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

On its 200th episode weekend and after the show was on a two-week vacation hiatus, an On Patrol: Live recap, including NYC studio host Dan Abrams’ puns, analysis, and banter usually with co-anchor Curtis Wilson (a Richland County, S.C., deputy sheriff), and usually a third panelist, along with the often-snarky or playful social media reaction, follows.

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Guest analyst Captain Tom Rizzo (Howell Township, N.J., PD), who is the all-but-permanent replacement for Sean Larkin if OPL ever makes an official announcement to that effect, again joins Abrams and Wilson in the NYC studio to provide commentary.

OPL episode 199 was rather uneventful, although Lt. Richie Maher had an unusual conversation about fire ants (see below).

On Patrol: Live Summary for September 13, 2024 (#OPL Episode 03-15)

Please review this important DISCLAIMER.
  • Hazen, Ark. (just before air) — Chief Bradley Taylor, Sgt. Clayton Dillion, and other officers sever a search warrant at a residence for narcotics. “we’re about 10 seconds away from kicking in his door.” After breaching the front door, cops take a man into custody. “You sold dope to the police.” The chief and the sergeant check serial numbers on the man’s cash and find the bills that cops allegedly used in the presumably undercover transaction. The suspect is allegedly on federal probation.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Lt. Richie Maher investigates a scooter theft and makes contact with some parties at different locations.

Listen as Dep. Wilson summarizes the somewhat convoluted situation:

  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Joe Richard, with Ofr. Victor Reyes as backup, conducts a traffic stop possibly in connection with a window-tint issue. Two occupants. Ofr. Richard has had previous contact with the male occupant. Car search. The occupants are released.

Ofr. Richard recap: “…searched inside of his car, didn’t find anything; he’s just out running around. But again, again, we’ll check the car just based off his body movements and stuff like that. Make sure he’s not concealing any firearms or anything illegal inside the vehicle. Again, I’ve already had past history with this guy. I’m not picking on him at all, I’m just making sure he doesn’t have anything crazy in the car or about to commit a crime or something like that. So, again, I just let him off with a warning. It’s up to my discretion. As long as he’s cool with me, because it came off a little hot at the beginning, I can just let him off with a warning. Just tell him, ‘hey, look, man, next time you see me or any of my partners, just be cool, just be compliant. Let us do what we have to do.’ And then from there, go about his day. So, let him off with the warning. That’s pretty much going to wrap up this stop. We’ll jump back in our car and try to find something else.”

  • Toledo, Ohio – Ofrs. Lindsey Erhart and Joe Bomia respond to a robbery alarm at a cellphone store, but it turns out to be a false alarm.
  • Everett, Wash. (pre-recorded segment) — According to Abrams’ intro, “a young man discovered the hard way why you should probably never mix tequila with bear spray.” Ofr. Tim Walker and other units investigate a disturbance and detain a man who briefly tried to run. “I’m not detained…I just got bear maced.” Abrams: “Now, according to an earlier 911 call, someone had been trying to gain entry into several occupied vehicles, started swinging headphones at one of the drivers. In response, the driver deployed bear mace on the suspect who may or may not have been that guy that Officer Walker encountered, but based on the way his eyes looked, and couldn’t see it with the blurring, but he sure looked like he’d had some sort of spray at some point.” Rizzo: “An irritant.” Abrams: ” Yes. An irritant. Perfect. An irritant.”
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Ofr. Thomas Goble investigates a disturbance and makes contact with the complainant. Ofr. Goble: “So our original reporting party, we just spoke to him. He said once again there was no active disturbance, really. Some open-ended threats were made; something about the other guy saying that he would F him up. But then he left the area, so nothing criminal. He’s just ready to leave and enjoy his food. He just wanted us to be aware that the guy’s out here panhandling and getting aggressive with people. So we’re just gonna do a run-through and make sure this gentleman’s okay if he’s still in the area. We’ll go from there.”
  • Everett, Wash. — Ofr. Adam Veach and other units detain a man at a traffic stop or a parked car for allegedly loitering , possibly related to drug activity.
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Reyes responds to a disturbance at a laundromat and makes contact with a man outside. After a further investigation, Reyes advises the male to leave the location.

Ofr. Reyes recap: “So we essentially have a laundromat. It’s business as usual. There’s tons of customers inside. I spoke with the owner. Everything is one hundred percent okay inside. And this male’s been here for four hours thinking that something’s going on inside of the business’s back room. But everything’s fine here. He appears to be pretty paranoid. I told him he’s got to go. The owner wants prosecution for trespassing if he doesn’t leave. We’ll give him his warning now. If he decides to come back here tonight, we’ll take him in, no questions asked, because he’s well aware that he’s not supposed to be back here tonight. Abrams: “It’s rare to see that kind of commitment to want to go to a particular laundromat.” Wilson: “Jut got to come clean.” Rizzo: “People just want to air their dirty laundry.”

  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Taylor and Sgt. Dillion provide back up to another officer on a highway traffic stop. Car search. A small amount of weed and a magazine clip are allegedly found. The driver is released with no charges.
  • Fontana, Calif. — While wrapping up the previous call, the OPL cameras catch a motorist backing into another car in the parking lot and leaving. Ofr. Reyes searches for that vehicle and conducts a traffic stop on same. Abrams: “And bravo to our cameraperson for getting that shot of the paint on the back of the vehicle.” Wilson: “It transferred right there. It tells you.” Abrams: “Obviously someone let Officer Reyes know something just happened behind you there.”

Ofr. Reyes summary: “We’re good here. It looks like our partner is still struggling to find the owner of that vehicle over there. So, we have this guy’s plate, we have his information, we have his address, we have his insurance information. It’s pretty much all we need from him. We’re not gonna push a hit and run. He just essentially really didn’t see any damage to the car, and I explained to him next time to just stay. He’s offering to go back and try to make things right, but I told him that’s alright. We have his information; we’ll deal with it. So, we’re gonna go back over there and try to help find the owner of the vehicle.”

  • Brookford, N.C. — Chief Will Armstrong initiates a traffic stop. No license, no insurance, open container. The chief gives the cooperative man a break by not towing the vehicle and instead lets him park it on scene so the driver can make his own arrangements later. Tickets issued.
  • Hazen, Ark. — A memorable pursuit from the OPL Triple Play archives.
  • Toledo, Ohio — Sgt. Geoff McLendon and Ofr. Jason Freimark respond to a report of an assault in a residential neighborhood where a lot of people are milling about outside. It turns out that no crime was committed. Sgt. McLendon: “So we got a call of a disorder with someone with an injury to a hand. We’re checking the area. We don’t see anybody out here that’s injured. Seems like they’re having a little get-together.”
  • Beech Grove, Ind. — Ofrs. Austin Bryant, Brandon Wilcox, and others conduct a traffic stop. No license; expired tags. The driver allegedly has a gun in the vehicle, but he’s allowed to have it, according to Ofr. Bryant. The vehicle is towed, but the driver is released.

Listen to Ofr. Bryant’s initial summary:

Listen to Ofr. Wilcox’s follow up:

  • Toledo, Ohio — Ofr. Erhart and colleagues make friendly contact with at least one operator of a minibike that may not be “street legal” and has no plate. The man is released with a warning.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Lt. Maher and Ofr. Carlos Queliz make a well-being check on a man on a sidewalk next to a pole and helps him up. Caption: “Pole position?” Lt. Maher to the subject: “You want to be careful. We have really bad fire ants in this state, and if you’re sitting there with your pants and your butt in the dirt, you’re likely to get a fire ant on your tuchus or other parts…Why do you keep digging your rear end into the dirt?…I think your best bet to keep the fire ants out of your ass is to just pull your pants all the way up, rather than just wiping them away…just let me get my gloves on if you don’t mind. You were just digging in your butt crack a little bit there. I’ve never met you, so I’m not certain about your particular rear end…get the back of your pants up, please, man. I just saw your entire butthole. I’m not trying to be rude…”Abrams quips that “usually when you see what Lieutenant Maher just saw and someone is pulling themselves up on a pole, it’s a different environment.”

Lt. Maher recap: “Obviously, we determined that this fella here is clearly under the influence and not taking very good care of himself. So we’re gonna take him into what’s considered protective custody. He’s not going to jail, he’s not charged with a crime, none of that. We’re taking him somewhere to go sober up, basically. Get a little better hold of himself so he’s not out here, I don’t know how to say it, with his butthole in the wind.”

  • Toledo, Ohio (pre-recorded segment) — In introducing the footage, Abrams quips that “recently in Toledo, Ohio, Officer Jordan Freimark came upon a guy who said he was working on his car while in his underwear. And, no, he was not doing body work.” Ofr. Freimark makes a well-being check on the man who seems to be crouching on the sidewalk. “What did I do?” The subject is arrested for alleged disorderly conduct intox. He also allegedly has warrants. The sequence also includes a reference to Resident Evil.
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Reyes makes contact with a man who appears to have blood on his face and shirt. Paramedics summoned but the man declines treatment. Ofr. Reyes explains below what allegedly happened :

“So ultimately, this ended up the third call on this guy. Again, the first one was a hit-and-run collision where he crashed into somebody else just a few streets away. He exited his car, and he fled on foot. They described him exactly. We couldn’t find him after an area check. Second call was for him running through backyards. Again, same description was given, orange shirt, construction boots, and jeans. So that was the second call. We again couldn’t find him, and then this third call came out of him somehow ended up here in front of this residence. And he’s full of blood. Some people thought that he had just maybe got beaten up or something was going on. The original hit and run — the victim doesn’t want any prosecution. They just wanted his insurance information which they got off the vehicle. So he’s got some responsible people here to come pick him up, and that’s pretty much all we’re here for. He’s not being placed on arrest for hit and run because they didn’t want prosecution. We just need them to take him home and agree that they’re gonna take care of him and make sure he doesn’t get behind the wheel or cause any more issues tonight.”

  • BOLO segment — Laurel County, Ky., murder suspect.
  • Fontana, Calif. (pre-recorded segment) — Ofr. Richard and other cops make contact with three men, at least one of whom is arrested for alleged public intoxication. “You’re drunk for sure.”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Sgt. Chris Blanding assists Master Dep. Braylyn Salmond on a possible DUI (the subject is subsequently released with no charges) but he is then re-dispatched, along with Dep. Matt Smith, to a pursue a fleeing vehicle which is subsequently stopped. Two occupants detained. The male passenger tries to run, but is quickly subdued. Car search. Deputies as well as the OPL studio panelists think that some contraband might have been tossed from the car. OPL replays the video that appears to show this activity. Cpt. Rizzo on the general procedures: “What we’ll do is we’ll quarterback almost, call out markers, landmarks, of where you see anything being discarded from the vehicle so that a backup car can go back to it and retrieve it. That’s where the in-car cameras are invaluable as welI if you’re by yourself to view at a later time.” In searching the immediate area, a gun is allegedly found on the ground. Abrams: “We heard him say there that that he ended up running right into the deputies who were arriving on that scene, but they’d been called for backup, and you pointing out the communication factor.” Wilson: “Absolutely, because when that deputy’s calling for another assistant to come to assist him with this traffic stop, other deputies are also gonna be in that area, because you never know what’s gonna happen on this traffic stop, and if he’s calling for assistance, that means something could happen. Abrams: “And they know exactly where he is.” Wilson: Absolutely.” Rizzo: “And you’ll often see how police officers react to what we call pre-flight, pre-fight indicators, when you have the passenger side door going open and closing, you have him looking over his shoulder, going to his phone, so it’s almost like predicting what they’re gonna do.” The passenger is arrested; the female driver is released.
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Reyes and other units investigate a disturbance in connection with alleged stalking. Ofr. Reyes summary: “This is a friend of the lady here. This is ex-husband of the lady here. Them two arrived here together. He was here waiting for them for some reason. Starts trying to communicate with him. ‘Hey, why are you with my ex? Why are you with my wife?’ Blah, blah, blah…it sounds like he might have pulled them out of the car and they started fighting. That’s why this guy’s shirt is all torn up…he got bit on the arm here. He’s all scratched up. So we’re gonna have medical just come check him out real quick, make sure everything’s okay. Yeah, he’s saying that he’s just friends with her, but that he’s got an issue with following her around and maybe even has an air tag on her vehicle somewhere, so we’ll look into that here a little bit.”

Ofr. Reyes update: “So Officer Hernandez is gonna go ahead and take him for us, and we’ll go down to the station, and we’ll get a statement from him there. But essentially again, we have him showing up, unannounced, trying to check on his ex-wife. She’s with a new guy. He didn’t like that, and he started issues with them. He started an issue with him, with the new guy, then he went around to the passenger side of the car and essentially started a domestic violence incident where he was trying to choke her out. And essentially we have a new guy that’s just trying to pull him off from hurting her, and they squabbled and ended up on the floor. He’s got the scratches and lacerations to prove it. His shirt’s all ripped up, and she’s got a video that makes a lot of sense as far as their statements. So he’s gonna go for that, and then we’ll wrap the rest in a report as far as the fight between them two.”

  • Hazen, Ark. — Chief Taylor and Sgt. Dillion provide backup on a highway accident.
  • Richland County, S.C. — Sgt. Blanding provides backup to Dep. Salmond on an alleged suspicious vehicle traffic stop outside a residence. One occupant detained. Car search. Alleged odor of weed from the vehicle.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. (pre-recorded segment) — Ofr. Robert Mowery and a colleague investigate a landlord-tenant disturbance involving an uncle and niece. Male subject: “I ain’t touched nobody…” Ofr. Mowery: “Apparently this has been an ongoing thing for the longest time. He actually has a shelter built in the backyard. So I guess she’s been dealing with a lot of his threats, verbal abuse, for the past few months. She finally caught something on camera today. She wants to do something about it today. At one point in time, he recovered a pitchfork. He used it to bang on the windows, kept telling her to come outside. He was gonna stab her. He wanted to kill her. We’re here. We’re gonna handle the situation. It sounds like we’re gonna have felony charges on him, at the very least. And we’re gonna get her on a statement and go from there…he’s gonna be going to jail right now for the aggravated assault with a pitchfork. He’s gonna end up getting evicted from this place, he’s in the middle of the eviction process right now with the courts, and that’s gonna be it. So he’s gonna go for his felony charges; we’re gonna go about our way.” The subject also seems to claim that there was pickle juice on his bed.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Lt. Maher searches for a vehicle that fled from him.
  • Toledo, Ohio (pre-recorded segment) — Ofrs. Chris Mulinix and Mike Gee respond to a disturbance allegedly between a girlfriend and boyfriend. Ofr. Mulinix: “They’re both agreeing that there was an altercation between both of them. So tonight, we’re gonna take both of them to jail for the domestic violence and assault, and we’re gonna let the courts figure out what needs to happen.”
  • Beech Grove, Ind. — Ofr. Bryant provides backup on a traffic stop. The driver, who allegedly had a firearm on his person, is detained. Small amount of weed allegedly noted. Probable cause car search. The driver is subsequently released.
  • Everett, Wash. — Ofr. Veach and other units respond to a disturbance in a supermarket where a man is “grazing.” He is trespassed from the location but is allowed to keep the cake that he was eating. The subject also has warrants.
  • Brookford, N.C. — Chief Armstrong conducts a traffic stop on a newly purchased car that seems to have issues.
CLICK HERE for the #OPL 03-16, September 14, 2024, recap (forthcoming).