Police are both the frontline and the flashpoint between a community and the need for order. All too often in poorer communities, citizens feel that the police lack accountability, and that justice is rare. That is certainly the case in Newark, NJ, where police have been accused by the U.S. Justice Department of "rampant misconduct," with a legacy of distrust that stretches back decades. Hosted by Jelani Cobb, filmmaker James Jacoby's PBS-aired Frontline documentary hits the streets on police ride-alongs to measure both the pace of reform and explore a history in which each side assumes the worst. Newark is infamous for its 1967 riots, which claimed nearly 30 lives. Some of the damaged buildings and communities never came back. A major point of conflict is the practice known as "field inquiries,” otherwise known as stop and frisk, which all too often lead to violent takedowns, arrests, or worse. Members of an underfunded and overstretched police department feel besieged on all sides in this era when cell-phone-wielding residents record every encounter. Mayor Ras Baraka (whose father—well-known poet, playwright, and activist Amiri Baraka—was bloodied in the '67 riots) tries to build bridges between the community and police, but is hobbled by generations of fear, poverty, and unemployment. In the middle of reporter Cobb's investigation, several members of the unit he was riding with are accused of corruption and using coercion to obtain sexual favors from suspects. There are no easy answers, but the goal is to change the culture and grow relationships, making everyone a stakeholder in the community while also encouraging transparency and civilian oversight. Despite the lack of major new insights, this documentary couldn't be more timely. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
Policing the Police
(2016) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-1-62789-771-6. Volume 32, Issue 1
Policing the Police
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