On Patrol: Live Summary for July 15, 2023 (#OPL Episode 01-96 )

The docuseries On Patrol: Live — i.e., Live PD 2.0 — premiered on the Reelz channel in July 2022 and generally follows the same basic format as its A&E network predecessor in which videographers accompany cops on night patrol in real time.

About 50 On Patrol: Live cameras go into the field with the law enforcement officers usually from eight different U.S. departments during the ride-along on Friday and Saturday evenings. Pre-recorded segments are usually part of the show as well.

An On Patrol: Live recap, including studio host Dan Abrams’ puns, analysis, and banter with co-anchors Sean Larkin and Curtis Wilson (retired Tulsa, Okla., cop and Richland County, S.C., deputy sheriff, respectively), along with the often-snarky or playful social media reaction, follows. 

Note: Volusia County, Fla., Deputy Sheriff Royce James is sitting in for Larkin this weekend while the latter is on hiatus.

NOTE: Please review the important DISCLAIMER.

[Click here for the OPL 01-95 recap]

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Det. Noah Galbreath spots an alleged stolen vehicle which he and colleagues track. Traffic stop at gunpoint. Two female occupants who separately insist that they borrowed the vehicle. Abrams: “So far, these stories do seem consistent, so we’ll have to see what they end up doing with this as they investigate further, trying, piece it all together.” Car search. After an investigation, they are released with no charges. Abrams: “Remember, they had precise explanations for how they got in the car, who’d given them the car, text messages etcetera. So they’re leaving their information, and it looks like they’re going to be…probably walking away, not driving…but not getting back into that car.”
  • Nye County, Nev. — On a medical assist call, Dep. Jonathan Justice has to kick open the front door of a residence to allow EMTs to get in and provide care for an older man. Justice: “This gentleman at this apartment here is having a medical episode. And he’s saying that all the doors are locked, so he wants someone to break it down…we’re gonna check to see if there’s any other way to get in. If there’s not, they we’ll probably have to kick his door in so we can get him some medical assistance.”
  • Volusia County, Fla. — In a traffic stop, Dep. Meshelle Nayor issues a ticket plus a warning after a motorist ran a stop sign.
  • Richland County, S.C. (pre-recorded segment) — Deputies pursue a stolen car that subsequently wrecks out in the chase. Driver detained. K9 Spec. Kory Mayo explains that the driver “is gonna be going to jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, he’s gonna get hit with unlawful carry, failure to stop for blue lights, and also he’s a runaway out of another county.” The S.C. highway patrol will take over the accident investigation itself. Abrams comments that Dep. Royce James mentioned that he expected the vehicle to crash. James: “I was. I’ve seen plenty of fleeing drivers, and you could just tell that driver didn’t have the skillset to operate a motor vehicle that fast. And at the end, you saw it was a younger driver. They just don’t have the social maturity, the expertise…” Abrams: “And sometimes…we see people who are running from police who are actually excellent drivers. And those are the most dangerous kind to some degree.”
  • Toledo, Ohio — Sgt. Geoff McClendon and Ofr. Austin Bly respond to shots-fired call near a pizza restaurant and take a pedestrian, who supposedly matches the description of a subject, into custody outside a home. He insists he had nothing to do with any shooting, but won’t identify himself. Another officer says that the man is subject to arrest if he won’t provide his name and date of birth. After an investigation, the man is released with no charges, although with a summons, e.g., a ticket to appear in court, for alleged unrelated pending warrants. McClendon: “We’re not trying to harass you man…sorry about the mix-up.” Apparently, the shots-fired report itself was unfounded.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Tyler Hazel and other deputies canvas the area outside of an apartment complex upon a report of people allegedly trying to break in to cars. Hazel: “It sounds like Lt. Roberts is out with the guys that we saw earlier, so we move up here, try to see if we can’t identify them. Right now, it doesn’t sound like we don’t have any confirmed cars broken into, but we’re gonna at least talk with them, see where they live…so we’re going to walk up there, see if we can identify that those are the guys that we saw, and try to do like some sort of field contact…” He also jokes to another deputy to “make sure [Cpt. Danny Brown] gets over this fence so we don’t have a workers’ comp [claim] or anything.”
  • Wilkes-Barre, Pa. — Ofr. Chris Benson mediates a parking dispute and asks a homeowner to move a truck that apparently is blocking a driveway. He also asks the homeowner who is hosting a party to turn down the music a notch.

Wilkes-Barre, Pa. — Ofr. Edward Lewko responds to a car accident call which seems to involve a guy who was a subject in an incident on a previous episode. Abrams: “Looks familiar…yes, there is a guy we have seen on this show before…”

  • Fullerton, Calif. — Traffic stop on car with multiple occupants; driver apparently doesn’t have a license. Car search. Gun allegedly found that state law may or may not be consider an assault weapon, and thus possibly resulting in an enhanced charge. With their laptops, cops are researching that issue. In addition, Cpl. Brandon Ramek explains that “We’re gonna call around just to make sure we get the right charge and if this is gonna be charged as an assault weapon. Regardless, possession of a firearm…and it looks like everyone is gonna be arrested for the same offense. No one is gonna take ownership.”
  • Toledo, Ohio — Cops converge on a home to serve a warrant for alleged burglary and detain a suspect who is very compliant. This encounter apparently was a follow-up to an investigation on Friday night’s OPL episode. Sgt. McLendon: “So basically, this call was a warrant service. Crews were out here yesterday; he was out here with a baseball bat breaking out the neighbors’ windows. Crews came out here yesterday; they couldn’t find him. He went hiding in the woods. They…issued a felony warrant for his arrest. So we came over today to arrest him on that warrant for yesterday…”
  • Volusia County, Fla. — In-studio guest Dep. Royce James answers more viewer questions, including his DUI teaching at the police academy, giving financial advice to other officers, particularly rookies, and about NYC sightseeing.
  • Nye County, Nev. (pre-recorded segment) — Dep. Cody Murphy and Investigator Eric Anderson on a traffic stop. Abrams: “Deputies pulled over a driver who didn’t have a valid license, but he did have some drugs, and a warrant, and a really cute puppy, too.” Murphy to the upset driver: “They said you have a warrant for burglary. It’s not my warrant, it’s not my county — it’s in Vegas; it’s not here.” The driver is arrested on the warrant; the female passenger is also arrested for alleged possession of meth. Vehicle is towed possibly for expired tags. A friend is coming for the dog.

Abrams asks Dep. James about the occasions that cops get the wrong guy. James: “It’s very rare. However, when we first are told the person has a warrant, we detain them for confirmation. Confirmation consists of a couple of checks to make sure we have the right person. In this case, it’s tattoos, but it could be photos, Social Security numbers, fingerprints, things like that. Once a warrant is confirmed, then they’re under arrest at that point.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Sgt. Paul Yacobuzzi pulls over two vehicles in tandem for speeding. It turns out that the motorists, driving separately, are on a date night. An empathetic Yacobuzzi releases them with a warning. Yacobuzzi: “I understand what it’s like to have a night out with the kids and with your significant other. But there are a lot of wrecks on that interstate and going that fast, it’s gonna take you a certain amount of time to stop. But they both got warnings, let them go home, let them be on their way, and be home with the kid.” Abrams: “And they were only going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.”
  • Volusia County, Fla. — Deputies investigate a report of an alleged assault with a vehicle. Dep. Naylor: “So it’s like a potential girlfriend and boyfriend got into it maybe over a car. The girlfriend left with the car and came here. While she was leaving with the car, the other half, who was originally the victim of this car theft, tried to cut her off and maybe ram the car. So it sounds like that occurred in the city limits of Daytona, so Daytona would end up taking that part of it. The woman believes that the car part of it that we were looking for is going to be civil. So we’re just waiting to see, to stand by for Daytona, to see if they are going to handle just the car aggravated assault part of it.”
  • Toledo, Ohio — Cops make contact with a resident who says that someone stole one or more cell phones plus porch furniture.
  • Nye County, Nev. — Dep. Joe Molinaro detains a man who neighbors spotted in a nearby backyard. After making contact with the elderly homeowner, it turns out that the subject is allowed to be there. Molinaro to property owner, age 80: “I would just highly advise, knowing his background, us knowing his background, I would personally keep him out of your house. That’s just me. You live your life the way you see fit…he comes back as a frequent drug user in our system.” The subject is released. With regard to the drug issue discussion between the cop and the homeowner, Abrams comments that “if I heard that correctly, that is one of the country’s most perplexing problems today.”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Sgt. Yacobuzzi and Dep. Wilson Bishop makes contact with a bunch of street racers and tells them to move on. Caption: “Start your engines…and leave.” Bishop: “This is every Saturday out here. They come out here, they park, they race up and down the street. So luckily, I feel like we got it stopped pretty early tonight, so nobody will get hurt or anything.” Bishop explains to one motorist that “You guys just can’t be coming out here, allright? So no big deal: I’m not here to write anybody tickets or anything…I just got to get everybody out of here…” Yacobuzzi quips that “this is a pretty secluded area, and you would have thought it was like Daytona Beach or something.” Abrams: “Royce James was just saying the same thing. He’s from that area.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Rebekah Smith witnesses or heard a car accident. One of the alleged motorists flees on foot. He is detained after a brief foot chase. Investigation ongoing. James on possible charges: “He looks like he might be under the influence of something. A minor crash is a crash, but by leaving the scene of a crash, you turn that into a crime, and also, if he’s intoxicated, that makes it a felony, and then also he resisted her, so he made things a lot worse by leaving the scene of a crash and running from her.” Abrams: “It is lucky she was right there on that scene as the accident almost happened.”

Cpl. Smith: “I don’t know if he hit this car or he hit the car that supposedly took off. But it’s obvious the reason he took off running: There’s a large amount of looks like marijuana spread all over the back seat. So I’m assuming that’s why, but it’s a lot going on. So we’re trying to piece together who’s responsible, and then it’s gonna be turned over to highway patrol based on the car accident. We’re just making sure all individuals involved are (a) okay and (b) apprehended if they left the scene.”

Further update from Smith: “Right now, I’m just waiting on highway patrol. Just based on what I’m gathering, it almost looks like this gentleman was either cut off or hit head on or sideswiped…which resulted in another accident on the on-ramp. So we actually have two disabled vehicles. It appears that one car left the scene. And just based on talking to all the parties involved, it sounds like the car that left the scene was the cause of both accidents…all these will be turned over to highway [patrol] as well as the person that’s detained.”

Abrams: “So that person has been turned over to the state troopers, so no charges from Richland County, but they’ll see what the state investigation turns up.”

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Det. Galbreath and other officers pursue of fleeing vehicle. Stop sticks deployed. Obviously familiar with his home area, Dep. James provides viewers with the geography and direction of the chase. K9 and police helicopter deployed to assist foot search in wooded area after driver bailed. Officers subsequently find the abandoned vehicle and search it for evidence. Abrams: “They now believe the driver may be woman. They found a lot of makeup right around there. You never know what that means, but that is one of the things that they’re looking at.”
  • Toledo, Ohio — Sgt. McLendon and Ofr. Bly respond to a report of an assault at a residence and gather information from a female witness and a male victim. The victim, who appears to have lacerations above his eye and on a leg, declines medical treatment. The alleged aggressor had already left the scene. McLendon: “So it sounds like there was a disagreement. A friend was over there having drinks and a fight ensued. Unfortunately, the victim doesn’t want to do anything, so without a victim, we can’t press charges. However, he did threaten the female in her home, so we’re going to take a report, and she’s gonna follow up with charges on that.” McLendon also urged the woman to keep an eye on her husband in case he has concussion symptoms.
  • Volusia County, Fla. — Deputies assist the Daytona PD with the above-referenced pursuit for the fleeing vehicle. Abrams asks James if it “is fairly typical to see Daytona and Volusia working together in this kind of way.” James: “Yeah; if a vehicle starts off fleeing in one city and then goes into another, we have a thing called mutual aid where we all kind of work together to try to apprehend the suspect.”
  • Wanted segment — Staten Island, N.Y.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Amidst the street-racing investigation, Dep. Bishop verifies with gas station manager that the store is okay with a group of teens hanging around the location. Bishop: “As long as they’re good with it, I’m good with it…will double-check with the clerk in here…if they want to hang out at the gas station, I don’t have to worry about them racing down the streets.” Caption: “Don’t be a pain in the gas.”
  • Fullerton, Calif. — Cpls. Ramek and Alexa Elkabarra make contact with a man on the sidewalk and discuss with him that his alleged addiction costs about $2,000-plus a month. Cpl. Ramek: “Think about that. You ever thought about going and getting help?…and it’s not even drugs that get you high anymore. It’s drugs that…so you don’t get dope-sick…you gotta go get help.”
  • Missing segment — Hoover, Ala (Carlee Russell).
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Smith makes a traffic stop on an Uber driver and detains a passenger who initially got out of the car. The passenger is subsequently released. Abrams: “It’s a little unclear why he was being detained.” Cpl. Smith advises the man “when those lights go on, don’t jump out of the car.” Smith: “Everything checks out with the vehicle. The passenger, I don’t know, maybe he was eager to get to the club, but he’s at his destination, so he’s on his way, as well as the driver.”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Sgt. Yacobuzzi and Dep. Bishop assist a motorist driving a rented van with a flat tire after apparently hitting the curb at a construction site. The officers suggest she call the rental company which may send some help, too. Bishop: “I don’t know if we’re gonna have to get highway patrol to do something since its a rental car, and there is damage to it. If not, then we will try and help her get her tire changed.” Abrams: “This is when you hope you had the loss-damage waiver insurance on the rental car.”
  • Wilkes-Barre, Pa. — Cops detain a man who was sitting on a bench who is allegedly drunk and disorderly, although he appears very compliant with officers.