a vehicle with a trunk seemingly held by tape. Possible registration issue. Lamb tells the motorist he just wants to verify ownership of the vehicle.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. (pre-recorded segment) — Cpl. Devante Smith, paramedics, and the fire department respond to a car fire after a pursuit. The driver asks “what did I do though?” Cpl. Smith: “…Couldn’t handle this sharp curve here. Lost control, wrecked, caught on fire. My partner was able to pull him from the car before it fully engulfed…He’s got some…lacerations to the head, but he looks to be oriented. He’s talking and everything, and he’s conscious. So right now we got Fire, EMS, to come check him out, and Fire to come extinguish the fire…so he’s getting transported to the hospital and then to jail. He’s going to jail for failure to stop for blue lights. Obviously, the vehicle was like totally destroyed for us to try to recover anything. He’s on the way to the hospital, then to jail, and he won’t be having his car back, so sucks for him.” Abrams: “And he’s lucky to be alive after that.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — As the episode concludes. Cpl. Norton pulls over a car for speeding. Cpl. Norton: “So we stopped this gentleman for speed. I can see that there was a gun inside the car. That’s the reason I asked if there was any weapons in the car. He stated there was, which is in between him and the center console. He’s got a [unintelligible] carry permit. So we’re gonna make sure that is valid and check his license.”