Bernalillo County sheriff’s office returns to On Patrol: Live this fall

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has signed a contract to return to On Patrol: Live this fall, putting deputies back on national television after a three-year pause and reopening the question of what the county gains in exchange for the added exposure.

Sheriff John Allen said, “We’re excited to roll,” after the agency said more than 6,000 people voted on whether BCSO should rejoin the show. In a social media post, the department said the response was “loud and clear” and that nearly 95 percent of voters backed the return.

BCSO first appeared on the series in 2022, when cameras followed deputies across Bernalillo County. The partnership ended in 2023, but Allen said public opinion had to matter in deciding whether to come back, a sign that the show’s appeal is not just about visibility but about accountability for a major metro law-enforcement agency that neighbors Sandoval County residents follow closely.

The return also revives concerns that surfaced during the department’s earlier run. On Oct. 11, 2022, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Advisory and Review Board sought public comment on BCSO’s involvement with On Patrol: Live and on the use of irregular recruiting images, reflecting the scrutiny that came with mixing policing, television production and agency branding. Those concerns remain relevant for residents who want to know how much deputy time, county coordination and public attention the production will consume, and whether a camera crew changes how officers handle stops, calls and suspects in real time.

The show is built around a behind-the-scenes look at what deputies deal with every day, which helps explain why it remains a draw for viewers in Albuquerque and the surrounding counties. For Sandoval County, where law enforcement, media coverage and public safety concerns often overlap with the metro area, BCSO’s return adds another layer to an already tightly connected regional policing landscape.