Does a uniform make you conservative? Do you trust someone more easily if the person looks like you? Are all cops bastards, heroes or something in between?

In All Cops Are, a group of police officers are profiled twice by random passers-by on the street: first in plain clothes, then in uniform. The voices you hear accompanying the videos of the cop in plain clothes and uniform always come from different people walking by at the time. Judging by body posture, eye gaze, skin colour, gender or tattoos, different citizens provide a profile of the police officer standing in front of them. Does a uniform make you conservative? Do you trust someone faster if the person looks like you? Is a confident posture intimidating?

The title All Cops Are refers to the English slogan All Cops Are Bastards. A.C.A.B. is an anti-establishment slogan best known among activists, squatters, hooligans, anarchists and, of course, the police themselves. The slogan frames the cop as a henchman of an oppressive government. In the videos you see, the cop is reframed continuously. Not by a particular group of people, but by different individuals viewing the cop and using their own gaze and frame of reference to determine who they see.

All Cops Are triggers an active dialogue about the complex relationship between police and society. How do you view the role and actions of the police?

All Cops Are is a collaboration between the police and artist Yuri Veerman. As police creative leaders, Marjon van Gelderen and Arnoud Grootenboer are creating new spaces and ways to activate the changes that are needed.

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.

All Cops Are is made possible by Politie voor Iedereen and Politie van Overmorgen.

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. All videos are available for download on our vimeo page and can be used under a creative commons licence.