January 10, 2026
by Carla Hay
Culture Representation: The documentary series “Ozark Law” features a racially diverse group of people (mostly white, Latin and black) who are connected in some way to law enforcement in Arizona’s Pima County.
Culture Clash: Law enforcement officials deal with various people for real or perceived law violations.
Culture Audience: “Desert Law” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in low-budget true crime docuseries that show how law enforcement works in a specific region of the United States.
“Desert Law” is a very boring and inferior version of “Cops.” This docuseries takes place in Arizona’s Pima County, but the show’s generic law enforcement interactions don’t set this series apart from all the other shows that imitate “Cops.” Ever since “Cops” debuted in 1989, there’s been a slew of copycat shows that have the same format, which is supposed to give viewers the feeling that each episode is a “ride-along” with the patrol officers who are featured on the show.
“Desert Law” is produced by Twenty Twenty Productions for A&E. A&E did not make screener episodes available for review before the series premiere. Therefore, only the series’ first episode, titled “Welcome to Pima County,” will be featured in this review. Tucson is the largest city in Pima County.
“Desert Law” has the expected captioned statements that people who are seen being arrested on the show are innocent until proven guilty, and charges could be reduced or dropped. With few exceptions, if someone is shown being arrested on “Desert Law,” the show has a caption listing that person’s charge or charges. The show does not reveal the names or show the faces (which are blurred out) of most of the who are seen being questioned, detained or arrested by law enforcement in each episode.
Part of the attraction of watching a show like “Cops” is to see the expressions on people’s faces when they interact with the police, especially when people are caught doing something wrong. Because “Desert Law” doesn’t show the faces of people in these circumstances, it makes the show look blander and more generic than similar-concept shows that don’t hide the faces of people who interact with law enforcement. It’s one of the many reasons why “Desert Law” is a forgettable docuseries about cops on the job.
In the beginning of the first “Desert Law” episode, it’s mentioned that the police who work in this part of Arizona often have to work in temperatures that reach more than 100°F. You wouldn’t know it from watching this episode, which filmed Pima County police from May 23 to May 26 (Memorial Day weekend) in 2025. You don’t see anyone mentioning the heat. You don’t even see people sweating, even though most of what is shown in “Desert Law” takes place outdoors.
The police featured in the episode are hard-working and dedicated, but there isn’t much insight into who they are, other than they seem to be on their best behavior because they’re being filmed. Detective Scott McLeod gets the most screen time and talks about his many years on the job (17 years at the time this episode was filmed) and how he would quit being a law enforcement officer if he lost his ability to care about people.
In the beginning of the episode, it’s mentioned that Memorial Day is a busy weekend for law enforcement because of all the partying going on. Will these cops make a lot of arrests of rowdy, intoxicated people? No. Almost all the calls that the police are shown responding to are fairly tame, except for the first and last incidents in the episode.
The first incident shows McLeod and a deputy named Rebecca Allen as among the police who get involved in a vehicle chase that also has a police helicopter joining in on the hunt. The suspect gets out of a truck, after trying to ram other cars to get out of the way. Luckily, no one is hurt during this chase. The suspect gets tased by police and is arrested.
Fentanyl and drug paraphernalia are found in the suspect’s truck. He’s arrested on multiple charges, including resisting arrest and possession of a narcotic drug. McLeod comments, “This town is plagued with fentanyl.” It’s the only fentanyl-related arrested that’s shown in the episode.
The episode then drags with fairly uneventful incidents. Deputy Isaiah Alvarez responds to a call in the city of Ajo about a suspected thief who stole items from a gas station convenience store. The man who is stopped by police is hostile and defensive, as he’s detained in a police car and rants about being abused by police in the past. He turns out not to be the theft suspect, but he is arrested for an outstanding warrant for disorderly conduct.
A deputy named Anthony Stewart is a British immigrant who good-naturedly jokes about how people react to his British accent. Stewart is seen patrolling a park after it’s closed, to look for trespassers. On three separate occasions, Stewart is shown catching three different couples having sex in a vehicle in a deserted parking lot. No one is arrested, and he lets each couple go with a warning.
Stewart also has a friendly warning response to a nervous young woman who is seen wandering alone in the park’s parking lot. She makes repeated apologies because she says she didn’t known the park was closed. He tells her to leave (her car is parked nearby) and to drive safely. Not exactly dangerous crime-busting cases.
On a residential street away from the park, Stewart is shown responding to a noise complaint about a loud party, whose hosts agree to lower the volume of the party. One of the party hosts makes a remark to Stewart about Stewart’s British accent, by asking if Stewart is from London and asking if Brits say “bloody hell” and “crikey.” Stewart says he’s from England, but not the city of London. Stewart also tells him that although “bloody hell” is a British term, “crikey” is Australian slang from Australia.
This episode of “Desert Law” shows more people getting a warning instead of getting arrested. A man is briefly detained for driving in the wrong direction on a highway. It turns out that his SUV had an expected malfunction and can only operate in reverse. He thanks the police for helping him.
In a separate incident, McLeod detains a man who’s with a topless, emaciated-looking female passenger in the man’s car. A small amount of drugs are found in the vehicle. After McLeod asks him how long he’s been addicted, the man admits he’s addicted to drugs, especially cocaine. Because not enough drugs are found in the car, the detainee and his companion are let go with a warning. The drug-addicted man makes a not-very-convincing comment that he will consider getting professional help for his addiction.
The last incident shows someone getting arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and failing to remain at the scene of a fatal car accident. The male suspect was driving a truck that hit another man on a highway. The accident victim was dead by the time the police arrived. The suspect, who is shown refusing to take a breathalyzer test, has a passenger who is a cooperating witness. It’s the most compelling case, but it’s rushed in so quickly in the last 10 minutes of the episode, it barely makes an impact.
Two deputies are featured in this DUI investigation: Anthony Pool and Dylan Ellis-Hollings. Pool has the more memorable personality because he brags that his nickname is The DUI Guy because of all the DUI arrests that he’s made. Pool claims that he’s responsible for “50%” of the DUI arrests in Pima County. The show doesn’t verify if this claim is true or not.
“Desert Law” might be adequate enough for people who don’t get tired of TV shows that document what law enforcement does on the streets. However, there’s a glut of these shows that all tend to look the same. The police work that helps society can be commended, but in “Desert Law,” viewers won’t learn anything new if they’ve seen these types of “ride-along” shows many times before.
A&E premiered “Desert Law” on January 7, 2026.