The Force is Peter Nicks's documentary about the Oakland Police Department which was placed under Federal oversight in 2003 due to allegations of police brutality and other sundry criticism involving racial insensitivity, violation of civil rights, etc.
The main focus throughout is on Sean Wendt, the chief of the OPD (Oakland Police Department), a low-key liberal who has been brought in to effect the needed reforms and eventually restore the department's integrity. The reforms include body cameras, teaching about the racist history of the OPD, racial sensitivity classes and a de-emphasis on alternatives to the deadly use of force.
In the first half hour (the weakest part of the film), things appear to be going well, with no reported police shootings in a calendar year. Much of the footage at this point is routine, reminding one of a typical episode from the long-running COPS TV show. Wendt's pronouncement that "it's a difficult time to be a police officer in this country" is borne out by the slew of protests (mainly fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement) which are chronicled in detail by Nicks.
Suddenly things get a lot more interesting when a slew of police shootings occur and Wendt is forced to defend the use of deadly force in each incident. Footage from body cameras is effectively used to depict the nature of the shootings-notably misinformation is spread by so- called community "activists" who claim victims have been shot in the back, with no cause. One "activist" is observed at a community meeting claiming that all cops are corrupt and is met by another man in opposition who denies the police force consists of all "bad apples."
More interesting footage involves a focus on training classes for the new recruits. Some of them are not as progressive as Chief Wendt would hope, voicing opinions praising the excessive use of force as a justified response to life-threatening scenarios.
The Force's denouement is even more surprising when Oakland's Mayor accepts Chief Wendt's resignation for his failure to properly investigate a sex scandal involving some of his officers. A succession of temporary appointments by the mayor for the position of Chief of Police end up in almost immediate resignations, another sign of the Department's disarray.
In the end, the OPD must remain under Federal oversight and the initial optimism seems to recede into the background. Nicks could have done more to explore the nature of Wendt's resignation, explaining in more detail what actually occurred with that sex scandal. Despite its slow start, The Force is a solid and fairly gripping examination of a modern day police department in turmoil.
The main focus throughout is on Sean Wendt, the chief of the OPD (Oakland Police Department), a low-key liberal who has been brought in to effect the needed reforms and eventually restore the department's integrity. The reforms include body cameras, teaching about the racist history of the OPD, racial sensitivity classes and a de-emphasis on alternatives to the deadly use of force.
In the first half hour (the weakest part of the film), things appear to be going well, with no reported police shootings in a calendar year. Much of the footage at this point is routine, reminding one of a typical episode from the long-running COPS TV show. Wendt's pronouncement that "it's a difficult time to be a police officer in this country" is borne out by the slew of protests (mainly fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement) which are chronicled in detail by Nicks.
Suddenly things get a lot more interesting when a slew of police shootings occur and Wendt is forced to defend the use of deadly force in each incident. Footage from body cameras is effectively used to depict the nature of the shootings-notably misinformation is spread by so- called community "activists" who claim victims have been shot in the back, with no cause. One "activist" is observed at a community meeting claiming that all cops are corrupt and is met by another man in opposition who denies the police force consists of all "bad apples."
More interesting footage involves a focus on training classes for the new recruits. Some of them are not as progressive as Chief Wendt would hope, voicing opinions praising the excessive use of force as a justified response to life-threatening scenarios.
The Force's denouement is even more surprising when Oakland's Mayor accepts Chief Wendt's resignation for his failure to properly investigate a sex scandal involving some of his officers. A succession of temporary appointments by the mayor for the position of Chief of Police end up in almost immediate resignations, another sign of the Department's disarray.
In the end, the OPD must remain under Federal oversight and the initial optimism seems to recede into the background. Nicks could have done more to explore the nature of Wendt's resignation, explaining in more detail what actually occurred with that sex scandal. Despite its slow start, The Force is a solid and fairly gripping examination of a modern day police department in turmoil.