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Filmed between 2017 and 2020, Women in Blue presents a promising start. Janee Harteau is appointed as the first female police chief for the Minneapolis Police Department. Framed pictures on the wall reflect the predominantly white male police force of the past. Chief Harteau states that change does not come quickly, even though the public wants it. As an example, if she fires a police officer, the union will fight to bring the officer back.
Chief Harteau’s avenue for change is to promote from within, therefore she selects female officers to be on her leadership team. According to one police officer in the film, statistics show that female officers use less force than male police officers. Chief Harteau appoints a female police officer to be head of the sexual assault and sex trafficking department; another female officer becomes the inspector for the third precinct; another conducts training.
These incremental changes do not last long. In 2017, Justine Damond, a white female, is shot and killed after she phones in a 911 call regarding suspicious activity in the alley nearby. Ms. Damond comes outside and approaches the police car, then Officer Mohamed Noor shoots her. Now, both the black and white communities are up in arms over police killings. Under pressure from the community, the Minneapolis mayor asks for Chief Harteau’s resignation. The mayor is not left without blemish, however.
At the next election, she loses to Jacob Frey. Promoted by Chief Harteau to be second in command, black male officer Medaria (Rondo) Arradondo assumes the role of police chief and selects all-male officers for his leadership team. Some of the women are reassigned and others choose to leave the force and accept positions elsewhere.
Director Deidre Fishel follows several of Chief Harteau’s department heads and female police officers as they perform their duties. Rookie officer Erin Grabosky bravely faces aggressive behavior and hostile comments as she confronts disorderly individuals. Black police officer Sergeant Alice White tells her daughter that when people ask where she works, rather than saying she is a police officer, she answers that she works for the city. Sergeant White sees both sides of the picture for black people living in the toughest neighborhoods in Minneapolis and says she tries to remain neutral and professional.
In 2020, George Floyd is murdered and Chief Arradondo immediately fires the four police officers involved. Outraged over George Floyd’s murder, the community takes over the third precinct and demands change. City council members express a desire to disband the police. As the film concludes, Women in Blue leaves viewers with questions and the desire for more information. Suitable for classroom discussions on law enforcement's racist and sexist history. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P.