In July 2014, an NYPD officer attempted to arrest Eric Garner for a misdemeanor when he put Garner in a prohibited chokehold on a sidewalk in Staten Island.
Garner died and video footage of the incident generated widespread attention and criticism and raised questions about appropriate use of force by law enforcement.
Filmmaker Deirdre Fishel was working nearby when the incident happened and remembered asking a female officer if what happened to Garner could have happened on her watch. The female officer told her no...that had a female officer been there, she would have likely helped to deescalate the situation.
This led Fishel to see if other female officers felt the same, so she started looking into the issue and ultimately spoke with several female officers who worked for the Minneapolis Police Department. That resulted in her new documentary film Women in Blue., a critical look at how the policing needs to change if they hope to recruit more women to the ranks..
"WOMEN IN BLUE looks at policing from a virtually unseen angle — that of women officers fighting to reform the Minneapolis Police Department. It offers an unprecedented view into the inner workings of the MPD, chronicling a department—and a community—grappling with racism and a troubled history of police misconduct long before an MPD officer killed George Floyd. The film reveals the limitations of police reform through incremental change and asks a critical question. Could increased gender equity and more women — especially Black women — contribute to greater public safety?"
Find out more about the documentary HERE.
Women in Blue is streaming on PBS through March 10.
Find Women in Blue on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @WomenInBlueDoc