While there’s no telling what crews with a national streaming TV show will film this weekend in Wheeling, one local council member knows the performance of the city’s police department will be impressive.
Crew members from “On Patrol: Live” on the Reelz Channel will be embedded with Wheeling police officers from 9 p.m. until midnight Friday and Saturday nights. The broadcast is on a 30-minute delay so any delicate situations can be reviewed before airing, but Ward 2 Council representative Ben Seidler is convinced all situations will be handled appropriately by the city’s law enforcement.
“I know our officers will do an amazing job because they always do and because they have an incredible amount of integrity,” he said. “Chief Schwertfeger has worked very hard at putting together our crisis intervention units because there are some pretty terrific people who work on those teams. The members work with the addicted folks and with the mentally ill, too, so they can get the help that they need. The biggest problem we have is that not a lot of addicts are choosing to get the help they need.
“The Chief developed the teams, and Council has supported his effort 100 percent, and that’s because we all want to help get those folks healed and rid of those demons,” he said. “I just hope there are more in the future because living with addiction and living homeless is a very difficult thing to survive.”
During the shows, program hosts Dan Abrams, Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, and Captain Tom Rizzo offer their perspectives from a central studio location. LEDE News reported in the spring that the show’s executives had selected Wheeling as the first city in West Virginia to be featured.
“The city of Wheeling is like every other city in the country because there are DUIs and overdoses everywhere,” Seidler said. “Homelessness is a national issue, too, so the city of Wheeling isn’t alone with those problems either. I just hope the fact that our officers like to build relationships with our community somehow comes through during the show.
“They work hard and they care about the people here,” he insisted. “People say a lot about law enforcement these days, but I don’t care. Our PD folks are terrific and something to be proud of.”
Is Perception Reality?
Chief Schwertfeger reported earlier this year that most crime stats had decreased in Wheeling in 2024, including criminal activity linked to the city’s homeless population. In late 2023, the police chief revealed that 40 percent all of reported crimes were linked with those who identified as homeless or situationally homeless.
The majority of those crimes took place on the waterfront in downtown Wheeling, and in East Wheeling and Woodsdale, as well, but recent information indicated the number of crimes overall dropped significantly.
“It doesn’t matter what people see of Wheeling on the show because we already know it’s not going to be representative of our entire city, but we also know that it’s never a good for a person when they get arrested,” Seidler said. “I think we work really hard to change the perception of our state and our area, so I hope the great work by our officers speaks louder than anything else.
“We know from past crime stats that the homeless in Wheeling have been involved with crimes, so there’s a chance the homeless camp will be on the show,” he said. “And our overdoses have decreased, too, so we’ll see this weekend. Maybe it’ll just be a bunch of speeding tickets on Interstate 70, and our officers will make a big drug bust like they have before.”
The council member, though, has watched the show and has realized most incidents display a person’s worst day.
“When I first heard about the show, I didn’t know what to think because those scenarios can be tough,” Seidler said. “I don’t love the approach because I think it will paint an unfair picture of a really great city.
“It just feels as if we’ll be airing our dirty laundry,” he explained. “There’s been a lot of work through the years to get Wheeling where it is today, and I hate to think that someone will get the wrong idea about our city. I know every other city has the same issues as we do, but we’ve been working really hard to improve the quality of life here.”
