Chiefs is a 1968 documentary film directed by Richard Leacock and Noel E. Parmentel Jr. The film captures the proceedings of the annual meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) held in Hawaii in October 1968. The IACP is a professional organization of law enforcement officials from different countries, and the meeting was attended by hundreds of police chiefs from various cities.
The film is a scathing critique of the police and their policies. The documentary shows the chiefs being trained in the use of various anti-riot weapons, including the chokehold, tear gas, and water cannons, which are demonstrated on volunteers. The footage is quite graphic and disturbing, showing the brutality of the techniques.
In one scene, a police chief boasts about the use of tear gas on hundreds of college students protesting the Vietnam War, saying that they "chased them like rats" and that the students were "bawling and blubbering." The chiefs also reject the idea of community policing, arguing that their job is to maintain order, not make friends with the community.
Throughout the film, Leacock and Parmentel Jr. use their camera to capture candid moments and reactions from attendees as they watch the demonstrations. The result is a film that is both funny and frightening, satirical and sobering. Chiefs offers a potent commentary on the role of law enforcement in society and remains a powerful critique of police brutality and militarization.