![Peace Officer doccie explores the USA’s increasingly militarised police force](https://cdn.stories.shwmx.co/media/2018/11/2050cba2-a011-4923-9469-fd31370e3451-1-e1542029282230-1240x539.jpg)
12 November 2018
Peace Officer doccie explores the USA’s increasingly militarised police force
Update: Peace Officer is no longer on Showmax. Find your next binge in the full catalogue here.
Peace Officer, winner of both the Grand Jury and Audience awards at SXSW, is now streaming first and only on Showmax in Africa.
The feature documentary is the story of William “Dub” Lawrence, a former sheriff who established and trained Utah’s first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later.
Combining the zeal of a rule-of-law detective with the grief of a victim, Dub obsessively uses his own investigative skills to uncover the truth in this and other recent officer-involved shootings in his community.
As The Boston Globe wrote, “His investigation surpasses the best episode of the now defunct CSI series in its suspense and fascinating procedural detail and rivals the intensity, ingenuity, and broader ramifications of Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line.”
The documentary questions the increasingly militarised state of police in America, where it claims the use of SWAT team raids have increased 15 000% since the 1970s. This increase is attributed in part to the widespread use of no-knock search warrant laws, where in many states SWAT teams can break into US citizens’ homes without warning, often in the middle of the night, and may take any action of surprised self-defence as an excuse to open fire. In some cases, they even break into the wrong houses…
Lawrence was named one of the Unforgettables at Cinema Eye Honors Awards, while Peace Officer also won the Human Rights Award at Full Frame, among other international accolades.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary has a rare 100% critics’ rating, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “A powerful and important film about policing tactics that have crept into everyday use with little scrutiny” and Variety praised it for being “hard-hitting… as engrossing and well crafted as it is timely.”
One Weeks on Showmax
The Mommy Club Sugar & Spice: Meet the moms
More Mzansi gold
![Showmax QVWi device](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.stories.shwmx.co%2Fmedia%2F2024%2F07%2FLifestyle-Render-Leap_S2-798x449.png&w=3840&q=75)
Showmax and South African manufacturer QVWi partner to transform TVs into smart TVs
Showmax partners with QVWi, a Skyworth Digital Company, to upgrade older TVs into smart TVs with the latest technology at an affordable price.
![Dark Side of Glory on Showmax](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.stories.shwmx.co%2Fmedia%2F2024%2F07%2FDark_Side_Of_Glory_S1_2024-798x445.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Must watch trailer: true-crime doccie Dark Side of Glory
Watch the explosive first trailers for Dark Side of Glory, a true crime documentary about the shocking cases of murder in the world of sport. Premieres 31 July on Showmax.
![Melusi Mbele in The Butcher's Soul](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.stories.shwmx.co%2Fmedia%2F2024%2F07%2FThe_Butchers_Soul_2024-798x449.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Must-watch trailer for The Butcher’s Soul coming to Showmax
First look at the explosive trailer for The Butcher’s Soul, starring SAFTA winner Melusi Mbele. Premiering 2 August on Showmax.
![The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip SA S1 on Showmax](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.stories.shwmx.co%2Fmedia%2F2024%2F07%2FUltimate-Girls-Trip_S1_SA-2024-798x449.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Nonku has positive criticism for the ladies
In Episode 9 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip SA, Nonku wants to know why Londie arrived so late in Jamaica. Will she get an answer? New episodes every Monday.