The Guardians

Camden’s Turn (29 minutes) is a documentary about a police department and a community in the process of transformation. As views of police and the communities they serve have become polarized across the country, Camden, NJ Police Chief Scott Thomson works to build relationships and calls on his officers “to shift from a warrior mentality to that of a guardian and community builder.” The film follows Chief Thomson, his command staff and officers, as they work to implement community policing reforms in Camden County. After the entire police force was laid off in 2012, Chief Thomson rebuilt the department and instituted a culture of community policing -- incorporating de-escalation training, engaging officers in sports, school programs and community events, putting officers on bikes in neighborhoods and parks, and getting officers out of patrol cars and walking the beat. Camden's strategy was highlighted by President Obama’s national efforts to implement the recommendations outlined in the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing. After years of mistrust, violent crime, high arrests rates and devastating poverty, the film looks at how things are starting to turn around in Camden. Crime rates are down, people feel safer, and jobs are coming back to the city.

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Arlington, TX: A Community Policing Story (27 minutes) shows how a Police Chief and his department worked with youth and community leaders to heal their city after three crises rocked the community. The tragic death of a high school football player in gang related violence, the killing of an unarmed black youth by a white police officer, and the ambush killings of police officers in Dallas, TX all presented this law enforcement agency with a test of trust in the community. The film shows how those relationships play out in civic life through community gatherings, protests and faith vigils, departmental training sessions, and Texas high school football.

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Implicit Bias Training: Stockton, CA (11 minutes) features a police force tackling implicit bias and seeking solutions to improve relations with community members. This short film provides highlights of an implicit bias training and interactions between law enforcement officers and community members during the day-long session. The training program supports Stockton Police Department’s commitment to advancing procedural justice. Stockton is one of six pilot cities working with programs from the National Initiative for Building Trust and Justice and The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) based at John Jay College and UCLA.

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