The BEST Episodes of Cops
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Sep 30, 2019
Network: Paramount Network
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.
#1 - Second Time Around
Season 28 - Episode 19 - Aired Dec 5, 2015
Deputies are shocked when they recognize a repeat offender. When confronted by the cops, a desperate man shows no love for his girlfriend. Officers bring in a canine unit to complete a vehicle search.
10.00 
#2 - Nothing To See Here
Season 28 - Episode 23 - Aired Jan 16, 2016
A man with a felony warrant does his best to escape arrest. Things get weird when an agitated man tries to reveal everything to the police. A young man makes poor choices that lead to a broken home.
10.00 
#3 - From Sixty to Zero
Season 29 - Episode 1 - Aired Jun 4, 2016
A motorcyclist gambles with his life during a high-speed chase. One lawbreaker will say anything to avoid being caught. A recent parolee blames Mom when the cops question him about his past.
10.00 
#4 - Kicking and Screaming
Season 29 - Episode 3 - Aired Jun 18, 2016
A family is divided after a belligerent man lashes out; deputies grow suspicious of two people in the back of a parked car; and a repeat-offender gets caught at a gas station.
10.00 
#5 - Mixed Emotions
Season 29 - Episode 4 - Aired Jun 25, 2016
A father and son get caught up in a traffic stop gone awry. When a family fight escalates, body parts go flying. A disoriented driver can’t believe his luck when deputies follow him to a gas station.
10.00 
#6 - Sidewalk Licker
Season 28 - Episode 33 - Aired Apr 30, 2016
A prostitution sting catches two different lawbreakers; a cop questions a cagey woman; and an argument in a parking lot gets the attention of a vigilant patrol officer.
9.00 
#7 - Between a Bush and a Hard Place
Season 29 - Episode 19 - Aired Nov 5, 2016
A car chase switches gears when the driver flees on foot; tempers flare between neighbors after some kids get physical; a nervous driver becomes irate when the police search his passenger.
9.00 
#8 - Gun in the Front, Rifle in the Back
Season 29 - Episode 21 - Aired Nov 19, 2016
Deputies encounter a bad car crash and pull a man from the wreckage; cops question a robbery suspect who claims he was actually the victim; and officers come across a young man who claims he has a disorder that causes him to run away.
9.00 
#9 - Odd Man Out
Season 29 - Episode 24 - Aired Dec 17, 2016
Cops question an odd trio; a man asks for medical attention after a heart-pounding experience; and a lawbreaker fails to grasp the severity of her situation.
8.70 
#10 - Arizona 7
Season 13 - Episode 33 - Aired Apr 28, 2001
A suspect ditches a stolen bike and flees into the Arizona desert; officers find an intoxicated stripper on a hallway floor.
8.57 
#11 - A Man Without a Plan
Season 29 - Episode 26 - Aired Jan 21, 2017
A young man receives a wake up call when he's caught breaking the law; a traffic stop turns up a nervous trio with a lot to hide; a board game sparks a family feud.
8.50 
#12 - Mommy's Tears
Season 29 - Episode 32 - Aired Apr 15, 2017
A wanted man complains to deputies about chest pain after he injures a fellow driver. An angry woman calls the cops over a spicy bag of chips. A violent man finally learns where his girlfriend draws the line.
8.50 
#13 - High Times Special Edition
Season 17 - Episode 23 - Aired Apr 9, 2005
(Pierce County WA - 1:43 AM Public Disturbance Call) South Hill Precinct – Deputy Patrick Davidson works the beat area where there’s not many cops, but lots of tweakers and dopeheads. He goes to a hotel on the call of Tim who is really wasted in Apt 21. When Pat arrives Tim takes off and is caught around back. Deputy Eugene Abaun assists. Tim ran because he thought they were trying to hit him, so he threw everything. He was high on coke and was going out to score. He’s been awake for 4-5 days, is barefoot, can’t walk because he has football feet. He’s not on probation, on bond. He’s done coke all day since he was 26 years old. He doesn’t deal, lost his pipe and is bi-polar. The landlord wants him out. Christine can drive him away because it’s not a crime to be high. So they let him go. The owner says he was wandering up and down knocking on doors last night. He told him to stay inside and wants him out tomorrow. He throws his stuff in a garbage bag and leaves. Santa Ana, CA – Officer Garry Caruso grew up around police since his dad was a cop. He saw it, heard stories and it sounded like fun. He wasn’t pushed into it. (1:38 AM Street Patrol) They drive an unmarked car into a known gang alley where they go to do and sell drugs. They go after a white El Camino with guys inside and catch them. The driver, Kevin, is an old white guy. The passenger is a young Hispanic. They go to pull the young guy out and he tries to swallow the drugs and they choke it out of him and cuff him. Officer Mary Campuzano was first on the scene. Kevin is on parole for a possession charge in 1998. He was going to pick up a girl named Shasta and the young guy just got in his car because he needed a ride. He saw he had drugs and he told him to get rid of them. Both go to jail. Las Vegas – South East Area Command - Officer Gibron Smith loves Vegas, but it gets hot – over 110 degrees and stays like that for months. It gets real hot on 4 hours of calls outside of your car. Sgt. Kelly White says they can get dehydrated. They go to a gas station where a guy is pumping gas for 4 hours. The guy says he was looking for his keys for 10 minutes. He left home at 8:30 am and now it’s 9:30. They tell him it’s really 11:45. They find prescription drugs on him with the labels removed. He says they are his moms’, but the label wasn’t hers. He mixed the bottles to consolidate the pills for her to help her pain. He is a musician, classically trained, but his mom got hurt and he’s taking care of her. His face is all made up, but he claims he’s not wearing make up. He says his lips are chapped. He was shopping, but bought nothing and didn’t get gas. The cashier says she watched him there for hours. He came in to buy stuff, forget his credit card and went back to his car and spent 30 minutes looking for it. His keys he couldn’t find were on the roof the whole time.
8.42 
#14 - Pierce County, WA 34
Season 13 - Episode 32 - Aired Apr 28, 2001
8.40 
#15 - Alaska 2
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired Nov 3, 1990
A state trooper helps recover the body of a drowned boy; a call on a drunken 5-year-old.
8.20 
#16 - Mardi Gras 1995 2
Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired Feb 17, 1996
New Orleans mounted officers conduct crowd control during Mardi Gras; a U.S. Navy sting operation to protect sailors on shore leave.
8.14 
#18 - Coast to Coast 84
Season 18 - Episode 11 - Aired Dec 10, 2005
An officer stops a vehicle for a missing tail light and quickly discovers the driver is hiding a jar of methamphetamine.
8.00 
#19 - Memphis, TN 1
Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired Jan 11, 1992
(Narcotics Unit Briefing) Detective Leo Hampton says there is a 65 & 63 year old white couple selling pot out of their house and he wants to get them all in one room. They bought from the woman before and she is supposed to have 4 or 5 pounds of marijuana there. 10:07 PM they head out and he says she is known to carry a .22 and is not afraid to use it. (10:17 PM Warrant Served) Elderly couple distributed narcotics; assault.
8.00 
#20 - On the Run
Season 21 - Episode 22 - Aired Mar 14, 2009
Officers in Sacramento pursue a carjacker, which progresses from a car chase to a foot pursuit. A Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy is called in for a theft in progress. Lastly, Houston Police officers go on a drug sweep.
8.00 
#21 - Bad Girls No. 12
Season 21 - Episode 24 - Aired Mar 21, 2009
Texas deputies assist in a felony arrest warrant. Next, Pomona, CA. officers answer a call for a domestic-disturbance when a daughter tells her mother about her Las Vegas wedding. Lastly, police officers in Minnesota break up a fight between two women.
8.00 
#22 - From Bad to Worse
Season 21 - Episode 29 - Aired Apr 25, 2009
A Sacramento officer spots a vehicle which he believes was connected to an armed robbery. Next, Seattle policemen use a Taser on a known offender who was running towards a crowd with a bottle in his hand. Lastly, the Cleveland officers chase a vehicle containing a suspect who is trying to hide his crack.
8.00 
#23 - El Paso, TX 5
Season 6 - Episode 30 - Aired Mar 5, 1994
Burglary in progress call. A couple of 911 calls on fights between neighbors.
8.00 
#24 - Jacksonville, FL 11
Season 13 - Episode 16 - Aired Jan 20, 2001
A viewer recognizes a suspect and alerts police; a suspect admits to having a gun in his car; police discover a crack house.
8.00 
#25 - Pierce County, WA 35
Season 13 - Episode 34 - Aired May 5, 2001
8.00