Two Cops One Donut

Why does a predator sting sometimes end with the suspect walking away? Alex Rosen of Predator Poachers joins Erik Lavigne, Banning Sweatland, and Zoel “Red Dog” Murphy on Two Cops One Donut to discuss what happens between a confrontation on camera and a criminal prosecution. Alex explains how he started at 19, the mistakes that changed his approach, and the work behind the videos. He shares his ac...

Can police temporarily disarm a lawfully armed citizen during a traffic stop? Under the right circumstances, yes. But lawful authority is not a blank check, and “officer safety” cannot become a universal answer every time a firearm is present. In this episode, Erik responds to a Texas police officer who argues that officers may frisk a driver, temporarily take a firearm, check whether it is stolen...

A viral Milwaukee police video shows officers taking a handcuffed man to the ground and striking him during a traffic stop. At first glance, the footage looks bad. Then more context emerges: police say the man was armed, the firearm was in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, and officers believed he could still access it. So does that change the use-of-force analysis? In this solo episode, Erik br...

What happens when a father searching for his missing child ends up on the receiving end of police use of force? In this episode of Two Cops One Donut, Sgt. Erik Lavigne is joined by Justin Yarborough of The Donut Shop Podcast and Tom Gandy of The War Locker Show for an unfiltered conversation about policing, accountability, constitutional rights, and real-world bodycam footage. We start in Mena, A...

A license plate camera can help police find a stolen car. What happens when that same technology is used to look up an ex, follow someone’s movements, or expose information that was supposed to stay protected? Benn Jordan joins Erik Lavigne, Matt Thornton, Banning Sweatland, and Zoel “Red Dog” Murphy on Two Cops One Donut for a candid conversation about Flock Safety, police surveillance, privacy,...

A serious allegation involving someone believed to be a 13-year-old. A confrontation at a Pennsylvania police station. A fist bump, a man allowed to leave, and a response that left people asking: what just happened? In this solo episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne examines JiDion’s encounter with Lewistown police and explains why the response shown in the video bothered him as both a cop a...

The deputy who arrested her has been fired. For Natasha Lopez, the fight is far from over. Natasha joins Sgt. Erik Lavigne on Two Cops One Donut following news that Cherokee County, Georgia, deputy Charles Mills was terminated. In this candid conversation, she recounts the home entry, her obstruction arrest, and the alleged online targeting that followed her decision to speak publicly. Lopez alleg...

Who is checking the person who can look you up? In this solo episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne examines two separate Pinellas County cases involving former deputies accused of misusing law-enforcement databases for personal reasons. The discussion begins with allegations against Travis Stanton involving a 17-year-old high school student, repeated personal attention, and searches for info...

He thought she was 12. He wore a badge. Is ten years enough? Former Texas DPS trooper Christian Estrada pleaded guilty after attempting to entice someone he believed was a 12-year-old girl into sexual activity. The supposed child was an undercover decoy. His sentence: ten years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Read the DOJ case summary. In this solo episode of Two Cops O...

Qualified immunity is one of the most misunderstood and controversial doctrines in American policing. Does it actually protect good officers making reasonable decisions, or has it become a barrier that keeps legitimate civil-rights claims from ever reaching a jury? In this episode of Two Cops One Donut, Sgt. Erik Lavigne sits down with civil-rights attorney Brandon Grable of Clearly Established fo...

A disputed home entry. An obstruction arrest. Then allegations that the arresting deputy targeted the homeowner online. What happened to Natasha Lopez, and what should police accountability look like when a citizen’s complaint becomes personal? Sgt. Erik Lavigne examines the Cherokee County, Georgia, case through the reported timeline, the sheriff’s explanation, Lopez’s account, and questions from...

Police thought he was fleeing. His Tesla footage helped tell a different story. Could the situation have been sorted out before it became a nearly two-year criminal case? On this solo episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne examines Kevin Finley’s Winter Springs, Florida, arrest and acquittal. Erik explains why he can understand the officer’s initial interpretation while questioning the assump...

Patrick Carr of The Patrick Carr Show joins Two Cops One Donut for a long-form conversation about police, media, accountability, transparency, and how the public decides which version of a story to trust. Lance Fisher of Thin Blue Lie Audits joins as guest co-host alongside regular co-hosts Zoel Murphy and Banning Sweatland.  can-you-trust-the-story_-_-patrick-carr-on-police,-media-&-accountab...

What happens when the government takes complete control over someone's basic needs and the safeguards meant to protect that person fail? In this episode of Two Cops One Donut, Sgt. Erik Lavigne examines the death of Gary “Bubba” Blair, who died while being held at the Chesterfield County Detention Center in South Carolina. Blair had been found incompetent to stand trial and was awaiting compe...

A badge can start a conversation, but it can’t end it. We spend this morning digging into two stories that look unrelated on the surface and land in the exact same place: authority without oversight always turns into a trust problem. First, we break down a report out of Bloomington, Illinois where an off-duty assistant police chief allegedly flashes his badge, follows two young men, and tries to s...

Nearly six months in jail. Charges dismissed. Now a federal lawsuit. How does an investigation get that far without somebody stopping to check the evidence? On this episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne breaks down Angela Lipps’ lawsuit against Fargo and a detective after a facial recognition lead connected her to a bank fraud investigation. We discuss the reported identification mistake, he...

hat meaA Facebook post about drinking water leads to a felony arrest. The charge gets dropped. Now the police department is facing a state-ordered shutdown. What went wrong, and does “I was following orders” explain any of it? On this episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne breaks down the Trinidad, Texas controversy and debates what officers should understand before putting someone in handcuf...

She reported domestic violence. An officer allegedly used police technology to help the relative she accused find her. How do you rebuild trust after something like that? On this episode of Two Cops One Donut, I break down the reported San Jose Flock misuse case and explain why “we fired him” shouldn’t end the conversation. We discuss the difference between firing an officer, revoking police certi...

A whistleblower story gets messy fast when the method becomes the headline. We break down the LAPD Daniel Flores case, where an officer reportedly recorded coworkers in a background investigations unit making racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks, then faced criminal charges tied to those recordings. The core question we wrestle with is simple and brutal: if the recordings reveal real misconduct,...

What happens when the people enforcing the law are the ones crossing the line? Sergeant Erik Lavigne joins retired Detective Matt Thornton and retired Atlanta officer Zoel “Red Dog” Murphy for an audience-driven episode of Two Cops One Donut. Together, they review police encounters, challenge questionable decisions, and discuss what meaningful accountability should look like. The conversation cove...

Can a public library legally trespass you if you haven’t committed a crime? And if the library wants you gone, how far does a responding police officer have to investigate before enforcing that decision? In this episode of Two Cops One Donut , Sgt. Erik Lavigne breaks down a viral interaction involving Long Island Audit and a public library, separating three issues that constantly get mixed togeth...

Police officers get arrested, fired, and sent to prison. So why do so many people still believe cops get a pass? In this live episode of Two Cops One Donut, Erik Lavigne examines both sides of the police accountability debate with real cases and questions from the audience. We discuss outcomes that fuel public frustration, cases that resulted in substantial prison sentences, and why punishment alo...

A cop deliberately goes head-on with a wrong-way driver on the highway. Was he protecting other drivers or taking an unnecessary risk? I called this officer a hero. In this episode, I explain why, address the strongest criticism of his decision, and consider what realistic alternatives he had in that moment. These intentionally shorter Two Cops One Donut episodes are designed to run 8–15 minutes a...

A camera, a refusal to answer questions, and an arrest for “criminal loitering.” What justified taking this man’s freedom? Police Sergeant Erik Lavigne breaks down footage from First Amendment Protection Agency and explains why he believes the officers crossed the line. Drawing on nearly 20 years in policing, Erik examines the encounter through the eyes of a responding officer and a supervisor res...

“Because I wanted to.” That’s the explanation a Miami police officer gives when asked why he put two men in the back of his patrol car. What began as an exchange over blocking traffic escalated into demands for ID and handcuffs. Was this about enforcing the law, or an officer who couldn’t handle being challenged? In this episode of Two Cops One Donut, active-duty police sergeant Erik Lavigne break...