Taking a look at law enforcement in an unusual way, the police department in San Antonio, Texas has devised an unconventional method to save citizens who are mentally disturbed from committing crime. It’s not to say that other cities has adopted or set up their own way of dealing with the psychological unbalanced, but the two men in this documentary show how it works in their city.
The film states; “One in five Americans has a mental health issue and many end up on the wrong side of the law”. If handled with kid gloves, many of them can be brought in for care rather than receive an injury or worse when up against a law enforcement officer. In San Antonio we meet two officers in the HBO Documentary Film “Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops”. The two take cases on a regular basis where the perpetrator may need a different kind of help.
Photo Credit: Courtesy HBO
.
Ernie and Joe take calls from their unit when the police feel that the person who will be getting approached is mentally ill or at least have signs that the person is threatening. The two officers are mentally equipped to help in these situations having taken courses like Crisis Intervention Training and other psychology preparation. Instead of moving in with force, they do it with talk to gain confidence and have even made the target comfortable enough to give up their weapon or not wanting to hurt themselves.
The documentary is a one of a kind, where it surprises, amazes and relieves the doubts that people have in our modern society when it comes to police intervention. It also is a very good model for other cities to see and take head so there will be less violence where it could be avoided. Bringing a good outcome is what Ernie and Joe look for and have achieved, even adding more officers to their division while instilling faith in what they do among the whole police department at San Antonio.
Photo Credit: Courtesy HBO
The film is a must see as things are filmed in real time using body cams and other photography during cases in progress. Nothing is staged. Sometimes thrilling and other times fulfilling, it’s good to see that our men in blue are working toward the best outcomes.
“Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops” has been rated TV-MA for disturbing material and some language.
FINAL ANALYSIS: It’s good to see documentaries showing progress in Law Enforcement. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Ernie Stevens, Joe Smarro
Directed and Produced by: Jenifer McShane
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 1 hr. 38 min.
Opening Date: November 19, 2019 HBO, November 15th Theaters New York & LA
Distributed by: HBO
Released in: HBO
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
