Phoenixville 'Peace Officer' Program Addresses Police Militarization

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- A program at the Colonial Theatre, presented by Indie Lens Pop-Up and other collaborators, will address police militarization around the country.

ITVS, Independent Lens, and The Colonial Theatre are joining together with Indie Lens Pop-Up for the advance screening of Peace Officer, a film by Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber.

The free event will take place on Saturday, April 23 at 11 a.m.

Winner of both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for Best Documentary at the 2015 SXSW Film FestivaAT team — only to watch in horror as that same unit killed his son-in-law Brian Wood in a controversial standoff years later.

Driven by an obsessive sense of mission, Lawrence uses his investigative skills to uncover the truth about that incident and other officer-involved shootings in his community, while tackling larger questions about the changing face of peace officers nationwide. Peace Officer premieres on Independent Lens Monday, May 9, at 9 p.m.

In the film, Lawrence’s long-term obsession with bringing to light the truth behind Wood’s killing is entwined with his investigations of other recent officer-involved shootings and SWAT team raids in quiet neighborhoods just miles from where his son-in-law was killed.

Several of these cases are related to what Indie Lens calls "aggressive" no-knock search warrant laws typical across the country. These events are contextualized within the growing problem of violent SWAT raids and governmental immunity laws established as part of the War on Drugs.

Officers in cities and small towns are routinely armed with military surplus weapons and equipment, backed by federal incentives to use what they are given.

These and other factors have led to a 15,000% increase in SWAT team raids in the United States since the late 1970s, according to Indie Lens. Peace Officer follows Dub as he doggedly picks apart these cases with the zeal of a rule-of-law detective combined with the grief of a victim.

Image courtesy Phoenixville's Colonial Theatre.