ERNIE & JOE: CRISIS COPS Documentary Debuts November 19, 2019 Exclusively on HBO

HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS presents ERNIE & JOE: CRISIS COPS was directed and produced by Jenifer McShane; executive produced by Andrea Meditch; cinematographer, E.J. Enriquez; editor, Toby Shimin. The documentary was a SXSW Special Jury Prize Winner.

The Jenifer McShane (Mothers of Bedford) documentary ERNIE & JOE: CRISIS COPS follows San Antonio, Texas police officers Ernie Stevens and Joe Smarro, who are diverting people from jail and into mental health treatment. Part of the San Antonio Police Department’s ten-person mental health unit, Ernie Stevens and Joe Smarro are putting compassionate policing practices into action. Ernie & Joe chronicles their daily encounters with people in crisis, showing how their innovative approach to policing — which takes mental health into account — is having a dramatic effect on the way police respond to these challenges.

The film was also shown at the 2019 DOC NYC Festival in New York City.