I’m film maker and not an expert on police procedures. My closest contacts with the police came early in my career, when I was a young reporter covering the night police beat in Richmond, VA. I never had a better time doing a job.
Law enforcement and police work are a huge part of “Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America.” Since the early 1980s, so much of society’s response to domestic violence has been at the level of policing and prosecution. The film chronicles how that response has evolved, and how it works today on the streets.
It wouldn’t have been possible without the gracious cooperation of police departments in three very different jurisdictions: Duluth, MN, Baltimore, MD and New York City (my home town). Thanks to department heads and patrol officers in those places, we have a documentary, as well as the more specialized film on domestic violence law enforcement.
I hope that police departments, agencies, police academies and college criminal justice programs find the law enforcement film to be of value for training and teaching. I encourage everyone to use the film, the video interview excerpts on this site and the resources on this page.
Please contact me with any questions or suggestions.
Peter Cohn
Director/Producer
Hillcrest Films
