Does a uniform make you look conservative? Are most women leftists? Does having the same skin colour create a bond? Is a confident posture intimidating? Why is one look to be trusted while the other is not?

In All Cops Are, a group of police officers allow themselves to be profiled by random passersby on the street. What do you see when you look at another person? What is stands out immediately? What is difficult or impossible to see? How do you characterise the person facing you and how do you arrive at this judgment? Judging by appearance, body posture, eye gaze, skin color, gender, clothing or facial expressions, different citizens provide a profile of the police officer standing in front of them. By subjecting each cop to the experiment both in plain clothes and in uniform, we get a judgment in stereo: a reflection on the cop as well as the person behind it.

The title refers to the English acronym ACAB which stands for All Cops Are Bastards, a political slogan best known among squatters, anarchists, activists, hooligans and, of course, the police themselves. The slogan has become known since the 1980s as an anti-police and anti-establishment slogan.

All Cops Are is an investigation into profiling, stereotyping and the relationship between police and citizens. In these polarised times, the videos and statements can play a role as they manage to capture different voices in society without imposing a forced point of view on the viewer. We hope the videos will serve as a poetic spark to start the conversation.

All Cops Are is a project by Atelier Yuri Veerman in collaboration with the Dutch Police. The idea for this project was developed during the Social Design Police programme together with youth officer Lotte Asma. A first prototype called UNIFORM was developed during this process.

Social Design Police encourages learning space for (self)reflection, experimentation and creation, looking for pacesetters and openings towards the good: a human police force connected to everyone.

If you have any questions, or would like to show All Cops Are at a cultural or educational event, please send an email to info@allcopsare.nl.