Here’s a case in Wheeling of boring being something good.

REELZ has the Wheeling Police Department among its filming subjects for its “On Patrol: Live” program, where camera crews follow officers and broadcast real-time interactions. The network hasn’t filmed in Wheeling since the start of the year.

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger surmised part of that had to do with film crews focusing on warmer climates during the winter. But he added that those crews weren’t seeing as much action in the Friendly City.

“There wasn’t always as much activity in Wheeling as there was in some of the other communities,” he said. “That’s a very good thing.”

Indeed it is. That shows that, while that revelation may not be good for ratings, it’s excellent for the people of Wheeling. They can know they are living in a safe community served by a police force whose methods and principles are working.

That was evident in the crime statistics from 2025 that the department released. Last year was the first time since 2016 that there have been fewer than 100 overdoses in a year (87 in 2025) and the first time since 2017 that Wheeling had fallen to single digits in overdose deaths in a year (nine in 2025).

Both serious and less-serious crimes dropped by 14% from 2024 to 2025 and some specific crimes fell by more than 50%.

While the REELZ crews haven’t been in Wheeling for a while, the city’s contract with the network runs through May, and Schwertfeger said he’d welcome them back if they wanted to film some more.

“We found ‘On Patrol: Live’ ­– their staff and their teams — to be of the utmost professionalism,” Schwertfeger said. “They were very professional, very skilled in what they do, and they were great to work with ­– so yes, we would welcome them back.”

And, based on what the WPD has shown audiences so far, another visit from “On Patrol: Live” would be a good thing. It would continue to showcase a strength of our city.