‘On Patrol: Live’ Citizen Ride-Alongs Segment Explained

On Patrol: Live producers are answering fans’ burning questions. The Live PD reboot premiered this past weekend with many glitches. There were technical difficulties on both Friday and Saturday night. Viewers grew restless when they checked out the new series.

They’ve been waiting for two years to get their fix. Now, they have to get adjusted to a new show with a different format. Although it looks like Live PD, it’s different in some ways. For example, most of the focus will be on the Ride-Along segments.

Fans are skeptical as to how well the show will do on Reelz. They also wonder if it’ll be a hit with this slight change. Read on to learn more about On Patrol: Live’s ride-along segments.

What are the ride-along segments?

Live PD executive producer John Zito talked about the difference between On Patrol: Live and its predecessor. The Reelz docuseries will feature Citizen Ride-Along segments. The new show wants to focus on the sense of community and how citizens can help out. They want to make this show have more heart and humanity with its three-hour long episodes.

“When Live PD first started, it was only on for two hours on one night… and we didn’t know how we could sustain this, but then we soon realized that these more mundane moments that you see, these humanizing moments, are compelling,” Zito said in his in-depth interview with Entertainment Weekly. “You get to see from the moment the call comes in to the first interaction with people and then to how it resolves.”

What makes this show different is its “Citizen Ride-Alongs.” Zito said he wanted to make the show appear more real and raw by focusing on the communities that the police departments serve. Producers wanted to find a way to bring people into the heart of the show.

How do you become a citizen on On Patrol: Live?

According to Zito, On Patrol: Live will choose the participants on the air. However, citizens can only ride with police departments that have ride-along policies. The show will closely follow each department’s level of standards — especially when it comes to security and safety. Producers wanted to incorporate this segment since it happens on a regular basis.

“This is another element of what law enforcement does, because [many of] these agencies do allow for citizens to ride along, so we’re documenting that as well,” Zito continued. “Then that person gets to come in on set and discuss that experience.”

No questions are off the table. Citizens are allowed to discuss everything that happened, even the parts that didn’t make the air. The reason why On Patrol: Live had so many tech issues this weekend is that their new studio is in Jersey City. Live PD headquarters were based in New York City.

Their new studio will have to work out the kinks. However, Zito says it’s a “grander” studio with a “nice set.” What are your thoughts on On Patrol: Live so far? Sound off below in the comment section.

On Patrol: Live airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Reelz.