Best Episodes
COPS is one of the first (and only) true and UNSCRIPTED reality shows, it follows the activities of police officers by embedding camera crews with police units.The show’s formula follows the Cinéma vérité convention, with no narration or scripted dialog, depending entirely on the commentary of the officers and on the actions of the people with whom they come into contact.COPS has followed officers in 140 different cities in the United States and also has been shot in Hong Kong, London, and the former Soviet Union. Each episode is approximately 22 minutes in length and typically consists of three segments, with each segment being one or two self-contained police incidents.
Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 10, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department in Washington responds to a call about a belligerent tow-truck operator. Members of the Amarillo Police Department in Texas respond to a call with location information about a subject with a probation violation warrant, who is subsequently arrested for narcotics possession. Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department respond to a call for backup on a not-so-routine traffic violation
The episode was rated 7.23 from 35 votes.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida engages in an undercover operation to cease the illegal selling of pills at pain-management clinics. The Amarillo Police Department in Texas responds to a call regarding a major traffic accident between a motorcycle and a vehicle where the driver flees the scene.
The episode was rated 7.23 from 48 votes.
On the 23rd season premiere, COPS celebrates a monumental 800th episode milestone with all the action indicative to the long-running series, including a chase, drug busts and more. An officer from the Boynton Beach Police Department in Florida chases a man fleeing his car by foot only to find what the suspect failed to hide. Another officer from Boynton Beach receives a call about a boa constrictor spotted in a residential area. Meanwhile, officers from the Harris County Sherriff's Office in Texas stop a victim for a routine traffic violation that ends in a drug bust and a charge of grand theft auto
The episode was rated 7.25 from 72 votes.
The Nye County Sheriff's Office in Pahrump, NV, is forced to lay down spikes in the road to detain a suspicious vehicle failing to yield at first siren. While officers of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Tampa, FL, call for back-up units to help break up a fight between neighbors involving aggravated battery and gunfire
The episode was rated 7.28 from 43 votes.
A man claims his pregnant wife was kicked by their landlord in Amarillo, Texas; officers in Cook County, Ill., respond to a call concerning an evicted animal hoarder.
The episode was rated 7.34 from 35 votes.
A rock-throwing neighbor is assaulted; cops chase a suspected cell phone thief; officers respond to a road rage incident.
The episode was rated 7.34 from 32 votes.
In Sacramento County, CA, a man admits to driving a stolen car after getting pulled over for a broken brake light; police in Pierce County, WA, respond to a call about a man destroying furniture and possibly harming himself.
The episode was rated 7.47 from 30 votes.
In the 23rd-season finale, police in Sacramento County, CA, look for a parolee who may be armed. Also: A deputy in Palm Beach County, FL, deals with a domestic dispute involving a knife; and a deputy in Pierce County, WA, finds drugs in a vehicle pulled over because it was missing a license plate.
The episode was rated 7.47 from 36 votes.
A Sacramento cop sends his K-9 after a motorcyclist possessing drugs; a man in Pierce County, WA, tells police he was attacked by a woman who fought him over a cigarette; three kids are questioned about a rock-throwing incident in Cook County, Ill.
The episode was rated 7.47 from 38 votes.
Cops in Sacramento arrest armed home invaders; police in Pierce County, WA, investigate a fight between brothers with weapons; officers in Palm Beach County, FL, respond to a call about a father holding a knife on his daughter and son-in-law.
The episode was rated 7.48 from 29 votes.
Officers in Pierce County, WA, deal with a woman accused of breaking into her ex-boyfriend's place; police in Hillsborough County, FL, search for two repeat offenders; and deputies in Palm Beach County, FL, break up a dispute between neighbors.
The episode was rated 7.52 from 31 votes.
Police in Amarillo, Texas, end a bar fight by using a Taser; armed neighbors argue about a barking dog in Hillsborough County, FL; officers catch thieves trying to steal digital equipment from a high school in Palm Beach County, FL.
The episode was rated 7.63 from 32 votes.
A suspect making suicide threats is subdued by police in Pierce County, WA; passengers in a car admit to possessing marijuana in Cook County, Ill.; a suspect is caught driving with a suspended license and unpaid tickets in Hillsborough County, FL.
The episode was rated 7.65 from 37 votes.
A suspect on a bike tries to flee while being questioned by officers; a woman with a warrant out for her arrest claims she was assaulted; a man claims a neighbor chased him with a knife.
The episode was rated 7.68 from 34 votes.
Officers from the Amarillo Police Department in Texas respond to a domestic-violence call and end up being faced with a challenging detainment. Later, officers with the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon attempt to track down a suspect in a hit-and-run and find a bystander taking the blame. Finally, the Brevard County Sheriff's Department in Florida responds to a battery case involving a roommate, a hammer, a sandwich and a big misunderstanding.
The episode was rated 7.76 from 49 votes.
