Operation Blue Shield
"We're All In"
During a period of tense relations between the public and the police department in Dallas, Texas, we were asked by Toni Brinker who was the wife of T. Boone Pickens at the time to go out and photograph and film our civil servants as well as members of the community.
It was a very docu-style production where we had a few police officers escort us around town, helped us find people on the street, as well as introducing us to police on the beat. Once the introductions were made we asked if we could film them for a community service spot and still campaign meant to ease tension between the two sides. It was a great ice breaker and we made a lot of friends.
I loved hanging out with the police and hearing them talk candidly about what their jobs are really like. We met firemen, motorcycle cops, the K-9 team, street people, bodega owners and community center volunteers. It was an all-encompassing experience. We also filmed our Mayor Mike Rawlins as well as our police chief at the time David Brown and heard them discuss how hard it is to please all the constituents in this day and age. Those two were a dynamic civil team, their tenures have ended and they have moved on now.
What I learned once again is that people are people and communication is so important in this day and age. We all want harmony on the streets, let’s hope that together we can find a happy medium.
