Independent Lens

Women in Blue

By Deirdre Fishel. A co-production of Blue Pictures LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

With the national conversation around police reform still resonating loudly around the country, WOMEN IN BLUE shines a spotlight on the women within the Minneapolis Police Department working to reform it from the inside by fighting for gender equity. Filmed from 2017 to 2020, the documentary focuses on MPD’s first female and openly gay police chief, Janée Harteau, and three of the women in her department as they each try to redefine what it means to protect and serve.  

The film follows Harteau’s uphill battle to reform her department as the city of Minneapolis, long before an MPD officer killed George Floyd in May of 2020, grapples with a troubled history of police misconduct and racism. Her efforts involve getting rid of corrupt police officers, re-training the rest, diversifying the ranks, and, crucially: recruiting more women and promoting them into leadership at every level. WOMEN IN BLUE also follows three of these women from different ranks, each committed to reimagining their profession.