The Scooter Cops of Bed-Stuy is an independent feature documentary that I began working on at the beginning of 2016. It is about my friend and neighbor Scooter Joe Willins and his partner Kenny Kaufman. They have an amazing story that I believe needs to be heard today and considered within the national conversation we're having about policing in the United States.
In the 1970s, Joe and Kenny were effectively meter-maids, assigned to check potholes and write parking tickets in one of Brooklyn's most marginalized and crime-ridden neighborhoods. What they did instead was become a maverick duo of homicide detectives without permission from their supervisors. During their 20 year careers, they made 38 homicide arrests and never fired their weapons once. How did they do it? By developing relationships with all types of people within the community and earning their trust. Joe and Kenny were laying the ground work for what we call "community based policing" today and were doing it completely by their own volition.
For more information, please visit scootercops.com and reach out if you have any questions!