Documentary Style
TopicalErnie & Joe: Crisis Cops
SXSW Special Jury Prize winner. An intimate look at two San Antonio officers pioneering a mental health approach to policing — a working solution to one of America's most urgent crises.
Year
2019
Type
film
Runtime
96 min
Language
English
Director
Jenifer McShane
Genres
Summary
Every day, police departments across America respond to mental health crisis calls. Most officers arrive with handcuffs and a patrol car. Ernie Stevens and Joe Smarro arrive differently.
As members of the San Antonio Police Department's Mental Health Unit, Ernie and Joe de-escalate confrontations, divert people from jail into mental health treatment, and build relationships with repeat callers nobody else knows how to help. Filmed in intimate vérité style, the documentary captures their daily encounters with people in genuine crisis. Joe Smarro is himself a veteran dealing with PTSD - his personal experience shaping every call.
A compassionate portrait of two officers changing what policing can look like - one crisis call at a time.