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

A recap of the October 21, 2023, OPL episode (OPL #02-24) 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 studio host Dan Abrams’ one liners, analysis, and banter with co-host Curtis Wilson, the Richland County, S.C., deputy, and guest analyst of the week Chief Will Armstrong (Brookford, N.C., PD), follows.

[Click here for the latest update about the officer-involved shooting in Nye County, Nev., re Deputy Nicholas Huggins]

[Click here for the OPL #02-23 recap]

Please review this important DISCLAIMER.

On Patrol: Live Summary for October 21, 2023 (#OPL Episode 02-24)

  • Richland County, S.C. — Capt. Danny Brown and other units including Cpl. Rebekah Smith detain a man after a foot search who allegedly abandoned a car at a convenience store with the engine running. Open containers spotted. Capt. Brown explains to the man that leaving a car unintended is illegal in the state.
  • Weld County, Colo — Dep. Christopher Dalzell makes contact with a man who allegedly drove a vehicle through a barbed-wire fence. He also makes contact with the property owner who has no problem with the subject fixing the fence. Caption: “No gophers found.” Upon further investigation, the situation changes because it allegedly involves possession of a stolen vehicle. The deputy tells the man that “if you’re driving a vehicle with a punched ignition, it’s pretty blatant, especially in Colorado where it’s number one in the nation right now — there’s a lot of that stuff…so because you’re being honest and upfront with me, the one thing that I am gonna do is instead of actually arresting you for the possession…it’s a misdemeanor, and where we can just write you a summons because you should have known that that was a stolen vehicle. So you’re in possession of stolen vehicle…So because you’re being honest with me, I’m gonna give you that same respect back where I’m not gonna put you in the back of the cruiser…”

Chief Armstrong comments that “when you’re charging something like that, you’ve got to be able to show the intent, whether it was wantonly or is it willfully, those intents go into the charging factor in deciding what you’re going to charge, and if you have probable cause to make that charge.” Abrams: ‘Different crime — possession of versus stole car. Happen to be driving versus stole car. A different issue.” Wilson: “And on top of that too, you got to talk about the fact that he went from a felony to a misdemeanor, and that’s all because of the fact of his honesty. He was honest with this officer, telling him what’s going on…” Abrams: “Makes a big difference across the board.”

  • Lee County, Fla. — Dep. Terry Fogarty and other first responders assist at a traffic accident where a car ran into a palm tree. Fogarty tells a colleague that based on an established schedule, insurance will pay Lee County about $500 to $700 for a new palm tree. Abrams: “Pricey palm trees. I bet if you bought one up here in New York, it’s probably $1,400.”
  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Bradley Taylor conducts a traffic stop on occupants who were returning from a state fair and has a friendly conversation about funnel cake, which seems to be one of his favorites foods. Taylor: “I’m going tomorrow and get me a corn dog and a funnel cake.” Caption: “No citation for funnel cake.” Abrams: “They love their funnel cake there in Hazen, Arkansas. Not the first time we’ve heard about the affection for funnel.”
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Sgt. Marcus Booth patrols the downtown area during Biketober Fest. Booth explains officers enforce certain regulations during the event to make sure people attend “and have a good time and leave safe.” He adds that “that’s why we’re sticklers here. We want you to have a fun time, but you got to abide by the law.”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpls. Dylan Lee and Bryson Fowler conduct a traffic stop on vehicle. Beer poured out. Abrams quips that he “loses part of his soul” when he sees alcohol discarded like that on the show. The car also contains a cat in a travel bubble.
  • Toledo, Ohio (pre-recorded segment) — Officers respond to a disturbance at an apartment complex where a woman allegedly was knocking on doors. The conversation turns toward a discussion of a pet cat who only has one testicle. Ofr. Greg Long Jr.: “Seems like her and her boyfriend were having an argument about the cat’s gender, and one ball or two balls. Not sure what it was, but we’ll be on to the next call.”

Abrams quips that “I got a number of thoughts about this one as we watched this. First of all, if the cat has one testicle as it seems, how could it be a female? What was the debate?…here’s the other thing I was thinking. I feel like we should’ve blurred the cat out of respect for the cat. After all the blurring we did in that video…exposed the cat in that way…” Armstrong: “You could see the look on his face.” During the discussion, Wilson jokes about a “fur ball.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Ronnie Russell conducts a bicycle stop and allegedly find a pipe on the subject after a pat-down. The substance will be field tested.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Sgt. Bryant conducts a traffic stop and detain a man who he has known for about 10 years on an alleged warrant. Bryant explains that they ran the tag on the car that was illegally parked, and another officer heard the report on the radio, and claimed that the person driving that car “has a felony warrant.” The man was detained after he came walking out of a store. “He resisted just a little bit, but not enough for charges.” Cops will confirm whether there is or isn’t an outstanding warrant.
  • Toledo, Ohio — Officers respond to a report of an alarm activating at a building and discover a busted-out window with blood on the blinds. K9 deployed to assist cops in clearing the location. Ofr. Austin Bly: “It appears that the suspect made entry. There’s blood that’s actually inside the office with a hammer there as well. We don’t know if anything’s taken yet, so we’re gonna see if we can find some video footage from the keyholder here. Then I’m gonna call for our the detectives and see what they want to do. Probably take pictures, and document the report.”
  • Triple Play #3 — Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Volusia County, Fla. (pre-recorded segment) — Dep. Kletus Stubblefield and other units respond to a landlord/tenant dispute that allegedly resulted in a man getting shot with what turned out to be a pellet gun of some kind. They make contact with both parties, one of whom has blood on his face. Upon further investigation, officers conclude that the victim allegedly may have been the aggressor. Stubblefield: “It appears that it’s self defense from the guy who was shot. Made forced entry in this guy’s camper. The guy was sleeping; didn’t know what was going on. He heard his door get ripped open, so he grabbed the BB gun that was next to his bed and just started shooting the person that came to the door…forced entry into the house; he does not have rights to the house. He’ll be going to jail for burglary.” Abrams: “Really interesting to see the way that that progressed as they got more evidence, and it all became very clear in a different story than maybe what they thought on arriving.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Capt. Brown advises several males at a gas station not to loiter at the location. One male tries to run from the scene and gets stopped by Brown. The man, age 19, allegedly has a gun on his person as well as some weed. Cpt. Brown: “We’ve had a few homicides in that parking lot, so anybody loitering out front, we get out with, because they constantly selling dope there, constantly having guns…we’re gonna deal with this guy first. He ran, tripped out here, and he’s actually messing around with that gun, and it fell out while I tackled him, fell out while I tackled him. He’s in custody for unlawful carry and possession and intent to distribute marijuana, and we’ll see what else he’s got when we get back over there…the parking lot is getting cleared out, so we’re good.”

Abrams: “It was difficult to see exactly what happened the moment that he ran. As it happened, you were saying, chief, that there was something connected to, something you get trained about, at the [police] academy.” Armstrong: “Absolutely. That’s one of the things at the academy they go over is watching body language. And if you notice, as soon as Danny went to go talk to him, he took his right hand and felt for his weapon that was in his waistband. And so, a lot of times that’s very, very common practice that the suspect is actually gonna feel for that weapon before they actually reach for it. And you can just tell. It’s common body language that officers watch out for.” Abrams: “Which is nerve wracking…he obviously didn’t do it in this case.” Wilson: “What happens is, Danny is doing regular patrol, and he realizes these guys are out front of this convenience store, which, of course, no loitering. And it’s known for drug activity; it’s known for guys doing illegal things. So therefore, his nose was right on it on this one.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Russell and other deputies pursue a car that wouldn’t pull over. Stop sticks deployed. The tires eventually deteriorate, and a foot bail by the driver results in a foot pursuit after a 10-plus-minute pursuit. Both the driver and the passenger (the latter who Abrams says “seemed terrified”) are detained. Deputy to driver: “Was it worth it?” Driver: “No.” Car search. The driver is arrested; the passenger is released with no charges. Tow truck en route to the scene. It’s not clear why cops tried to pull over the vehicle initially.

Wilson explains the significance of Russell being the second car in the pursuit. “Being that second is important because the first car now can just concentrate on the road, concentrate on the driver that he’s chasing. The second one gives the location, gives the weather conditions, gives the road conditions, exactly the speed. All of that information is being reported back.” Abrams: “And chief, one of the things that we often hear is ‘traffic is light’ or ‘no traffic’. And sometimes there’s a reason for that, which is to say ‘we want to continue this pursuit.'” Armstrong: “Absolutely. When the traffic’s light, that means the conditions are right, and there’s less of safety risk, so that’s a great time to chase until the wheels fall off.”

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Sgt. Mike Bryant and other officers investigate an alleged hit-and-run on a motorcycle. They gather information from the victim and witnesses and also conduct a traffic stop on the car that was allegedly involved. Investigation ongoing.
  • Lee County, Fla. — Deputies respond to an incident where a car towing a boat wound up submerged the water off the dock. According to Dep. Fogarty, “I guess the wife was backing the vehicle and the trailer down the boat ramp, and she didn’t engage the parking brake, and it just slid into the water. But luckily the husband was able to detach the boat from the trailer, so it didn’t pull the boat down under water. So that’s a plus.” Captions: “Not a Scubaru,” “Underwater expedition.” A tow truck driver is summoned to the scene. Deputy Fogarty notes that local tow companies “have a lot of experience” with this kind of incident. Before he jumps into the water to hook up the car, the two truck guy asks the cops to stick around. “He wants people with guns because of the wildlife. He’s probably thinking gators or something like that might be in the water. He’s probably right.” The car is successfully towed out of the water.

An impressed Abrams quips about the two truck driver who “is doing an amazing job that “I want to see this guy’s rate card…a special tow is this. But if I go in the water, and go under, at night,…respect, my man. I hope he gets paid really well for that…if I ever need a tow in Lee County, I know where I’m going.” Abrams also jokes that: “Well, that vehicle is probably gonna be on the market as a used car pretty soon. Glad they have those searches that you can make sure that you know exactly what’s happened to your vehicle.”

Abrams mentions that the driver is “remaining remarkably calm considering the circumstances.” He also reveals that Dep. Fogarty has dealt with five similar incidents.

  • Toledo, Ohio — Cops including Ofr. Austin Bly respond to the scene where a young woman was shot at while she was in her vehicle. She was not injured. Cops find some bullets and bullet holes in the car. Patrol officers will make an initial report; detectives headed to the scene to carry the investigation forward. Wilson: “So what they’re gonna do is do some investigation. They’re looking inside the vehicle to see if they can find some rounds. And then they can get those rounds, they’ll take them back, and then maybe, at some point, locate these individuals with the gun, and match them up.” Abrams: “Right. And that would be a critical piece of evidence.” Armstrong: “The biggest part is just determining where the crime scene actually occurred. You get that physical evidence. Whether there be cameras in the parking lot or something of that nature, casings that they can match that might have fingerprints on it. That’s what they’re looking for now…” Abrams later adds that “Well, they’re doing there exactly what Curtis told us they were gonna do which is the possibility of having to tear up that car to make sure that they can find any evidence that may have landed inside that vehicle.”
  • Fullerton, Calif. (pre-recorded segment) — Cops detain a man at gunpoint on a report of a possible stolen truck that allegedly turned out to be “a twofer.” Ofr. Rene Valdes and other cops find a stolen motorcycle inside the stolen truck. The suspect is charged with two counts of stolen vehicles.
  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Taylor and Sgt. Clayton Dillion conduct a traffic stop. Taylor smells weed and asks the occupants about it. Taylor: “If you have some marijuana here, you hand it to me, you don’t got to jail…so if you hand it to me, you’ll get a ticket and be let loose on your way.” A passenger, age 21, produces a blunt in the ashtray and also indicates having some shake in his back. During a pat-down, Taylor allegedly finds a gun in the passenger’s pants, which immediately changes the tenor of the situation. Caption: “Concealed weapon found.” Abrams: “He did not let him know that he had that there. Obviously, a serious safety concern.” Sgt. Dillion tells the young man “nobody’s made at you,” and “be still and help calm my nerves, and I’ll help calm yours, okay?…individually, those mean nothing to us, marijuana or a gun…” Taylor: “I asked him if he had any weapons on him. He said no…I reached down there to his crotch. He had the gun…a bag of marijuana…” Both driver and passenger detained. Both receive tickets (the driver apparently had a suspended license) and are released.

Taylor tells the passenger, who is receiving a citation “for possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor marijuana, and carrying a weapon,” that “I asked you if you had any weapons on you, and you had it in your drawers with your marijuana. You can’t conceal it in your underwear. You come to court…same day he’s got, so you all be there together, we’ll talk about getting your gun back, because I don’t want your gun, but I’m not gonna let you run off with it tonight after you lied to me, okay?…when you put marijuana in your drawers, with a gun, that could be simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, which turns into a felony, okay? You run into a police officer out here that’s really ‘badge heavy,’ It could happen…I want to go home, and I want you to go home. Next time, if you do have a gun, tell a police officer…carry it on your hip, put it under your seat…you ain’t got a felony. There’s nothing illegal about it.” With reference to carrying the weapon in his pants, the chief warns “You could below your begonias off.”

  • Triple Play #3 — Milwaukee, Wisc., area.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Cops make a traffic stop on a pick-up truck and detain the driver on possible warrant.
  • Lee County, Fla. — Deputies attempt to serve a warrant at a home, but the residents say they never heard of the subject.
  • Toledo, Ohio — Cops investigate a shots-fired situation in a residential neighborhood. They spot a bullet hole in a car windshield and make contact with the vehicle’s owner.
  • Fullerton, Calif. — LEOs converge outside a residence upon a report of a possible home invasion. Ofr. Jason Ham describes the tactics employed: “We already have a perimeter set up. We’re coming up with a game plan right now for exactly what to do. We have potentially two suspects inside this home. About 30 minutes ago….surveillance footage was seen with the two suspects entering the home. So we’re gonna try to meet with the [person] responsible for this house, try get a key, and then make announcements from there. Ideally, we want to have the entire house covered, so that’s what we’re waiting on as of right now.” They subsequently detain a female outside the home who says that a male companion is somewhere around there. Abrams update: “Turns out that it was the son of the homeowner…he was arrested for burglary. The woman was released with no charges.”
  • BOLO segment — Four escaped inmates from Macon, Ga.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Capt. Brown spots what he suspects is a drug transaction outside a hotel located in a high-crime area, and he and other units detain a female and male supposedly involved. The woman denies that. A skeptical Brown says that “she doesn’t know him, but she just got out of his van.” The man denies that he van is his. The woman also had a seven-year-old child with her. Brown says that the woman has a small amount of weed on her person and asserts that “There’s a chance she was probably meeting up with somebody else, but from my angle coming in, it looked like she was in the van with him.” The captain adds that the male says she wasn’t in the van and that he tends to believe him. With backup from Cpl. Smith, Brown conducts a search on the van and the adjoining area. Caption: “Crack cocaine found.” Brown claims both subjects are going to jail on drug-related charges. Grandma is called to come for the child.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — As the episode ends, deputies mediate a house-guest dispute in which alcohol may have been a factor. Cpl. Russell: “They got it worked out for the night, anyways.”