The new trailer debuted for the documentary Women in Blue directed by Deirdre Fishel that screened at major film festivals including Tribeca Film Festival and AFI Docs. Women in Blue will have its national television debut on PBS television series Independent Lens series on Monday, February 8, 2021.

Filmed from 2017-2020, Women in Blue follows Minneapolis’ first female police chief Janeé Harteau, as she works to reform the Minneapolis Police Department by getting rid of bad cops, retraining the rest, diversifying the ranks and promoting women – who statistically use less force than their male counterparts – into every rank of leadership. The film focuses on four women in Harteau’s department, each trying to redefine what it means to protect and serve. After a high-profile, officer-involved shooting forces Chief Harteau to resign, the new, male chief selects only men as his top brass. The women left behind continue to fight to police differently and to rebuild community trust.

Women in Blue offers an unprecedented view into the inner workings of the MPD, chronicling a department – and a community – grappling with racism and a troubled history of police misconduct long before an MPD officer killed George Floyd in May of 2020. The film reveals the limitations of police reform through incremental change and asks questions that apply well beyond the city of Minneapolis. Could increased gender equity and more women – especially Black women – contribute to greater public safety?